From international golf tournaments to top-flight table tennis competitions and regional basketball, Macao is increasingly making a sporting name for itself. But while the city has the potential to add e-sports to the roster, for now the story is one of untapped potential. Andrew W. Pearson, Vice President of Grow uP eSports, a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting e-sports, believes Macao could become an e-sports powerhouse. However, issues like funding, infrastructure, and government support need to be addressed.
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“Unfulfilled potential is the best way I would describe it,” Pearson says. “Macao either has a lot of what e-sports needs or is right next door to it.”
Indeed, the SAR possesses key elements for establishing a successful e-sports hub. Its world-class casino-resorts, large sports arenas, and proximity to mainland China – projected to have 781 million gamers by 2025 – position the city favourably for growth in the e-sports industry.
Challenges facing e-sports in Macao
For now, Macao’s gaming community is still small. “When we have tournaments, we tend to see the same players,” Pearson says. “There are some e-sports venues, but we definitely need more.” Grow uP eSports’ first event, the GirlGamer Esports Festival debuted in Macao back in 2017. The event moved to South Korea, Singapore, and Australia because governments and communities in those countries showed greater interest.
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“These events require significant funding, government and business support, suitable venues, and a decent-sized production crew, which have been challenging to secure in Macao,” he explains.
Despite these challenges, Pearson still sees possibilities in Macao. In Portugal, Grow uP eSports has partnered with schools to engage over 10,000 students, helping them develop skills like teamwork, strategic thinking, and problem-solving through gaming. “E-sports is one of the areas where kids are highly motivated to discover more,” Pearson says. “We’d be interested in doing something similar in Macao.”
Macao’s future in e-sports
Proponents argue that e-sports are good for tourism – Macao’s biggest industry – at a time when the city is actively trying to diversify its visitor markets.
“E-sports events have the potential to draw massive crowds, both in-person and online,” Pearson says, pointing to places like Katowice, which transformed itself from a city little known outside Poland into the World Esports Capital. It now hosts major tournaments for popular games such as StarCraft 2, League of Legends, and CS:GO.
He also suggests boosting e-sports visibility in Macao by creating a reality TV series or documentary, doing for e-sports what Drive to Survive did for Formula 1 racing or Full Swing did for golf. “Why couldn’t Macao do something similar for e-sports? Bring a bunch of teams together to play out a tournament over the course of a season,” he says.
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Macao’s journey into e-sports holds promise, Pearson believes. Guided by practical strategies such as maximising its venues, investing in education, and adopting fresh marketing techniques, the city has the opportunity to diversify its entertainment landscape and position itself as an exciting new entrant in the international e-sports community.
