Non-profit eSports association Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) is preparing to host its annual Gauteng eSports Championships on 11 March.
School pupils and aspiring participants under the age of 24 are invited to register for the online tournament, which offers an opportunity for top-performing players to earn a place in the national team trials on 25 March.
Any team consisting of players who are registered players affiliated to an MSSA member club can register to enter the championships, says the organisation.
Entries must be submitted by midnight on 9 March.
According to the MSSA, the team selected at the national team trials will represent SA as the country’s official Protea eSports Team at the all-qualifying events for the International eSports Federation’s (IESF’s) 15th World eSports Championships, to be held in Romania, in August.
In order to participate in the global event, players must be registered for the 2022/2023 season.
“Game challenges will include the multiplayer online battle arena, sport, shooter, fighting and card games,” says Colin Webster, president of the MSSA.
“Players are urged to acquaint themselves with the rules on what will happen in the event of substitutes or load-shedding.”
Entry is R100 per registered player.
The MSSA is an affiliate of the IESF, Federation de Jeau du Mondiale and International Wargames Federation. The organisation says it has participated in every IESF World Championship since its inception in 2009.
eSports is the fastest-growing sport globally, with a current valuation of $1 billion and projections showing this number will almost double by the end of 2022.
In the education sector, more institutions are embracing eSports as part of their curriculum, to harness its potential to teach scholars mental toughness, leadership skills, sportsmanship and communication skills, according to experts.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, eSports has slowly gained traction within SA’s learning sector, with schools such as Curro joining the eSports movement.
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