It is heartening to see more prominence being given to e-sports, as seen from professional e-sports player Ho "SynC" Ee Hong's case (Family in sync with Ho's choice, Jan 18).

The global e-sports industry has been growing in size and popularity over the years, with countries like China, South Korea and the United States leading the pack.

Competitions such as The International, StarCraft II World Championship Series and Overwatch League are prime examples of the industry's growth, as players and teams from all over the world come together to compete for a massive amount of prize money.

In recent times, e-sports has received more media coverage in Singapore. This can be beneficial for the local scene, as it gives more exposure to e-sports in a country where e-sports has yet to be completely accepted as a realistic career option.

More success stories about e-sports athletes and streamers will help shine a positive light on the industry as a whole.

With that being said, it is also important to educate people about making the right choices when it comes to getting into e-sports. Families can offer their support, but at the same time look out for the individual, especially children and teenagers. For instance, players should probably not use the excuse of pursuing e-sports as a career to simply play games all day long, which may result in adverse effects on their physical and mental health.

The Singapore Esports Association should come up with a framework to groom the next generation of e-sports athletes, similar to other traditional sports.

Community tournaments can be held for different age groups or skill levels, seminars and courses can be organised for those keen on entering the field, or maybe e-sports could be introduced as a co-curricular activity in schools. This will give proper guidance to those thinking of a career in e-sports.

Henry Choong Kun Lin