Innsbruck is to become an e-sport location
E-sports have been booming in Austria for many years. The city administration of Innsbruck has reacted to the development. They will recognize e-sports as a future-oriented branch of business, tourism and education. In doing so, they will pave the way for plumbing digital companies and events in the provincial capital of Tyrol.
For this reason, MPs from the Greens, FPÖ, Für Innsbruck, ÖVP, Tiroler Seniorenbund and SPÖ formulated a joint municipal council proposal last week to promote the e-sports industry in the region.
Goal: Participate in the boom
The aim of the non-partisan initiative is to make Innsbruck more attractive for the gaming scene. According to Christine Oppitz-Plörer, Innsbruck’s City Councilor for Economic Affairs, there is a risk that the boom will pass the business location by.
The former mayor of Innsbruck explained:
Municipal councilor Dejan Lukovic agreed. Digital games arrived in mainstream society years ago. In the future, Innsbruck will endeavor “to ensure that all positive aspects of the medium are used, be they of a social, economic or touristic nature”.
Municipal councilor and FPÖ club chairwoman Andrea Dengg emphasized that e-sports inspire members of all ages. For this reason, it is all the more important to strengthen the area and establish e-sports events in the city.
Round table with all cases
The municipal council agreed to set up a round table. Developer studios as well as organizers and representatives of science should still be present in the first half of the year.
By supporting the researchers, the evaluation of a course in the field of game development in Innsbruck is conceivable. This can also help to create better foundations and make Innsbruck more interesting for e-sports investors.
In Austria, according to studies, over 5.3 million players the time with Fifa and Co. At the same time, an estimated 50,000 gamers are fighting for points and victories in various competitions and leagues. This meant that the industry was able to generate an overall economic value added of 51.1 million euros in 2019.
All parties agree on the intention of clearly distinguishing e-sports from gambling and its negative effects. In addition, according to Oppitz-Plörer, e-sports can help free video games from their “dirty corner”.
The prerequisites for this are clear rules and framework conditions in order to reliably support the players and at the same time prevent abuse. The municipal council of Innsbruck will now create the right conditions for this.