Players come out with their guns blazing in esports

China is seeing its largest moment in esports as hundreds of professional players compete in Hangzhou.

These Games mark the first time that competitive video games will be eligible for medals. Tencent developed or published four of the seven multiplayer titles that will feature.

Executives and government officials are counting on esports to help with the post-Covid comeback, hoping to monetize players' passion and attention with sponsorships, merchandising, broadcasting rights and even hospitality.

Tencent codeveloped an esports hotel in Hangzhou in anticipation of the event, where fans can be close to the action while playing their favorite games.

However, Beijing draws a distinction between video games and esports. China has attempted to curb video game addiction, most recently in 2021 by limiting playtime for minors.

"Esports is ... entirely different ... to games, because it is seen as sports," said Mario Ho, chairman of Ninjas in Pyjamas Group. It is recognized as a legitimate profession in China, with universities and vocational schools offering a slew of related degrees.

Hangzhou even built a stadium solely dedicated to esports. The spaceship-shaped venue can host thousands and boasts a 200-square-meter, 360-degree jumbotron.

The competition features five PC games and two mobile games: League of Legends, Arena of Valor (also known as Honor of Kings), Peace Elite (also known as PUBG Mobile), Dota 2, Dream Three Kingdoms 2, Street Fighter V: Champion Edition and EA Sports FC (also known as FIFA Online 4).