On July 3rd, the Esports World Cup opened, a gigantic video game sports competition that will last until August 25th and seeks to establish itself as the World Cup of this growing discipline. More than 1,500 players grouped in 500 teams must compete in more than 20 of the most popular games such as Dota 2, League of Legends or Counter-Strike.
But the special thing about this event is that it is being hosted by Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. The kingdom even won the bid on July 23 to host the first edition of the e-sports Olympic Games, which will take place in 2025 and will hold them until 2037.
This may seem surprising, but in reality, the holding of these large circuses is part of a strategy with political implications.
L’Esports World Cup “is the realization of one of the pillars of the national strategy for games and electronic sports launched by the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed Ben Salman,” boasts the pro-Saudi pan-Arab daily Asharq Al-Awsat. “MBS”, the strongman of the kingdom, himself passionate about video games, is described as the “godfather” and the “source d’inspiration” of the event.
“The very embodiment of Generation Z”
For him, e-sports is, just like sports and entertainment, a tool for diversification. Making Saudi Arabia a global stronghold of e-sports, continues Asharq Al-Awsat, is part of its desire to “strengthen tourism, diversify its economy [portée par le pétrole] and to develop the sectors of the future, in accordance with Vision 2030”, the ambitious development program of the kingdom led by the crown prince.
And Saudi Arabia is putting in the effort. The overall prize money for the Esports World Cup, which amounts to more than 55 million euros, is the largest in the history of the discipline.
There is something else to consider. As the site points out Amwaj, the population of Saudi Arabia “is the very embodiment of Generation Z.” About 70% of Saudis are under 35: “They were born and raised with the internet, social media and console gaming.” Nearly seven in ten Saudis say they play video games every week.
These young people, continues Amwaj, don’t want to live “the same austere life as their parents”, but that of their peers elsewhere in the world. And MBS “sait […] that if their demands are not met, Generation Z Saudis could become restless or rebellious.”
So what, sportswashing?
“Riyadh is an ideal location to host the Esports World Cup,” assures Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, member of the royal family and president of the Saudi E-Sports Federation, in an op-ed published in the Saudi English-language newspaper Arab News.
But if Saudi Arabia has the potential to “game changer” within the e-sports industry, this tournament “creates divisions”, explains the American channel CNN.
The Gulf kingdom is regularly “accused of ‘sportswashing’, a process used by nations that use major sporting events to project a favorable image [d’elles-mêmes] around the world, often to divert attention from alleged wrongdoing.”
The country is regularly criticized for its human rights record, including freedom of expression and the treatment of minorities. Responding to accusations of sportswashing, MBS had said in an interview with Fox News, another American channel: “Yes, sportswashing increases my GDP by 1%, then I will continue to make sportswashing.”
