Fawad Chaudhry, Federal Minister of Science and Technology, has announced that a national level esports tournament will be held in March 2021 located in Islamabad. The federal minister was being interviewed by Waqar Zaka for the latter’s YouTube channel when he made the announcement. The well-known TV Show host and media induvial is a gamer himself and has previously fought and challenged the government regarding the initiatives taken on gaming and recently urged the government to lift the ban on PUBG.
The federal minister asked Waqar Zaka to host the tournament himself, to which Zaka requested for assurance the bureaucracy wouldn’t interfere in the tournament taking place. Fawad Chaudhry then answered the tournament would be conducted privately by gathering sponsors for funding. The federal minister has previously announced a video game design certification program for students who are less inclined towards traditional higher education. In the interview, he said that people should pursue a profession that interests them, and that video games are a very big industry.
Moreover, he stated, “The companies working in Pakistan [in the gaming industry] tell me that they have several vacant posts, but no applicants. So we are designing a course in collaboration with these companies and launching certification programs in our universities”. In the first phase, graduates will be preferred for the certification program, which will then be extended to 12-graders, he noted.
When asked upon whether the government would support gamers who qualify for international e-sports tournaments, the minister stated in the return that his ministry would surely support talented individuals who will bring Pakistan’s name to new heights.
Chaudhry had revealed the details about the certifications in a tweet last week.
“If you are not interested in reading and are interested in video games on the phone, be prepared. Bringing a special program of video games programming,” he had tweeted.
With a net worth of 90 billion USD, the gaming industry is bigger than Hollywood, Fawad said, and added that the industry has shown a 20 percent annual growth in Pakistan over the years.
He emboldened the gamers to be a part of the multibillion-dollar industry, which will be a game-changer for them.
Image source Bol
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