Recognizing and regulating e-sports and online games in Pakistan: A comparative study with South Korea and India.

Abstract

This research examines legal and institutional barriers to the esports and online gaming industry in Pakistan. As esports is rapidly expanding in a global context, the development of the industry is not supported by proper legislation and the state in Pakistan. This leads to issues like ambiguous contracts, inadequate rights, inefficient infrastructures, and gender discrimination affecting the players. This paper employs a qualitative socio-legal approach, based on a consideration of laws and policies, scholarly literature, and interviews with esports players and industry representatives. Insights have been taken from the legal systems of South Korea and India. South Korea possesses a strict esports legislature protecting the players, standard contract terms, and government funding. India has also identified esports as part of its sports policy and is introducing digital regulations that would govern the industry. Contrarily, Pakistan does not have any formal legislation on the matter; only preliminary policy discussions are ongoing. Findings indicate that esports in Pakistan cannot develop safely and fairly without proper and explicit legal recognition and rules. This research underscores the need to implement legal changes in order to endorse esports as a professional game. This research serves the policy-makers, legal practitioners, and stakeholders who are interested in developing the esports industry in Pakistan via adequate legislation and institutionalization.