What is the Esports Regulatory Congress?

Enter the Esports Regulatory Congress. It is a two-day event starting September 23 that brings together some of the biggest names in the esports scene. Its goal is to discuss the state of esports moving forward.

Image via Esports Conference Facebook

The Renaissance Barcelona Fira Hotel in Barcelona, Spain will be a perfect place. It will include over “30 top speakers, 200 delegates and 20 keynotes and panels” at the event. Confirmed speakers include Anna Bauman, Managing Director at Rogue Sports, Chester King, CEO of the British Esports Association and Tobias Scholtz, editor of the eSports yearbook, among many others. Positions to become a speaker are still open so expect more faces and big names joining in as we approach the event.

The event covers some of the biggest topics and issues in esports. Integrity, governmental recognition of esports will be discussed in order to create a set regulation for the esports scene. As mentioned earlier, rules have been non-existent or constantly changing, and this meeting hopes to solidify rules.

Along with the bevy of hot topics to be discussed, this event houses many of esports’ biggest influencers, legal advisors, and professional gamers. According to the website, plenty of time will be available for guests to network on September 23.

Tickets are available to attend the event, as of this writing, at a price of 990 euros ($1,085.82 USD) until September 10 or for last-minute purchases worth 1175 euros ($1,288.75 USD).

Esport is evolving constantly

Most recently, Activision changed the structure of its Call of Duty World Gaming League. It was to match the franchised format of the Overwatch Gaming League. Now, teams have cities that they represent in order to create a more professional format to the gaming scene. How the ERC will impact gaming moving forward will be interesting to watch as esports continues to trend upwards.

The world of esports is constantly evolving. Competitive gaming has come a long way since it’s humble roots back in 1972 at Stanford University when students competed against each for a year’s subscription of Rolling Stone magazine.

Fast forward to 2019, and the scene is way different than back in those college dorm rooms. Players of all ages compete for championships worth millions of dollars in heavyweight titles such as Overwatch, Call of Duty, and League of Legends, practicing for days and months just to reach the peak known as world champion.

On July 28th, 2019, 16-year-old Kyle “Bugha” Geirsdorf won three million dollars competing in the Fortnite World Cup in New York City! To think, there is still so much potential in esports that has not been reached. There is even a chance an Olympic sport may appear in the future for esports.

One thing always missing since those days in 1972: a unified set of rules. The rules “set in place” never stay a long time and constantly change.

Credit: John Esposito