Following the draft report on Esports and videogames from 26 April, the European Parliaments’ Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) has made available a research paper authored by the Esports Research Network with the collaboration of the Policy Department for Structural and Cohesion Policies from the European Parliament. Based on this Background Analysis, they also provided a Policy Recommendation Briefing, to address the needs identified in the Background Analysis.

The Background Analysis goes in depth on the history of esports, the fundamental elements needed for its definition, and its nature as an independent product of digitalisation with its own principles and rules that crosses the areas of gaming, entertainment, media, culture, art, education, business and talent, diversity and inclusion and sports. The analysis also highlights the need for a terminological and legal separation of esports and sports, insomuch both have broad scopes and their own set of rules and replicating existing sports systems to esports could potentially damage the development of both industries.

The recommendations put forward fundamentally aim to support a healthy and sustainable growth of esports in Europe, utilise esports as a testing ground for the digital society, and help create a digital European identity.

Ensuing these publications, the European Parliaments’ Sports Group and the Cultural Creators Friendship Group organised a webinar on 11 May, discussing the future of competitive video gaming with the presence of the rapporteur for the “E-sport and video games” report, Ms. Laurence Farreng, and esports experts and representatives of international organisations such as the IOC and the Interactive Software Federation of Europe.

The draft report on this file will be presented by the rapporteur to the CULT Committee on 17 May 2022, after which MEPs will still be able to table amendments until 23 May before the vote in the CULT Committee on 29 September 2022.