Nominations for the 2015 Ekurhuleni Sports Awards

Nominations for the 2015 Ekurhuleni Sports Awards are now open.

Nominations for the 2015 Ekurhuleni Sports Awards are now open and individuals, clubs and organizations are invited to submit their candidates for the awards before February 27.

The City of Ekurhuleni is committed to recognize sporting excellence in the region and to reward those who represent Ekurhuleni nationally as amateur or professional sportspersons.

The fourth instalment of the Ekurhuleni Sports Awards will see individual champions and those that belong to local sport associations, clubs walking away with the most coveted sporting awards.

There is no doubt that the MSSA intends to nominate all their best players from their four disciplines, which will include players from eSports, Morabaraba, and wargames.

Nominations are for the sporting achievements attained during the period starting January 2014 to 31 December 2014.

Nomination categories are as follows:

Sportsman of the year
Sports woman of the year
Outstanding sport official
Outstanding sport administrator
Sportsman of the year (people with disability)
Sportswoman of the year (people with disability)
Junior sportsman of the year
Junior sportswoman of the year
Coach of the year
Team of the year
Sports federation of the year
Secondary sport school of the year
Primary sport school of the year
Sports fan of the year.

Mind Sports are indeed a sport!

I have been asked to make the case for Mind Sports to be considered as a sport when it comes to the awards of half-colours and colours. I would like to exceed this brief somewhat, because in many ways the question is academic. Mind Sports is already recognised as a category one sport by the Department Of Sports and Recreation and by SASCOC in South Africa, and internationally by Sport Accord, the controlling body of world sport. It is thus a case of fait accompli, and in terms of my argument, Q.E.D! I would like to argue that Mind Sports should play an important part of any co-curricular programme whether considered a sport or not.

Mind Sports include many different codes such as board games like Chess, Checkers, Morabaraba, Backgammon, Go or Diplomacy; card games such as Bridge or Poker, included by The International Mind Sports Federation after a US judge ruled Poker was not a game of chance; computer games such as DotA, League of legends, Tekken, FIFA and so on; historical wargaming; and role play games such as Dungeons & Dragons.

eSports were  included in the 2014 Asian Games, and may soon be part of the Winter Olympic programme. Mind Sports such as Chess, Checkers, Bridge and Go have been in included in the World Mind Games which follow the Summer Olympics and Paralympics, and the ways in which Mind Sports articulate with other sports is not only becoming clearer and more regularised every year, but the huge viewership and amount of money wrapped up in eSports in particular, makes this one of the fastest growing sports in the world. Although the question around whether eSports is a sport or not is only just emerging into the public debate, within the sporting community itself, at the upper reaches of decision-making at any rate, it is already a done deal!

For many, though, the vision of Mind Sports such as Checkers or video-gaming as a sport is problematic, and I would like to argue this case on two fronts. I would like first to make the case for Mind Sports as an important part of any school’s co-curricular programme, fulfilling a role usually associated with physical sports, and secondly tackle the issue around whether it is indeed a sport or a recreational activity.

Thomas Arnold’s argument for the importance of team sports in education still stands today as one of the central pillars of the modern education system. Few teachers would argue that sports are not a vital component of education, and schools which cannot offer sporting activities suffer for it greatly. Computer gaming is often characterised as anti-social and harmful. And yet a raft of research is now indicating quite the opposite. The emerging consensus is that up to three hours a day of video-gaming is actually good for you in terms of happiness, social-well-being, and would you believe it, even eye-sight! This is because video-gaming is essentially an intensely social activity, and for kids growing up in a world where they are discouraged from loitering in public places; online socialising, including gaming is a vital component in developing social maturity. Gaming, especially the more competitive team-based eSports such as DotA or CounterStrike, are games which encourage collaboration and team-work. A great deal has been written about the role of online gaming in treating autism, and I think it would be fair to say that in many ways computer gaming and muscular Christianity are not incompatible notions! I am not saying that DotA should replace rugby or hockey in terms of building body, mind and character, but I am saying that eSports, in a digital world, should be seen as equally vital in developing well-rounded, socialised human beings.

James Gee has highlighted the ways in which computer gaming stands as an exemplary model for learning, and argues that schools should take heed of this. Jane McGonigall has argued cogently for the social significance of gaming, and no less a figure than Albert Einstein, himself a keen Chess player, believed that games are the “highest form of investigation”.

This needs some unpacking. I was struck by a piece of research that came out recently which looked at what areas of the brain were activated during writing. While amateur writers, more concerned with whether to use this word or that had one area of the brain activated, professional writers were using the same area of the brain as is used during gaming, ie. the strategic decision-making areas. Professional writers are not concerned with word-choice; they are making strategic decisions about how to persuade their audience, what writing strategies to employ, the same kinds of decisions games-players make all the time. Knowledge is often conceived of as sitting on a continuum between highly abstract, universal knowledge such as algebra or the concept of relativity, and highly contextualised and experiential knowledge, as in History, Literature or Biology.

Jerome Bruner argued that this dichotomy between paradigmatic and narrative modes of knowing is in fact a false dichotomy, and I think this is what Einstein had in mind.

Beyond any knowledge of this or that, lies the meta-theory, and in this realm metaphor and narrative are the building blocks of knowledge. All knowledge is situated within a given paradigm, and knowledge is often advanced simply by shifting paradigm. A case in point would be the disagreement between Niels Bohr and Einstein over quantum physics. Einstein could not believe that God played dice with the universe and refused to believe in the possibility of any of the “spooky” effects of quantum mechanics. We now know that Einstein was wrong, but at the time both paradigms stood in stark contrast to each other, with different ways of explaining the universe, neither proven. When Gauss dreamed up his non-linear geometry he did not suspect that space might indeed be curved. Charles Boole had no idea his Boolean algebra would have applications for electronics. The venture into quantum physics, non-linear geometry or Boolean algebra were all game-like, what-if explorations which played with the conventional world-view.

Games are meta-theoretical in that they approach questions around how to construct what is known into a coherent view of the world, they are ways of investigating the meaning of meaning! If we know this, what do we do with this knowledge? If it were this way instead of that way, what would it mean? This is the realm of intellectual history and the philosophy of knowledge. Knowledge does not stand alone, it stands within a tradition and within paradigms, and what I imagine Einstein meant by games as the highest form of investigation, are the tools we use to move beyond the straight-jacket of the paradigm.

Now, I am not saying that Chess or DotA can be seen as somehow more important than Science, but playfulness is a form of investigation, and games in education are not just tools to engage, they are also cognitive tools. We are only just coming to appreciate this, and I would argue that gaming, including computer gaming should be seen both as a sport important in building character and as tools we can use for cognitive development generally because they enhance our ability to think strategically. I believe that games play is essential in developing problem-solving skills, and may help explain why boys seem better at it than girls.

In many places Chess is being introduced into the academic curriculum with good effect, but I believe it would have greater effect to introduce a range of games. Different games address different aspects of general intelligence, which is why a good Chess player is not necessarily a good draughts player. Mind Sports includes a range of games, and all have their value and place. I believe all schools should be aiming at building body, mind and character, and that mind sports has an important role to play in this process. Not in isolation but together with academics and physical sports.

But are Mind Sports, whether they be computer games or board games like Checkers, Go or Backgammon, or card games like Bridge, not recreational rather than sporting in nature? Maybe they have a place in the educational programme, but not as sports! Maybe they should be considered cultural activities rather than sport.

The dictionary definition of sport usually goes something along the lines of “a contest or game in which people do certain physical activities according to a specific set of rules and compete against each other” (Merriam-Webster). There are usually three major elements to the definition and that is that it is physical, involves contestation, and is governed by a set of rules. Mind Sports easily qualifies in the latter two of these elements, so the issue really comes down to the definition of physical. All Mind Sports involve a physical element. Chess pieces are moved, cards are dealt, die are rolled, and mouse clicks are made. We have not yet achieved a state in which our minds can exist independently of our bodies. All sports have a mental aspect and a physical aspect, and this should probably be inserted into the definition.

In some eSports hand-eye co-ordination is crucial, but clearly there is not necessarily a high level of physical exertion required, although stamina is always crucial. On the other hand we need to understand that the level of physicality required of any sport sits on a continuum from heavily physical sports such as swimming to those with less exertion such as darts or pistol shooting! eSports certainly require a greater level of hand-eye co-ordination than some sports which require only exertion – such as nurdling or caber-tossing! One can see that the argument then revolves around whether pure physical exertion (running) or hand-eye co-ordination (clay-pigeon shooting or archery) is more integral to one’s definition of physicality. Given that physicality is only one element in the definition of sport, and that all sport is both mental and physical to some extent, it is easy to see why Sports Accord, the umbrella body for world sport, Olympic and non-Olympic sports, has accepted Mind Sports into its fold.

So why should Mind Sports be considered sports in schools rather than cultural contestations such as debating, theatre sports or poetry slams? I believe that Chess, for example, or eSports both involve very similar dynamics in terms of a rule-governed contest to sports which is somewhat different to the contestation of a debate or public speaking. Firstly the logic of the contest in a debate or poetry slam is usually more about the performance than the result. While a school may be declared a winner, it is usually by adjudication rather than by a rule-governed outcome. In eSports or Checkers, players win the game every bit as much as they do in netball or tennis! You do not need an adjudicator to decide who won or lost. Secondly, Chess or DotA shares with rugby or cricket the aspect of being a game, a common vocabulary, conventions of running leagues, tournaments and matches, with notions of a season, regular fixtures and medals, cups or trophies to be won. Debating leagues are run somewhat differently.

For all these reasons, I would argue that schools need to recognise Mind Sports as a full sport!

SA clans fail the SA professional eSports gamer

In South Africa, at the moment, practically every gamer who plays eSports claims to be a professional gamer.

What we already know is that South Africa has few, if any professional gamers,

But why?

Gamers immediately blame competition organizers for not providing enough prize monies. However, it is not prize-money that makes a professional gamer.

What does make a professional gamer is nothing more, or less, than a salary.

Looking at the clans in South Africa there does not seem to be a single clan that has made any real effort to become a viable business that employs their gamers as employees in order to play for them.

Sure there are the clans (or MMO's) that accept all sorts of freebies to make their members feel like they are getting something worthwhile.

But are they getting anything worthwhile?

In my opinion they are not!

It is all just 'smoke and mirrors'.

The freebies, hardware and other gifts do not put food on the table.

Nor do the gamers get the same benefits as other employees do under the Basic Conditions of Employment Act.

Without healthcare, fixed vacations, and a salary that at least meets the minimum wage criteria, gamers are not, nor will they ever be, professional gamers.

Gamers must therefore stop deluding themselves to be professional gamers when the clans that they play for fall so far short themselves.

When the gamers stop deluding themselves, the gamers will be able on putting pressure on their clans to 'pull finger' and start delivering.

Until then, gaming in South Africa will only be of an amateur status, and those that enter the DGL for their prizes and prize-money will continue to be part of a great delusion wherein clan owners do nothing for their gamers from a professional point of view.

HTS Witbank shows solid growth

HTS Witbank Mind Sports Club was only established by the school in 2013. However, due to an incredibly

supportive Headmaster and an Educator that does not quit, the club has grown from strength to strength.

The club is of course the brain-child of Morizane Boyes who has sunk much of her time and effort into the club.

But she does not do it alone, Morizane encourages the buy-in of each and every member. As a result, she acknowledges the work of the Club Captain, Douglas Tollemache, to be instrumental to the club's growth.

Morizane is more than aware that the club is more than just games and that it is about promoting people and unlocking the potential that each member has.

As a result the club now boasts a new record of 115 gamers of which 30 of such gamers are females.

This makes the HTS club the leader in terms of female membership.

But the club does not just boast of having a strong membership, the club also has gamers of exceptional standard.

Morizane herself has Protea Colours for Mind Sports having represented South Africa in the MWEB Team eSports South Africa in the IeSF's 6^th World Championships – Baku.

However, the real star of the show is Kyle Turnbull who first appeared on the competitive gaming scene in 2013.

Kyle's game is FIFA '15, and since he entered competitive gaming, Kyle has won every single senior Provincial and S A National Championship in which he has played.

Kyle's performance is even more remarkable considering that he has not lost a single game in any of the senior championships that he has played and that he is the youngest FIFA player to ever be awarded Senior National Federation Colours.

Thus the HTS club with its unique blend of enthusiasm, skill, dedication, and experience seems to be ready to stamp its authority on the South African gaming scene.

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.

What does it take to be a truly professional eSports athlete?

Sitting in the shade of a stadium in Parow watching athletes pound their way around the track, and footballers all resplendent in their blue-and-white kit practice their daily drills, I sit and wonder where eSports in South Africa is going wrong to be so far behind the international competition.

The football team that I am watching specializes in preparing players for overseas clubs. The athletes that are training in the blazing African sun, are all of international standard.

Theses sports also have the same disadvantages that eSports has, perhaps even more so. At least in eSports, gamers can play more often, at less cost, that our physical athletes who have to travel vast distances, experience body-sapping fatigue when crossing time-zones and experience acid build-up due to long periods of being seated – all of which negatively affect the performance of the athlete.

The eSports athlete is luckier, thanks to the MSSA and to MWEB, the cyber athlete can play against top class competition from their hometown.

So what then does it take?

Looking at the athletes training it seems as though our eSports fall down in the following areas:

1. Lack of proper coaching. Playing a game is not training. A training session must be properly structured and coaching sessions should be well structured. It is not enough to just practice, as practice does not make perfect, only perfect practice makes perfect!
   
2. Discipline. This is really part of a greater mind-set. It is not just being able to follow the rules of the game, the rules of the event, any contract which the gamer has signed, but also includes self-discipline. The gamer has to be aware that he/she is playing in an environment that is in itself a society and must therefore comply with the dictates of such society.
   
3. Pride. The gamer should show the same amount of pride in his/her achievements and choice of sport as any other athlete. This pride will spill over into every aspect of the gamer as it will be reflected not only in his/her appearance but also in his/her commitment to training as well as his/her attendance of events, as well as the way in which the gamer generally behaves.
   
4. Commitment. Commitment to any sport is paramount when creating a champion. It is the athletes commitment in terms of money, time and attitude that separates the 'wheat' from the 'chaff'. Athletes in the physical sports spend thousands of their own to pay for coaching, travel, entry fees, etc. Only when an athlete has reached the highest possible level do athletes then look for sponsorships. However, in South Africa, most gamers seem to think they deserve sponsorships – even though they have not achieved anything! As a result, most sponsorships are second rate and do nothing for development.
   
5. Professionalism. A gamer does not need to be paid in order to be professional. Professionalism, more than anything, is a state of mind. It is when the gamers are truly competent that they are professional.
   
6. Dedication. Often the true competitor will be able to take a knock, and then get right up again. It is not the score that sorts the winners from the losers, but the dedication of the few who continually keep on getting up and pushing themselves to greater heights.

I believe that when our gamers address the seven points above, or gaming will be on par with any other nation.

The 7th IeSF eSports World Championships

International e-Sports Federation (IeSF) has announced that IeSF selected the primary official games to be played in the 7th e-Sports World Championships 2015 which is being held at Łódź, Poland. The primary official games are Counter-Strike Global Offensive (CS:GO) and DOTA 2 developed from Valve Corporation. 

43 National Federations of IeSF conducted the “Title Polling” for the 7th e-Sports World Championship 2015, regarding their current status of game and e-Sports from December, 2014 to early of January, 2015. Based on the result of the Title Polling Survey, IeSF Board has selected 2 games – CS:GO and DOTA 2, and decided to open the participation to all people regardless of gender, age or disabilities. These two games were mostly recommended by IeSF National Federations as the official game titles. The negotiation of DOTA 2 and CS:GO were finalized with Valve Corporation. 

DOTA 2 was one of the official game titles of the 6th e-Sports World Championship BAKU 2014. “NEWBEE”, the champion of “2014 The International” participated in the DOTA 2 competition as a representing team of China. The team provoked interests of all e-Sports fans by winning the 1st place in the competition. On the other hand, CS:GO was first selected as the official title for e-Sports World Championship with recommendation of most National Federations. CS:GO is the most popular game in Poland, the host country of the 7th e-Sports World Championship, so the host city, Łódź, Poland, also recommended CS:GO as the official game title. 

IeSF will select additional individual games after negotiation with Game Developers and make the 2nd announcement for all official and demonstration game titles in February, 2015.

Are sponsors limiting the growth of eSports?

To date clans cluster around sponsors like hounds around the master who throws scraps to the baying pack to placate the insatiable demand.

All the scraps do is temporarily satiate the hunger pangs which quickly return and leave no real respite.

So does the current sponsorship of eSports. 

Clans sell their brands for little and the sponsorship thus received does little to promote growth of gaming in terms of the number of gamers, standard of gaming or even the long-term financial sustainability of gaming.

As a result the sponsors too feel they are under siege. As the clans yelp around the sponsors for sponsorship, the sponsors are acutely aware of the transient nature of the clans.

In business, any company that has not been in existence for at least ten years is considered to have a high rate of failing. Yet, it is only the clubs based at schools and universities have survived for more than ten years with very few exceptions.
Sponsors are also more than aware that most, if not all, clans have no legal status and are often nothing more that individuals operating as Sole-traders. 

The opportunity for sponsors to thus claim any sponsorship as social development in order to win much needed BEE points is thus negated, and the sponsors themselves are aware that such sponsorships should be treated by those clans as income in the hands of the owners of such clans.

Also, many of the sponsors are aware that many gamers will in fact not buy their products. Gamers are without doubt a very discerning breed when it comes to technology and will favour picking-and-choosing what they need to build up their 'rigs' rather than just buying a finished product.

The types of sponsorships received thus do little for long-term development. While it is nice for a clan to secure hardware for their top clan, such a sponsorship does little to promote gaming and the profitability of the sponsor itself.

And therein lies the rub!

Unless sponsors can see that by sponsoring eSports that they will do more business, it remains more profitable for sponsors to sponsor football, rugby, and/or cricket.

Everybody in eSports thus has a duty to ensure that the sponsors can and will do better.

This does not mean that everybody must run out and quickly start purchasing computers, screens and the such.

Instead, every gamer must help to make it possible for prospective sponsors to substantially increase sales.

One of the ways to do this is to simply tap into NATIONAL LOTTERY FUNDING (NDLTF).

Of course there are criteria that have to be followed in order to do this, but it can be done!

Any club affiliated to the MSSA can apply for up to R200,000.00 per annum. The monies can be spent on equipment, kit, travel and entry fees, but only if:

• a. the club is affiliated to the recognized national federation, and
• b. has at least three year's audited financial statements.

Through participating in the NDLTF in this way, gamers will be able to unlock substantial amounts which will benefit sponsors and sponsored alike.

The money received will be spent on purchasing new equipment, which will increase the amount of sales and will further encourage companies to commit larger amounts to sponsoring both clans and events.

The growth can thus be exponential as more and more money will be spent in the computer industry.

Remember that approximately R400 million is earmarked every year for sport – it is foolish not to take advantage of this gilded invitation.

By following this course of action, gamers will have taken the initiative in controlling the destiny of eSports in South Africa to become the masters of their own fate.

SA Team Trials

The MSSA has put up the following on their facebook page:
“Hot news:

If you play Dota 2 or CounterStrike GO, dust off your keyboards, flex your fingers, and get ready.

The IeSF has just advised members that Dota 2 and CounterStrike GO will both be played at the IeSF's 2015 World Championships.

The above is indeed good news! “

Indeed this is good news!

CounterStrike is hugely popular in Europe and now at last South Africa can select an official MWEB sponsored Protea team to officially take on the best in the world.

But, just who will that team be?

The MSSA's very fair policy of qualification is simple. Players that finish in the top three positions (or the top twenty percent, whichever is greater) allows a number of players to qualify for the prestigious National Team Trials.

Added to the fact that all events held by the MSSA during a calendar year prior to the event count for delivering qualifiers, it means that there should be many gamers from which to choose. That means if Trials are to be held on 1 June 2015, then all the championships within the period 1 June 2014 to 1 June 2015 count for qualification purposes. In other words, 2014 Eastern Cape, 2014 KwaZulu, 2014 Western Cape, 2014 Free State, 2014 Limpopo, 2015 North West, 2014 Gauteng, 2015 Mpumalanga Provincial Championships, as well as the S A National LAN Championships, any Regional Championships within the period and the on-line championships would count for qualification purposes.

In other words a minimum of 25 teams would qualify for trials!

2015 is going to be a fun year!

Putting SA on the eSports map

Without doubt no other organization in South Africa has done quite as much as Mind Sports South Africa  (MSSA) to put South Africa on the eSports gaming map.

"Really!", do I hear you exclaim?

"Yes, really!" I reply.

Let's look at the facts.

The MSSA sent teams across overseas as follows:

Year	Team	Sponsors
2014	6th IeSF World Championships – Baku	MWEB
2014	IeSF Test Match vs Namibia	MWEB
2014	IeSF Test Match vs Finland	MWEB
2014	IeSF Test Match vs Egypt	MWEB
2013	IeSF World Championships - Bucharest	MWEB, ROCCAT
2013	DreamHack - Bucharest	MWEB, GIGABYTE
2013	IeSF Trination Match vs Denmark & Israel	MWEB, ROCCAT
2013	IeSF Test Match vs Mexico	MWEB, ROCCAT
2013	IeSF Test Match vs Romania	MWEB, ROCCAT
2013	IeSF LAN Test Match vs Romania (SCII) - Jhb	Megarom, Internet Solutions, AMD
2013	ESL's Nation's Cup	GIGABYTE
2012	IeSF World Championships - Cheonan	GIGABYTE
2012	ESL's Nation's Cup	GIGABYTE
2011	IeSF World Championships - Andong	Blizzard
2011	IeSMOD World Championships - JeJu	Blizzard
2011	LG Mobile World Championships – New York	LG
2010	World Cyber Games – San Fransisco	SAMSUNG
2010	IeSF World Championships - Daegu	Blizzard, ASUS
2010	LAN Test Match vs Namibia - Windhoek	ASUS
2010	LG Mobile World Championships – New York	LG
2009	World Cyber Games – Chendu	SAMSUNG
2009	DreamHack - Denmark	ASUS, Incredible Connection
2009	IeSF World Championships - Taebeck	ASUS, Incredible Connection
2009	Hyundai FIFA '09 Challenge	Hyundai, ASUS, Incredible Connection
2008	African Continental Championships - Jhb	MSSA, ACER
2007	World Cyber Games - Seattle	SAMSUNG
2006	Asian Championships - Taiwan	EA
2005	WCG – Busan	Exactmobile, First National Bank

Of course none would have been possible without the sponsors as indicated. However, where the MSSA is mentioned in the sponsors column, it should be noted that these events were entirely self-funded by the MSSA.

The cost and effort of getting teams overseas is truly monumental and the dedication shown by the MSSA is truly admirable.

It is no wonder that South Africa is now ranked 13th in the world.

Thus despite anybody else's protestations, the only body that has really tried to get South Africans into serious on-line competition is - the MSSA