Shanghai and Sichuan begin to register eSports players

Shanghai has started to require eSports players to register at the Shanghai eSports Association to be able to represent Shanghai in professional eSports tournaments. 

Rules demand that the players must be 18 years old or older, have the second-generation Chinese ID card and be employed by professional eSports clubs. When players register for the first time, the length of the registration must be no shorter than three years and players must not register in other cities once they have registered in Shanghai.

Shanghai eSports Association says that the reasons for the requirement is to strengthen the development of eSports players, protect the rights of eSports players, help eSports players to plan their careers and to be committed to eSports in a relatively focused period of time. 

The first eSports games opened for registration are: League of Legends, DOTA2, Hearthstone, Warcraft III and FIFA Online 4. Other games may be added too in the future. 

In addition to Shanghai, it has been reported that the Sichuan E-Sports Association has also begun requiring players to register. According to the Chengdu Economic Daily, the Sichuan E-Sports Association published a notice on their official WeChat account on November 30, announcing the decision to require eSports players to register, with the requirement to take effect immediately on the day of the announcement. 

The rules require that a player must be 18 years old or older, have played professional eSports games and have a clean disciplinary record in games. 

References: www.shzgh.org and Chengdu Economic Daily 

Proofread by Raymond Fitzpatrick