RM500,000 were allocated by the state government to spur the field of e-sports.
According to the State Executive Councillor for Youth, Sports, Communication and Multimedia, Khairul Shahril Mohamed, the allocation is not only to organise tournaments but also to promote e-sports.
“Like other countries around us, e-sports has the potential to create more job opportunities for today’s youths besides sharpening their minds,” he told reporters at the Universiti Sultan Azlan Shah (USAS) Santai Gaming programme launch recently.
“Research has shown that online gaming is able to repair brain functions and increase mental capacity in daily multi-tasking and problem solving, which undeniably helps students in their studies,” Khairul Shahril mentioned.
The two-day programme was held by the Science, Technology and Multimedia Society of USAS, along with their student representative council, where 288 participated in the tournament to win the prize pool of RM4,000.
32 teams competed in the PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) category and 32 more competed in the Mobile Legends Bang Bang (MLBB) category.
The emerging champion will be awarded RM900, while first and second runner-up will be respectively awarded RM700 and RM400 for each category.
Khairul Shahril added that the programme is able to instil teamwork spirit besides fortifying relationships among USAS undergraduates during the Movement Control Order (MCO).
“Students of USAS have really outdone themselves in organising such an e-sports championship,” he enthused. “Hopefully, there’ll be more competitions like this in the near future, especially during the ongoing MCO.”
Rosli Mansor
