Almost two years after Chinese-owned games ‘PUBG Mobile’ and ‘Arena of Valor’ were banned by the Indian government, the gaming community is set to approach the sports ministry with a question: can they compete in these two titles at this year’s Asian Games in China?
On Wednesday, officials from the Esports Federation of India (ESFI) are likely to meet sports secretary Sujata Chaturvedi to seek permission from the government for the participation of Indian gamers in these two games, which are medal events at the Hangzhou Asiad.
“We have to get permission from the government to participate in these events,” ESFI president Vinod Kumar Tiwari said. “Can we hold a qualifier for it and go for it? We are speaking to the ministry and we will try to explain. If they give us the go-ahead, we will compete in all sports else we will compete in six.”
In late 2020, amidst border tensions between India and China in eastern Ladakh, the government banned more than 100 applications owned by Chinese companies, including the two games, under Section A of the Information Technology Act, saying they were a threat to the country’s ‘sovereignty and integrity’.
A year later, ‘PUBG Mobile’ and ‘Arena of Valor’ were named among the eight titles for the Asian Games to be held from September 10 to 25 in Hangzhou, which is home to some of China’s biggest technology companies. This will be the first time esports will be a part of a multi-discipline event as a medal sport.
Tiwari, who is also the director of international relations at the Olympic Council of Asia, said a special Asian Games version, with less violence, of these two games has been designed to make sure there’s parity among gamers. “PUBG is banned not just in India but in quite a few other countries in Asia as well. So, we have made an Asian Games edition. It’s the same for ‘Arena of Valor’. There’s no killing in that, it’s just target shooting and all those things,” Tiwari said.
These developments put Indian gamers in a bind but they continued practising using alternative titles. But as the deadline to nominate teams for the Asian Games nears, clarity is sought on the issue.
The Indian esports team selection process for the Asian Games begins this month, with registrations likely to open in the first week of March. The team size for ‘Arena of Valor’ will be five players plus one substitute, while ‘PUBG Mobile’ can have four players and a substitute in a team. The playoffs for qualification are likely to be held from March 20 to April 10, when the team will be finalised.
ESFI expects more than one lakh gamers to take part in the qualification process before ultimately choosing a team of around 25. “We hope to send around 20-25 athletes,” Tiwari said. “We are trying to have qualifiers for PUBG and Arena of Valor as well but before that, we have to get permission from the government.”
If the government gives its go-ahead for participation in these two games, ‘Battlegrounds Mobile India’ (BGMI) will be used as a substitute for ‘PUBG Mobile’ while ‘Clash of Titans’ will be the alternate for ‘Arena of Valor’. “The gaming communities have themselves come up with these ideas,” ESFI director Lokesh Suji said. “This, however, is only if we get a go-ahead.”
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