Pengze Zheng
ABSTRACT:
This paper seeks to interpret the big picture of Chinese eSports before 2011 and how it turned into the current model, contributing to its expansive development. Since the mid-2010s, China has become one of the most important players in the global eSports industry. However, before 2011, the Chinese eSports industry was chaotic. It began in 1998 and suffered from the industry’s late start and unregulated environments, including the unstable foundation of the eSports industry, the market separatism of domestic game companies, the government’s paradoxical control, and the stigmatization of eSports players. Game companies, investors, and eSports players struggled to think about the future, but little research ever went deep into these issues. This paper aims to fill the blank in the academic analysis of the Chinese eSports industry between 1998 and 2011. Beginning with the origins of Chinese eSports, it will consider the components that support Chinese eSports, the obstacles that hinder Chinese eSports’ development, Sicong Wang’s strategy of integrating Chinese eSports, and the significance of understanding Chinese eSports’ rise.
KEY WORDS:
eSports, game companies, government, China, internet cafe, Sicong Wang, society, stigmatization.
DOI:
10.34135/actaludologica.2025-8-1.16-30
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