There’s no question that eSports has become quite big over the past few years, but is it big enough to be unionized? The creators of World of Tanks seem to think so.
Speaking with MCVUK, Wargaming has expressed interest in creating a union for and run by pro gamers. European eSports head Nicolas Passemard has spoken on the subject, explaining how it has become a necessity.
“We don’t want it to become a Wargaming organization, we want the pro players to run it for the pro players, but we want to help them with things like legal advice and extra security so that they are better protected,” said Passemard.
Some people believe that a union may seem unnecessary in eSports, but Passemard explained the need for it.
“It comes from a need to do something. We faced a few issues and incidents, and of course we didn’t like that because these incidents were not in favor of the players.
“So at a point we have to make a decision–either we get more directly involved or we keep having issues. We still want the players and the teams to lead a life of their own, because if we help them too much or if we do things for them they kind of lose the warm feeling of doing it themselves or they lose motivation, but in the end we had to do something. So we looked at some options and the best one is to help the pro players create a union for themselves.
We have to do it, there will be issues maybe we aren’t ready, (for a players union) but we will find a way.”
Would it also pave the way for new organizations to arise? Maybe, but Passemard said that Wargaming would be open for team-ups as well. “I’d like the union to be successful in a year, and get to a point where other games are looking and saying they would like to be a part of it. If it’s run by the players and made by the players then at a point, maybe, it’s a natural evolution to bring in other games, if it is successful they will see the benefit of it.”
Wargaming plays a huge part in the eSports game, having just hosted the World of Tanks League Grand Finals, which were watched by thousands of fans across the globe. Whether that’s enough to launch an effective players’ union is yet to be seen.
