Chinese Video Games Go Overseas: Booming eSports market opens new window

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For the first time in the history of the Asian Games, eSports has a presence there. Arena of Valor, a game created entirely by a Chinese developer, is one of the competition events. As the eSports continues to boom, the game opens an unexpected window for gamers worldwide to experience Chinese culture. RORY COEN has the story.

Sun Wukong, the legendary Monkey King who is a household name in China now has a global reach thanks to Arena of Valor, a mobile game developed by Chinese tech giant Tencent. The game features characters from western legends as well as Chinese culture, like Diao Chan and Lv Bu. As eSports booms worldwide, it's also becoming an unlikely platform for the world to learn about Chinese culture.

DING XIN SENIOR GAME DESIGNER TENCENT GAMES "Many Chinese heroes are well known in East and Southeast Asia, but not as much in Europe and the Americas. So we are trying to make them more appealing and playable. Then players might care more about their background stories and want to know more about Chinese culture."

According to market research company Newzoo, the eSports industry has generated a 655 million US dollar revenue worldwide in 2017, a 33 percent growth year on year. Revenue is expected to break 900 million dollars in 2018, spurring developers to aim for untapped markets.

YOU FEN HEAD OF MARKETING TENCENT GAMES "Nowadays we see more and more Chinese developers and games going overseas. For game makers, the overseas market is vast. We know that competition in the domestic market is fierce, but demand in the global market is more diverse. This means if you study the need of a certain market thoroughly enough, you can win the favor of that market."

Developers at Tencent admit that culture and habit still pose obstacles for Chinese games overseas, so adaptation is key to making a successful game.

DING XIN SENIOR GAME DESIGNER TENCENT GAMES "We gave the game an overhaul when we launched it internationally. We kept many characters from Chinese culture but remade many of them to cater to the overseas market. What's important is whether the game is fun or not. This is universal."

Expert says eSports has entered a time of rapid growth. Events and competitions are popping up everywhere. The industry is getting more recognition, but experts say it will take some time for esports to earn professional recognition. RORY COEN, CGTN.