As some of you may be aware, Japan’s esports industry will now start issuing “pro-licenses” for certain professional gamers. The move is meant to help get around some of the country’s gambling laws that prevent tournaments from using entrance fees to generate prize money. Now, in a new post on his blog, Echo Fox’s Yusuke Momochi has shared his thoughts on these new “pro-licenses.”
Momochi states that while he isn’t against the system, there are a few points that he’s concerned about. The biggest is “why does a newly-formed specialized group have the right to “define what a pro-gamer is?” He then points to all the work that he and other players have put into the scene, and raises concerns that the move may favor certain businesses.
That said — he isn’t totally against the idea of businesses making money. Indeed, it’s his opinion that things that don’t become businesses are things “that will probably disappear someday.” However, he still believes that there should be thought put into the questions of who exactly the license system is for, and if there isn’t anyone sneakily trying to gain something from this.
The rest of the post goes over his thoughts on what “pro-gamer” is, and the responsibilities that this entails. This also includes some of his thoughts on the purpose of founding his company Shinobism, where he both handles events, and trains new players.
Now while the original post on the Shinobism site is in Japanese, Andrew “Jiyuna” Fidelis has translated it and shared it on his own blog. Interested folks can read either that, or the original Japanese post.
