Parents Hate This Industry, yet It Will Hire 2 Million People

Different periods of time come with different circumstances, different outcomes… Different environments. And those environments may then give rise to specific industries. 

E-sports is one of those industries; one that was once heavily disliked by Chinese parents, and is now making waves across the nation.

(Click to read our previous article: Finally, This Job is Approved in China!)

On June 28, 2019, China’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security publicly released the latest report on the employment state of the e-sports industry, in which findings reveal a very niche market for jobs. But what this report really shows is its potential to attract nearly 2 million new e-sports professionals over the next 5 years!

The prospect of a bright future and the extreme lack of talent resources is bound to prompt more and more young people to choose e-sports as a legitimate career.

But as one should never judge a metaphorical book by its cover, neither should you about the seemingly entertaining and “beautiful” profession that is e-sports.

Parents view people occupying such roles as the less educated bunch - those who skip classes at school and/or have been unemployed for a while.

Do you find it to be the case?

It’s an undeniable fact that video games bring a certain level of addiction to the lives of fragile teenagers which, consequently, can have serious repercussions on their mental and physical health. 

But this industry wasn’t born out of the addition of the majority. It’s now become an official sport. 

And while positions in e-sports require obvious technical skills along with an in-depth understanding of the games played, other professional characteristics are also expected and developed, including teamwork, pressure management, and decision-making. 

It is a team sport in which players find themselves playing the same game every day, training for more than 10 hours with stress and possibly anxiety at times. As such, eating, sleeping, and other parts of their daily life have to be micro-managed - almost like the military, to a certain degree.

Players also have to be wary of their lack of physical movement as they sit for long stretches which can lead to damages to their legs, waist, back, hands and other body parts.

Those who have already participated in this game and have held such positions as a career understand the hardships and extra work that they have had to put up with in order to succeed. 

Meanwhile, the Chinese e-sports industry is expected to be pushing hard to fill all those 2 million positions over the next 5 years.

What do you think? 

Would you consider testing this career path? 

If not you, would you let your children try it out?

Let us know in the comment section below!

 Editor: Crystal Huang

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