Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman’s proposal to intensify the hosting of e-sports tournaments in the country has been well received by fans of electronic sports.

Visitors to the Dota 2 tournament at The Kuala Lumpur Major 2018, which is the first international e-sports championship organised by Malaysia, also supported the proposal, saying it would help in the sport’s development.

Ahmad Danial Ahmad Syukur, a public university student, said the hosting of more international events would help raise awareness and knowledge of the local e-sports community.

“It’s a good suggestion and I support it because I have received so much input and game strategies on e-sports in the two days I have been here. This is good exposure,” said the 22-year-old student.

Syed Saddiq, who spent some time at The KL Major at the Axiata Arena last night, had hinted that e-sports championships would continue to be organised when he said that The KL Major would not be the last international tournament to be held in the country.

Meanwhile V. Avinesh, 26, said the hosting of e-sports events would also raise awareness and understanding of the sport among other groups.

“I am a gamer but many do not understand what is it that I do everyday. If more tournaments are organised here, at least I can invite them to attend and learn more about eSports,” he said.

As for 30-year-old Aaron Liew, who works with a private firm, he believes that The KL Major could be used a benchmark to guide local e-sports organisers in the future.

“I have been here for two days and I am totally amazed with this event. It’s well-organised and you can see there are a lot of booths inside here too. I think this can benefit the local e-sports community and raise the standard of hosting eSports events,” he said.

The champions of The KL Major will walk away with US$350,000 as well as 4,950 Dota Pro Circuit Point, which will take them closer to the qualifying rounds of The International Tournament 2019 in Shanghai, China.

- Bernama