The Games and Amusements Board has included eSports in their official list of professional sports. And that means…government fees and permits! The table is here, but we’d rather look at Mineski Rhom’s (the founder of Mineski, duh) helpful graphic:
Interestingly, registering to become a legitimately pro gamer is more expensive than traditional disciplines like billiards (P750) or table tennis (P250) and even something becoming mainstream like volleyball at P600. Basketball takes the top slot at P4,500, which is expected but do eSports athletes need to pay higher because of all the record-breaking prize pools out there skewing perceptions?
We agree with Rhom’s thoughts that P800 may not seem like a big deal, but it’s not a stretch to imagine that even this amount is a lot to ask for. That’s already a week of game time at your local comshop after all. And don’t get us started on the “accredited esports organization” requirement, we all know how that’s going to turn out: with a whole load of politics.