Monday, 10 October 2022

Invitation to MOVING THE COMPASS: Forum for Intermediaries in the Digital Creative Industries in Africa


We are delighted to inform you that the 
Forum of African Intermediaries is live for Registration and will be taking place on the 17th & 18th of October.  A Phygital Hybrid experience as part of the Fak'ugesi Festival "Trail Blazer" focus -  Physically in Johannesburg and Online Everywhere. 

Register for the MOVING THE COMPASS Forum for FREE at FORUM REGISTRATION 
Full program & info PDF attached and includes:
- Interim presentation of the Intermediaries Mapping - which includes you! 
- Deep dives with industry leaders & government representatives across regions. 
- Networking events & Open Forum Session. 









Friday, 7 October 2022

When esports athetes retire - what happens?

As esports grows, do so the employment opportunities.

Many Esports players retire early in their lives, usually in their late thirties to their early forties. 
This is due to Esports professionals' requiring rapid reactions and quick thinking.which, when athletes reach their thirties, most athletes experience their reflexes and mental clarity deteriorate.

Many athletes choose live streaming, Esports game commentary, or esports administration as worthwhile careers once their competition days are over. Many of these streamers succeed in becoming very wealthy by sharing their personalities and playing video games online. Streamers are people who want to become famous for their personalities and gaming ability. They come from a variety of backgrounds. 

However, the awards, such as Provincial and Protea Colours, which athletes can earn through Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) equip athletes with the necessary opportunity to acquire bursaries to study further at a tertiary educational level.

Such opportunity allows athletes to become experts in their field and earn far better incomes than what a retired athlete would earn on playing experience alone. 

By studying further, esports athletes are then able to enter many more fields wh
ich will aid and assist esports to a far greater degree.

MSSA thus assists BRUSA Sports - a global scholarship agency, assisting students of all sporting, gaming, academic and cultural strengths in attaining scholarships to their dream universities in the USA or Canada.

There is a great deal of competition amongst colleges in the USA for students. Colleges have long used scholarships to persuade top athletes to study at their school, thereby improving their performance in competitions and appealing to a larger number of potential students. With the explosion of Esports, colleges are now offering scholarships to Esports athletes. These scholarships can vary between partial tuition through to a full ride where everything is covered. 
BRUSA Sports helps families from start to finish, through all the intricate steps that are required in the total admissions process to reaching a globally recognised university in the USA or Canada.

    All in all, finding the most affordable route to gaining an education and playing your Esports at some of the highest levels in the world. 

    Additional reading:

    Monday, 3 October 2022

    Results of MSSA's NWU 13th Annual School League - 2022.


    For 13 years, without fail, Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) has run its Online School League. While MSSA remains indebted to ASUS as the first sponsor of such league in 2010.

    However, with MSSA's partnership with North West University (NWU), since 2019, the league has been elevated to new heights.

    2022 also saw MSSA's NWU Annual School League become the richest school league in the country.

    Not only can learners earn much needed funds for their school esports, but one such expert learner earns a fantastic bursary to the value of R30,000.00 to assist in his studies at the prestigious North West University.

    Dawnview High School Esports club members.
    From left to right: Tristan Jennison, Tshiamo Magoro,
    Shoib Hasan, Mikara Nokraj, and Relebogile Nkandimeng.
    Esports allows all schools to play on an equal playing ground as public and private schools battle it out against each other. With esports, gone are the days of wealthier schools dominating sports as esports provides a cost effective system for any school, whether in Cape Town or in Beit Bridge, to compete against each other without the huge travelling costs incurred by the more traditional sporting codes.

    Of special note, is Dawnview High School which is the first school to enter a team comprising of both genders.

    Such team took first place in the Mobile Legends Bang Bang esports title and all earned themselves Gauteng High School Provincial Colours in the process.

    After fierce and gruelling competition between learners from around the country, the winners are:

    TitleName of player/teamClubColours awardedPrize money awarded
    Clash RoyaleTheunis van der MerweHoĆ«rskool Klerksdorp North West
    R30,000.00 bursary - NWU
    Counter-Strike: GOCCL KnightsCrawford College LonehillR7,500.00
    Dota 2CCL KnightsCrawford College LonehillGautengR7,500.00
    FIFA 2022™Darshen PillayWaterstone CollegeR7,500.00
    Mobile Legends: Bang, BangDash EsportsDawnview High SchoolGautengR7,500.00

    All finishing in the top three places have all rightfully earned a place in MSSA's 2023 National Team Trials to be held on 12 August 2023 should such athletes still be registered learners.

    Additional reading:

    Sunday, 2 October 2022

    I told you we would win...

    South Africa's no nonsense PUBGM team captain, Sulaimaan Musthan, lead SA to an inspired victory.

    On 1 October 2022, Mind Sports South Africa's Team Esports South Africa took to the field against Namibia in the PUBGM esports title.

    Not only was national pride at stake, but also a berth at IESF's African Regional Championships.

    The test match started at 13H00 and South Africa dominated the test from start to finish ulltimately beating Namibia 3 - 0.

    In the first game South Africa won 40 - 24, in the second game South Africa won 40 - 34, and in the third and final game South Africa won 40 - 31.

    After the match, PUBGM team captain, Sulaimaan Musthan, immediately remarked to MSSA President, Colin Webster, "I told you we would win..."

    MSSA's Team Esports South Africa for both DotA 2 and PUBGM are now in preparation for such IESF's African Regional Championships to be held in Abijan, Ivory Coast on 28 and 29 October 2022.

    Additional reading:

    Saturday, 1 October 2022

    Selecting esports titles to be played in MSSA Provincial and National Championships.

    Selecting esports titles is always an emotive issue.

    All esports athletes have strong likes and dislikes, gamers always want their favourite esports titles to be given preferential treatment.

    In order to make the process more objective and reduce the influence of any one member club and/or individual, Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) has a policy in place in order to ensure that there is a due process as well as a fair system in place in order to ensure that the correct titles are selected.

    However, it should be noted that MSSA currently only selects 10 titles to be played at Provincial and National Championships.

    Priority is given to the esports titles that are played at IESF's World Championships and Global Esports Federation's Global Esports Games (GEG) in order to assist MSSA deliver a national team.

    Even though only 10 titles are so selected, that does not mean that the other titles cannot be held at MSSA events.

    However, it should be noted that any approved title may be played at an official MSSA Regional Championships. In fact, it is at such Regional Championships that the popularity of various esports titles is tested in order to evaluate whether such titles should, in future, be included in MSSA's Provincial and National Championships.

    The full rules on how titles are selected are as follows:

    Schedule 3: SELECTION OF TITLES FOR PROVINCIAL AND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
    1. The periods (titles) selected shall be decided upon by the Annual General Meeting.
    2. Not more than ten (10) titles shall be selected every year from nominations received.
    3. The titles played at the most recent IESF World Championships shall automatically be selected.
    4. The remaining titles may then be selected.
    5. Should IESF introduce new titles into its World Championships which have not been selected by MSSA, then the least popular game in its genre (excluding titles that are being played at IESF’s World Championships) shall immediately fall away in favour of the new title.
    6. The popularity of a period (title) shall be based on attendance at MSSA events.
    7. Should IESF introduce new titles into its World Championships which have not been selected by MSSA, and no MSSA event have been held in such period (title) then the Board of Control shall decide which period (title) falls away in such genre (excluding titles that are being played at IESF’s World Championships).
    8. Should IESF introduce new titles into its World Championships which have not been selected by MSSA, and there are no other periods (titles) within its genre, then the least popular game (excluding titles that are being played at IESF’s World Championships) shall immediately fall away in favour of the new title.
    9. For any period to be nominated, such period (title) shall have been played at any two Regional Events at which there were at least three teams per event.

    All proposals for titles must be submitted to MSSA by 1 November 2022 for inclusion in the Agenda for the 2022 Annual General Meeting (AGM).

    Additional reading: