The architectural rendering resembles a fuchsia jellyfish hovering above airbrushed Shanghai streets, but though futuristic in appearance, the outdoor plaza to the the city\u2019s newest e-sports event center is in tune with a burgeoning contemporary trend \u2014 a physical manifestation of China\u2019s multibillion dollar gaming industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The specs are compelling. When the Shanghai International New Cultural and Creative E-sports Center opens in 2024, the 500,000 square-meter space not only aims to be the home base for elite e-sports teams and host prestigious e-sports tournaments, but function as an entertainment hub in its own right. On top of a 6,000 seater arena, the project by property developer SuperGen is incorporating a hotel, a gaming museum, an indoor skydiving center, and extensive retail space.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With more than 600 million gamers, the industry surrounding China\u2019s vast, demographically diverse, and highly engaged e-sports fanatics has been closely followed for more than a decade. Until a couple of years ago, however, offline gaming experiences typically entailed a trip to the local smoke-filled internet cafe. Now, it\u2019s being viewed as a soft power play, a cross-industry GDP boon, and a potentially lucrative arm of the domestic tourism industry by tech giants, property moguls, and local governments alike.![\"\"](\"http:\/\/jingculturecommerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/jt-eports-graph1.jpg\")
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China\u2019s e-sports industry has seen a steady year-on-year growth in revenue. Image: Statistica<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On a global level, these large e-sports venues place China at the forefront of the fastest growing entertainment sector and serve \u201cto strengthen China\u2019s reputation and ambitions to become the global e-sports capital,\u201d says Tom Elsden, Business Director at Mailman Group, which recently released a comprehensive performance index<\/a> of China\u2019s e-sports teams. <\/p>\n\n\n\n China\u2019s authorities have shown an unrivaled willingness to incentivize the sector\u2019s growth in cities, believing flourishing e-sports scenes will boost media, travel, and equipment industries. This has led to public-private partnerships between cities and tech-gaming giants with Chengdu bonding with Tencent and NetEase with Guangzhou and a new generation<\/a> of e-sports centers being built across the country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Chongqing\u2019s brand new Zhongxian esports stadium seats up to 7,000 and includes a luxury hotel and incubator space, Hangzhou\u2019s local authorities unveiled a sprawling e-sports town in 2018, and Chinese tourist favorite Hainan has a $150 million development fund geared to adding an e-sports facet to the island\u2019s travel economy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n