eSports is currently one of the fastest-growing gaming industries in the world. There are numerous games that can be played competitively and high stake competitions for video games are held all year round, all over the world.
Currently, Japanese athletes are setting some of the highest standards in e-sports by competing at the international level and winning millions of dollars in prize money. In Japan betting on eSports sites is very popular. Among the top games to wager on in Japan is League of Legends, Hearthstone, Street Fighter, and Valorant.
Japanese eSports Athletes With Disabilities Making A Mark
A number of disabled eSports competitors have already shown up and are performing admirably. and are changing people’s perceptions for years now using contemporary platforms such as eSports
Shunya Hatekayama, one of the disabled eSports players, who suffers from muscular dystrophy, uses his chin to perform powerful combos. Aside from Shunya, several other players demonstrate that being disabled does not preclude success in eSports. Naoya Kitamura is also blind and uses his ears to play the game Tekken 7. He also intends to influence people’s self-acceptance by utilizing his expertise in the billion-dollar industry.
Japanese gaming innovators have also devised methods for developing eSports for disabled people. Daiki Kato, a social worker in Japan, founded a company that aims to help the disabled by giving them the opportunity to play. Hatekeyama and Kitamura are among the players hired by the company.
They are given time to practice in between their other jobs, which include working on the company’s website and assisting in the organization of gaming events. Hatakeyama typically competes in Street Fighter tournaments, a game in which both able-bodied and disabled people can compete. He enjoys the fighting game, and his favorite aspect is that he can compete against people who do not have disabilities.
Kato’s company has also hired new employees, allowing the enterprise to expand its market influence. This has benefited the market for disabled individuals in modern sports like iGaming. Kato explains, “If more people with hearing or visual impairments play video games, game developers will respond by creating more accessible games.” This has significantly contributed to the growth of the eSports industry for people with disabilities.
Japan’s Initiatives for Athletes With Disabilities
Japan’s eSports industry is still growing, ranking as the third largest in the world. Several innovations have recently been implemented to ensure further growth of this industry. The country has a well-established video gaming infrastructure and a welcoming environment for disabled players at home, in schools, and online.
The eSports Championship for People with Disabilities (e-CPD) is one of the most successful teams. Takahiro Yonezawa of Shibuya Productions created it in 2010. He wanted to showcase the abilities of disabled gamers by providing them with a platform to compete. Additionally, e-CPD has gained international recognition as a leading competitor in disabled eSports competitions such as the IWAS World Games and the Paralympics World Games.
Another intriguing new development is the recent opening of the new e-Zone Denno Kukan hotel. Denno Kukan is a cyberspace-related Japanese term that translates as “electric mind space.”
This eight-story structure contains guest rooms on the fourth through eighth floors, but the hotel’s first three floors are devoted to eSports gaming. As hotel guests, they provide complimentary access to video game consoles. In addition, they accommodate numerous participants as part of the larger tournament. The hotel was designed to meet the needs of any Japanese eSports player.
Final Thoughts
In Japan, as in the rest of the world, eSports has grown significantly in recent years and their eSport athletes are performing very well. What is truly remarkable is how Japan has torn down obstacles for the country’s disabled athletes in eSports. They are eliminating prejudices about people with disabilities and giving new hope to a generation. The future of eSports in Japan is not only bright, but it is also inclusive.
