The market, in general, expects regulation and, legally, the issue has been discussed in the country since 2017. Bill No. 383, of 2017, authored by Senator Roberto Rocha (PSDB-MA) aims to establish the rules for the practice of electronic sports in Brazil, as well as promoting the modality. The justification of the text is that “virtual sport is revealed as a mechanism for socialization, fun and learning, following the same path as traditional sports” and that “Brazil has several fans, but we still do not have regulations for this sport."
The issue of socialization is a factor that the lawyer and manager of Netshoes MinersGG, Victor Targino, considers as a key part of the regulation. He defends that eSports are recognized as sports and can have access to incentive laws — like the Pelé Law, for example —, but he believes that the topic is interdisciplinary.
“The eSport athlete starts at a very tender age, and if there is no control, he can become a compulsive player, even more so if he has difficulties socializing at school, for example. This issue of childhood and adolescence needs to collaborate with other folders, such as Health, Education, even the Civil House,” he says.
European example
Targino cites the case of Andorra, in which a commission was formed to deal with the issue, addressing various consequences, including labor ones. The lawyer explains that the professionalization of the e-sport athlete would serve to regulate issues such as working hours, days off and, mainly, the operation of gaming houses, places made available by companies that own teams where players live and train.
“The routine is very similar to that of a traditional modality, such as football. Players work with psychologists, coaches, performance analysts, are part of a collective sport, and train during the week to play on the weekend, for example. In a continental country like Brazil, there are gaming houses in precarious conditions, and with legislation this could change,” he analyzes.
The territorial extension of Brazil is a factor that weighs in favor of regulation for Cynthya Rodrigues, who combined her passion for electronic games with her profession. She is a partner in a company that carries out projects to connect gamers to advertisers, which helps to make the work of professional players financially viable.
“Today, most of the events that take place are private initiative, which often makes access difficult for people who are located on the outskirts or outside the Rio-São Paulo axis. The regulation will contribute a lot to the access of all audiences who today dream and want to be eSports professionals in Brazil,” she says.
In the country, the growth of the market in recent years culminated with the stage of a Counter Strike: Global Offensive tournament, popularly known as CS:GO, based in Rio de Janeiro. It was Major Rio, an event that brought together more than 100,000 people for a week at the Olympic Park in November. The official broadcast had a peak audience of more than 1.4 million people simultaneously watching the final of the competition.
Rio sets a goal
The event was a step taken by the mayor of Rio, Eduardo Paes, to encourage the practice — and tourism — of eSports in the city, but not the only one. Last week, he met with players, presenters and industry people to shape the “Rio Capital eSports” project. Through social networks, he stated that he will create a coordination for the subject, which will be linked to his own office.
“Rio recognizes eSports as an important sport modality that brings with it the most important principles of sporting practice such as discipline, focus, social inclusion and competition. We are going to make Rio the world capital of eSports,” published Paes.
The attitude was praised by several representatives of the industry. Cynthya Rodrigues believes that dialogue between public authorities and market representatives is essential to establish parameters for practice, such as taxation.
“Each segment within this industry has a different business model. So, sit down with the developers, with the teams, the companies that make championships and understand each business model and, in this way, define how e-sport should be recognized, to establish the taxes and charges that need to be applied,” she states.
Who corroborates this opinion is lawyer Luciano Del Monaco, partner at Daniel Advogados in the technology area and specialist in private property.
“Regulation can be very beneficial and ensure legal certainty. Adequate regulation makes it possible to guarantee athletes the basic rights that already exist in other sports, reducing their fragility. And the teams will be able to hire foreigners more easily with the issue of the athlete visa,” he opines.
Source: O Globo
