China declares esports an official career path
Esports has officially been accepted as a career path in China.
The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of China added “esports operators” and “esports professionals” to its growing list of approved career paths.
The ministry described an “esports professional” as someone who competes in tournaments, performs in events, and trains with other pro players. It also lists a Chinese term that translates to “account boosting” as one of their duties.
Account boosting, the practice of a pro player climbing the competitive ranks on a less skilled player’s account in exchange for money, is illegal and punishable in most organized esports tournaments. The Overwatch League’s
list of offenders
shows account boosters getting two-game suspensions.
Earlier this year, Valve reset over 17,000 accounts that were mostly used by smurfs, a second account used by skilled players to compete against weaker opponents. The Korean government has even
considered formal action
against the practice.
It is unclear why the ministry added “account boosting” to the job description, but it’s speculated that it may be a language hiccup, or even the government not having a firm understanding of esports or the specific practice.
Esports has been rapidly growing in China in recent years. China hosts the League of Legends Professional League, home to reigning champion Invictus Gaming. Riot’s World Championship was held in China in 2017, and will be returning in 2020. The country currently has four Overwatch League teams who may play home games in China
in the near future.
This year’s edition of The International will be held in Shanghai. The annual event is regularly the richest tournament in all of esports, and Chinese Dota fans will be hoping to see a local team lift the trophy.
As China becomes more accepting of the esports industry, more opportunities in the region’s less developed scenes may also arise.
Olivia Richman
About Olivia Richman
Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.
View full profile
Read Also
Twitch
Jynxzi’s LoL Tournament — Date, format and streamer details
Khizar Mundia
Nicholas ”Jynxzi” Stewart is hosting a LoL tournament, and we now know all the key details, including when it will happen, the format, and a list of many competing participants. Jynxzi may be most known for his grinding of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege, but the streamer has come a long way since then. He boasts a massive fan following that consistently watches his content, and Jynxzi recently started to ...
Twitch
Who is Masterchef’s Twitch streamer iGumdrop?
Hannan Mundia
The Twitch streamer iGumdrop put herself on the global stage by becoming a contestant on MasterChef Season 16, leading to an all-time level of popularity and name recognition online — but who exactly is she? Behind the cooking skills and culinary prowess is a personality who has built up a loyal following for her gaming content. Despite having 325k followers on Twitch, her big break has come in MasterChef Season ...
Counter-Strike
This is everything to know about the AT&T Annihilator Cup 2026
Khizar Mundia
The sixth edition of the AT&T Annihilator Cup is almost here, with dates, matchups and teams all now officially confirmed. The AT&T Annihilator Cup 2026 is a multi-week esports tournament where teams made up of content creators will battle each other across multiple games. Each round will be held once a week, with a different title being played each time. Team performances will determine the points, and each game will ...
League of Legends
Playing League of Legends can improve brain function, study finds
Khizar Mundia
If you have ever found yourself having to defend the countless you spend gaming online then you may now have a ready-made excuse — researchers have just revealed that video games can improve brain function. A team from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China conducted a study comparing League of Legends with Legends of the Three Kingdoms. The study found both improved brain function, with League of ...
League of Legends
Jynxzi gets LoL ban, Riot steps in and gives him free creator account
Khizar Mundia
In a surprising turn of events, massively popular streamer Nicholas ”Jynxzi” Stewart faced a League of Legends ban, but Riot Games responded by giving him a creator account. Here’s why Jynxzi was banned in the first place and why Riot decided to show leniency and give him a free account. Jynxzi started his content creation journey in 2019, with a handful of viewers. The streamer consistently created unique content, slowly ...
League of Legends
The Top-Earning League of Legends players of all-time
Hannan Mundia
League of Legends is one of the most profitable competitive games around, with its popularity meaning that players at the top are very well paid. Here we will compile a list of the top-earning League of Legends players of all-time. The esports scene has exploded in popularity in recent years, largely due to League of Legends. The game paved the way for other competitive games and has been going strong ...
League of Legends
LoL Worlds 2026 returns to the USA: Locations, venues, dates and slots revealed
Owen Harsono
Riot Games have revealed important details for the highly anticipated worlds 2026 tournament, including locations, dates, and some great news for South American fans. Here’s everything we know about LoL Worlds 2026 so far. On March 22, First Stand grand finals day held in São Paulo, Riot Games confirmed the tournament will be hosted in the United States. This will be the fifth time in history that Worlds has been ...
