Colin Webster, IESF president, to speak at Brazil Esport Forum.

Colin Webster, IESF President, as seen at the recent Global Esports Executive Summit held in Busan.

The event will be the first public contact with Dreamhack Rio, on April 17 at the Marriot Copacabana hotel.

Those who follow the Esports scene are well aware that the Rio Esport Forum, an event that happened last year in April, was the real responsibility for Dreamhack Rio being possible this year. It was at this event that Arturo Castelo, Director of Dreamhack Spain, stated that it was possible to do the festival in Rio. On April 17, two days before DreamHack Rio begins, Brazil Esport Forum will have one more edition, but this time on a national level, with the presence of great authorities at the Marriot hotel in Copacabana.

The agenda includes topics such as:

• "The competitive landscape in Brazil and its challenges", 
• "Esports in public policy in Brazil", 
• "The mobile and the future of Esports" and many other. 

The event will last from 9am until 6:30 p.m. The closing topic will be: "Dreamhack and the esports ecosystem in Brazil," which will give a taste of the largest sports festival in the world which will be held between April 19 and 21 at the Olympic Park in Barra da Tijuca.

Among those invited to speak are:

• Filipe Alves Rodrigues, Director of Dreamhack Brasil; 
• Paulo Robertos Ribas, President of FERJEE; 
• Maurco Aurélio Viera, National Secretary of Sport; Felipe Bornier, Secretary of Sport, Leisure and Junventude of RJ; 
• Otávio Leite, Secretary of Tourism of RJ, 
• Paulo Márcio Dias, President of AGLO; 
• Colin Webster, IESF President; 
• Alexandre Marinho, CEO of SUPERNOVA, 
• Bruno Playhard / Final Level Ambassador / Dreamhack Rio Ambassador; 
• Christian Boneman Representing Bitrep; 
• Alberto Goldenstein, lawyer; 
• Roberto Motta, Secretary of Strategic Initiatives; 
• Gustavo Nadalin, legal director of Curitiba; 
• João Pott, Head of esports Dreamhack Brazil and, of course, 
• Arturo Castelo, Director of Dreamhack Spain.

"We need to expand the ecosystem of games, so we will have the participation of public authorities, sports specialists, entrepreneurs, pro players, press professionals and game developers. We also want to bring together professionals from other segments and create a connection with tourism, innovation and education. It will be a unique experience! " Says Director General of Dreamhack Brasil, Filipe Rodrigues.

The Brazil Esport Forum is an excellent opportunity for those who wish to enter the esports market in Brazil. Not to mention that it will be a differential for those who seek to network and want to be alongside great entrepreneurs of the Brazilian game scene.

Playing in international competition

The BOO! Protea Esports Team that attended IESF's 9th World Championships - Busan.

There seems to be a great deal of confusion in certain quarters about who may, and who is eligible, to play in overseas competition.

The short  answer is that any person may play in any private competition.

Thus any South African gamer may enter ESL, WESG, Dreamhack, ESWC, etc., as those competitions are privately owned and do not form part of the officially recognised circuit.

In fact it has always been part of MSSA's policy to encourage teams to enter such.

It should be noted that MSSA even helped Energy eSports attend the ESWC in 2014 by helping to obtain deferred exams for two members of the team so that they could attend such the event.

MSSA believes that until more teams experience international competition, the standard of gaming in South Africa will not improve.

Thus all clubs should take advantage of National Lottery Funding, as such funding allows for travel to such events.

However, it should be noted that a club team playing in an event in a foreign country does not mean that such team is representing South Africa.

Only a team officially selected by MSSA may claim to represent South Africa.

Only the team so selected may be awarded Protea Colours.

Any queries apropos the above may be directed to mindsportssa@iafrica.com

There are two types of gamer...

Robert Botha in action in Andong, South Korea.

Without doubt Robert 'PandaTank' Botha was one of the greatest gamers ever produced by South Africa. Robert first represented South Africa at IeSF's 3rd World Championships - Andong (2011), IeSF's 4th World Championships - Cheonan (2012), and in the test match against Romania held in Johannesburg against Romania (Silvui 'NightEnd' Lazar) which was held in Johannesburg in 2013 in MSSA's Protea Esports Teams. As an individual, Robert also played in privately owned competitions such as 'Dreamhack' and ESWC. At one stage Robert was even ranked eighth in the world by IeSF.

However, all good things come to an end, and Robert retired from professional gaming in 2014.

Nevertheless, Robert was a perfect example of a South African who competed in international events as well as in privately owned events held outside of South Africa. ties that got him Robert's dedication, self-discipline, enthusiasm, passion, and determination were the qualities that got him to the top echelons of gaming.

Robert, thus falls neatly into the first type of gamer.

The first type of gamer who is desirous of getting into a national team in order to compete at the highest levels. Once in international competition, such gamer 'ups' his/her game in order to re-qualify for the team in order to continue to compete at such level. It becomes a  passion to compete at the highest levels, and the gamer doubles his/her efforts to improve his/her game.

Then there is the second type of gamer. This type of gamer sees international competition as part of his/her 'bucket-list'. In other words, the act of getting into a national team just becomes another item on his/her list of life-experiences. Generally speaking, this type of gamer, on returning from international competition, drops out of mainstream competition as he/she has achieved his/her objectives.

Of course, Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) always attempts to put the first type of gamer into its  National Protea Teams. However, the acid test is when the gamers come up against international competition, when the intense ferocity of the highest level of play either tempers or breaks the resolve of the gamers at such event.

Playing in international competition

CounterStrike: GO - Team eSports Romania with Team eSports South Africa

There seems to be a great deal of confusion in certain quarters about who may, and who is eligible, to play in overseas competition.

The short  answer is that any person may play in any private competition.

Thus any South African gamer may enter WESG, Dreamhack, ESWC, etc., as those competitions are privately owned and do not form part of the officially recognised circuit.

In fact it has always been part of MSSA's policy to encourage teams to enter such.

It should be noted that MSSA even helped Energy eSports attend the ESWC in 2014 by helping to obtain deferred exams for two members of the team so that they could attend such the event.

MSSA believes that until more teams experience international competition, the standard of gaming in South Africa will not improve.

Thus all clubs should take advantage of National Lottery Funding, as such funding allows for travel to such events.

However, it should be noted that a club team playing in an event in a foreign country does not mean that such team is representing South Africa.

Only a team officially selected by MSSA may claim to represent South Africa.

Only the team so selected may be awarded Protea Colours.

Any queries apropos the above may be directed to mindsportssa@iafrica.com

Now that's dedication!

2009 LG Mobile Gaming Team (Natalie Witoslawski and Kgothatso Moerane from Tuks University)

From the day that the MSSA started in 1985, it was MSSA's intention to get players overseas for the various disciplines for which it is the custodian.

Even as early as 1991, even though the sports moratorium was in place, MSSA tentavely started sending teams to international events. However, when the sports moratorium was lifted in 1994, MSSA started to aggressively send teams overseas for wargames, checkers, draughts, and morabaraba.

However, it was not until 2005 that  MSSA started to send eSports teams overseas as the following schedule will demonstrate:

Date	Event	Games titles
2005	World Cyber Games – South Korea	Mobile games
2006	Asian Championships - Taiwan	BF 2142
2007	World Cyber Games – USA	Red Alert
2008	Continental Championships – Johannesburg, Romania	COD 4, DotA
2009	World Cyber Games – Chendu, China	Guitar Hero
2009	Dreamhack – Denmark	FIFA '09
2009	IeSF Challenge – Taebeck, South Korea	FIFA Online, WarCraft III
2010	Hyundai FIFA '10™ International Challenge – South Korea	FIFA Online
2010	LG Mobile World championships – New York, USA	Mobile gaming
2010	Hyundai FIFA '10™ International Challenge – Busan, South Korea	FIFA Online
2010	IeSF World Championships – Daegu, South Korea	FIFA Online, WarCraft III
2010	World Cyber Games – San Fransisco, USA	Guitar Hero
2010	Test match between Namibia and South Africa – Windhoek	COD 4, FIFA '10
2011	LG Mobile World championships – New York, USA	Mobile gaming
2011	IeSF World Championships – Andong, South Korea	FIFA Online, StarCraft II
2011	IeSMoD World Championships – JeJu, South Korea	Kart, StarCraft II
2012	Nation's Cup – Online International Championships	BF3
2012	IeSF World Championships – Cheonan, South Korea	StarCraft II, Tekken TT II
2013	Nation's Cup – Online International Championships	BF3
2013	South Africa vs Romania Test Match – Johannesburg, South Africa	StarCraft II
2013	South Africa vs Romania Online Test Match – Online	DotA 2
2013	South Africa vs Mexico Online Test Match – Online	DotA 2
2013	Tri-nations between Denmark, Israel, and South Africa - Online	DotA 2
2013	DreamHack - Bucharest, Romania	StarCraft II
2013	IeSF World Championships – Bucharest, Romania	League of Legends, StarCraft II, Tekken TTII
2014	South Africa vs Egypt Online Test Match – Online	DotA 2
2014	South Africa vs Finland Online Test Match – Online	StarCraft II
2014	South Africa vs Finland Online Test Match – Online	DotA 2
2014	South Africa vs Namibia Online Test Match – Online	DotA 2
2014	IeSF World Championships – Baku, Azerbijan	DotA 2, HearthStone, StarCraft II, Tekken Tag Tournament II
2015	South Africa vs Zimbabwe Online Test Match – Online	FIFA '15
2015	South Africa vs Austria Online Test Match – Online	FIFA '15
2015	South Africa vs Israel Online Test Match – Online	League of Legends
2015	EFRAG World Championships - Online	CounterStrike: GO
2015	IeSF World Championships – Seoul, South Korea	League of Legends, HearthStone, StarCraft II,

The sheer amount of man-hours committed to making these events  work is mind-boggling.

Full credit must be  given to those  MSSA volunteers who have  made all these events happen.

Based on the above, 2016 will be an interesting year.

Questions recently asked of the MSSA

Question 1. How does MSSA, help grow eSports?

The short answer is that the MSSA helps to grow eSports in SA through having gained acceptance as a sport by all the relevant governmental and non-governmental authorities. Through such recognition eSports qualifies for funding from national, provincial and local government as well as from the national lottery. The accreditation, although visible in the form of Protea Colours has had other far reaching effects as well. As a result of the accreditation, the MSSA is able to run official school championships and have official clubs established in schools. Not only that, but the MSSA has assisted the development of official eSports clubs at university which has resulted in a number of gamers be awarded with sports bursaries at such universities. The accreditation has also lead to a greater public awareness as well as greater media coverage. Through being a legal entity, the rules used govern eSports in South Africa have also created stability for the titles and for the gamers alike.

Question 2. Exactly how do you let teams qualify or proceed to become a representative of South Africa?

Selection of national teams is a year long process in South Africa. Players from any team that is affiliated to a member club that finishes in the top 3, or top 20% (whichever is greater), at a Provincial or ational Championship automatically qualify for National Team Trials. Since the MSSA runs LANs in 6 out of the 9 provinces, many South Africans are afforded the opportunity of qualifying for Trials with little cost to themselves. Not only that, but the MSSA runs on-line championships which too count towards qualifying for National Team Trials. To further reach all the outlying areas in South Africa, the MSSA allows the winner from any Regional Championship to attend the National Team Trials. There are 56 Regions in South Africa which consist of some of the most remote areas. Thus there is no excuse for anyone to not participate as the MSSA has made it as easy as possible to play in an official championships.

Selection of Provincial Teams is done very differently. The nine Provincial Directors are responsible for the selection of the Provincial Teams according to the rules established by the Provincial Boards of Control.

Question 3. If a number of community members (e.g 80%) wishes that some changed be made to your organization, would you accept it?

The MSSA is a properly constituted association. As such it is accountable primarily to its own members. The vague groups that claim to be the 'community' are often faceless and those speaking do not have the right or authority to speak on behalf of others as they have not been elected to do so. Also, how do you come to the figure of 80%? Is this 80% of every-one who has a computer, or is it 80% of everyone who has ever played a game on a cell-phones,  computers, PS's and or XBOX's? How do you determine the percentage?

Every committee member in the MSSA has been elected to be there and should any change be required, the membership is quite capable of doing so. In fact the MSSA is the most democratic institution in South Africa as all member clubs have voting rights at all General Meetings, and all member clubs have the right to propose Registered Players for positions on any MSSA committee. Therefore the MSSA will not tolerate outside interference whether it be by government, or non affiliated individuals. 

Question 4. What lies in the future for South African eSports? Do you see some great teams competing at the next Big event (e.g Dreamhack 2015, or ESL Katowice)

The MSSA believes that SA has a bright future in eSports. The MSSA has sent teams overseas every year since 2005 except for 2008. In 2008 the MSSA, instead of sending a team overseas, brought SK Gamings CS1.6 and DotA team to South Africa in order to further promote gaming. However, the MSSA encourages any/or all clubs to also participate in the privately owned and run events. Clubs that are affiliated to the MSSA can use National Lottery funding for this purpose. The MSSA also helps clubs to get across to these events, for example, in 2013 the MSSA obtained deferred exams from the University of Cape Town for two eN team members so that they could attend the ESWC. The MSSA believes that unless South African teams play in more overseas events, the standard in South Africa will not improve. Unfortunately overseas travel is an expensive endeavour, but the MSSA is committed to getting more players overseas to official IeSF events in line with further developing the game at home.

Question 5. Where does your support and funds come from to help you host local events? (e.g sponsors or subscription fees)

The MSSA works on a system of registration and entry fees which does not bring in much money due to how little is charged. The rest of the funds that the MSSA receives comes from sponsorships (such as MWEB), donations and grants.

Question 6. What is your employees or volunteers experience with competitive eSports?

The MSSA does not have employees. All the officials are volunteers who dedicate their free time to the development and growth of eSports. Thus all those involved in the eSports Board of Control have a great deal of experience in eSports. Remember all officials are voted in - members would not vote in a person who is not knowledgeable in their field. While a person holds a position, there is also an upward learning curve as the officials have to deal with a greater degree of administration as well as the playing of the various titles.

To host, or not to host!

Whenever I see Mind Sports South Africa send a team sponsored by MWEB

I am aware that in 2010, the MSSA had a meeting with the owners of DreamHack (in Johannesburg) about bringing DreamHack to South Africa. The meeting was common knowledge at the time. However, due to the lack of the gamer's enthusiasm, the event was shelved.

Anyone who has been around for a long time will understand how government works and the impact that international events have on increasing membership as well as the burden that such an event puts on the organisers. Often those involved in running an international event exhibit all the signs of burn-out after the event and are sometimes physically ill from the stress and work-load.

The people who do the work are often volunteers who do both their normal jobs as well as other MSSA activities.

Thus to effectively host an event, there needs to be a local team that is going to do most of the work as well as get assistance from the municipality and the provincial government and/or the provincial sports council.

However, from what I know, the MSSA would like to be able to assist any bid for an international event to be held in South Africa, but there are some legal requirements that the MSSA, and all other sport bodies, have to meet before bidding for any international events.

In order to comply with those requirements, the MSSA has drawn up a checklist which bidders need to work through and complete fully in order for MSSA to make a proper decision.

These are:

1.   Application must be made on behalf of a fully-paid-up member club which meets the following requirements:

     1.1  Must be duly registered with MSSA.
     1.2  Have a minimum of 3 members.
     1.3  Must by able to prove that it is active, for example through participation in MSSA  activities.

2.   Application must be accompanied by provisional written endorsement by (a) the local municipality, and (b) the provincial sports department.

overseas to an IeSF event, I too see the usual critics exclaim “Why can't we have it here?”.

Where:

• either authority indicates that its rules dictate that it will only deal with the national federation, this must be indicated in the application.
• The endorsement must indicate what financial or logistical support, if any, will be provided.

3.   The proposed venue for the tournament/championship must be provided, together with      written confirmation that it is available on the proposed dates.

4.   A list of proposed hotels where the competitors, officials and international delegates  will be housed, together with their grading and room rates.

5.   A draft budget, taking into account at least the following factors:

     5.1        Sources of income.
     5.2        Expenses, including:    


• International travel for competitors, officials and delegates. 
• Domestic travel for competitors, officials and delegates.
• Transport within the host city from the airport, to hotel and to venues.
• Accommodation and meals.
• Venue and equipment hire.
• Health and safety requirements.
• Promotional equipment
• Per diems or other expenses for Stationery, telephone and other miscellaneous expenses.
• Prize money

6.  What anticipated media coverage will there be (including online streaming, etc)?

7.  What will the anticipated spectator interest be?

8.  What legacy programmes are envisaged: ie how will the country and the host city/province, in particular, benefit from hosting the event in the long term. (Please do not include claims of economic benefits unless there is ample evidence to back this up.) Specific reference must be made to the increased exposure of the discipline involved and how hosting  the championships/tournament will increase player numbers in a sustainable manner.

Any club that can provide the MSSA with answers to the above questions may have their bid evaluated.

Few, if any will, meet the above criteria.    

Facts about the South African eSports Team

There still remains a great deal of confusion about Team eSports South Africa. Suffice it to say that the general requirements are the same as any other sports code in that to even be considered for selection you need to be a member of an affiliated club.

What does the MSSA do for Team eSports South Africa?

The MSSA’s eSports teams probably get the lion’s share due to eSports being more marketable than the other disciplines. 

All of the MSSA’s eSports teams are given all of their kit free, the teams that travel also have all their accommodation and travelling costs paid on their behalf. Thus, every MSSA team that has attended the WCG, Dreamhack, LG, and IeSF events since 2005 has only had to worry about their own spending money. The same remains true for the team that the MSSA sent to Namibia. 

Unfortunately, the MSSA is not a rich body, so the MSSA has to budget carefully, and often has to just ‘make-do’ with what is available. Of course, the greater the membership, the more that can be achieved!

May Team eSports South Africa belong to an existing clan/team?

The short answer is yes. A player will only be selected to represent South Africa if he is a member of a club affiliated to the MSSA, so that is really not an issue! The membership that the the team member has does not just disappear when the player is selected for national duty.

Is the national team allowed to enter private tournaments like the DGL?

The MSSA allows all of its National Team Members to enter any competition that they want to not as members of the national team, but as members of their clan. Gamers only play as the national team in international events upon request by the MSSA. 

However, the National team Member must, and can, only represent a clan that is currently affiliated to the MSSA. Thus, for example,  a member of the National Team, who is affiliated to Clan A, which is a member of the MSSA, that means he cannot play for any clan that is not affiliated to the MSSA. Should a clan that is not a member of the MSSA indulge in ambush marketing by claiming that he is a member, the MSSA will expect the player to publicly renounce any such claim.

Why do the members of Team eSports South Africa need to sign a contract?

All members who are selected to, and join, a national team are given a contract to sign. If the gamer has not yet reached the age of majority, the legal guardian signs the contract. 

Essentially, if the rules are broken, there may be a financial implication as well as a disciplinary implication. Depending on the severity of the breach, action may be taken by the International Federation concerned, SASCOC, or by the National Federation. 

Can you just name your team the National Team?

When you officially represent South Africa in eSports, you get either National Federation Colours or Protea Colours. When you just name your team as a national team and you have not been properly selected, the media, public at large, etc. do not care what your achievements are. A properly selected team will have their results archived, and the results, if good enough can be used for other awards at government level. Unfortunately, results obtained by an unofficial team are never included in such events. The Colours that an official team has been awarded are almost as good as currency. When players are awarded National or Protea Colours, such gamers are also able to apply for sports bursaries.

Does the National Team have to abide by a Code of Conduct?

Indeed it does! The Code of Conduct that a team has to follow is an amalgamation of what the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and the National Federation expects. Obviously the player representing South Africa has to hold him/herself to a higher standard than the average gamer as so much more is expected of the team member. This way all the parties concerned, the sponsors, the MSSA, the IeSF, and the gamer are protected. The Code of Conduct is not onerous, but largely common-sense. 

In short, it is how you would expect someone to behave if they were representing you!

Are there legal implications when a team calls itself the National Team and it has not been selected by the MSSA?

Certainly there are legal implications. 

Only the MSSA has the right to select the National Team, and any team that tries to usurp the name is acting in a fraudulent manner. 

Is the MSSA a government body?

All sport in South Africa is run according to the Sport and Recreation Act, No 110 of 1998 (as amended). 

According to the Act, the bodies that are recognized by the government and by the Department are the sole authority for the sports under their control.

All sports are thus run according to their own Constitutions which are in turn decided upon by their members.

Thus it is the very people who have the biggest interest in the sport who have the say in what happens. It is the members that decide what happens, it is the members that elect the officials and it is the members that provide the vision for years to come.

Also, because of the legal nature of the federations, no one owns a federation. Thus federations are free of the ownership issues that haunt the privately owned companies.

However, even though the MSSA is governed by the said act, it is important to remember that the MSSA is a private association of members.

Some Gamers state that there is too much “politics” in the MSSA, is this true? What kind of politics is involved?

Politics affects every aspect of life.

Because of the system, members can negotiate, from time-to-time, the introduction of new titles, the attendance of the team at different events and so forth and so on. Without politics, you would have an overbearing tyrant ordering things to happen without the option of negotiation.

All decisions are made through a democratic process, and it is the majority opinion that holds sway!

Is their a difference between officially representing SA in eSports as opposed to any other sport?

There is no difference between officially representing South Africa in eSports to any other sport. eSports is an officially accredited sport, and the Protea Colours that are awarded are awarded by the same Protea Colours Board that awards Protea Colours for all other sports.

Are the criteria for the National Team as stringent as the Protea Team?

The criteria for choosing a team which will only be awarded National Federation Colours are less, and not as stringent, as those for a National Team that is awarded Protea Colours. A team without Protea Colours for example does not have to comply with the passport requirement. No player can be awarded the Protea emblem if he/she does not have a South African passport, although support staff do not need to meet such a requirement.

Many gamers quote past mistakes as to why they will not affiliate with the MSSA, why is this wrong?

Obviously the past affects the future, however it is a sad world when people cannot re-evaluate the past and move forward! Every now and again you can hear gamers say, "Oh, but three years ago....".  Certainly the MSSA made some mistakes in the past, but a lot of what it did was right. The real issue is, what the MSSA did was different. It is that difference that a few gamers cannot understand, and are thus opposed to it. 

However, if a gamer is of the belief that they can do better, good, welcome aboard…..

Everybody who feels that they have something that they want to put back into eSports should join. If you want the accreditation for being a great player, you should join.

Those who join will have the wonderful adventure of being part of something that will leave a legacy for others, you should join.

There are just so many reasons why a person should join….

Some of the reasons are:

1. Being part of a community where your club has a real say in how things are done
2. Being able to apply for National Lottery Funding – MSSA member clubs can apply for up to R200,000.00 in funding
3. Being able to get assistance from your local government
4. Experience increased media exposure of your events and your gamers
5. Become part of the international community through the MSSA Registered players are able to become internationally recognised umpires, etc.
6. Enable your gamers to take part in MSSA events, which may qualify them for colours, overseas trips, and even sports bursaries at university,
7. Be able to host Regional, Provincial, and even National events.