It is disappointing that several professional gamers here have been banned for match-fixing and betting against their own team in a regional tournament held last year (Gamers banned for match-fixing and betting against own team, June 24).

In 2018, the video games and e-sports industries generated more than US$140 billion (S$188 billion) globally.

With a worldwide audience of close to 500 million both online and offline, the e-sports industry would see exponential growth which Singapore must be part of.

Much effort has been made to develop e-sports in Singapore, allowing talented players to have a clear career pathway.

Last August, the trade association for the gaming and e-sports industry, the Singapore Games Association, was launched with support from government agencies Enterprise Singapore, the Infocomm Media Development Authority and the Singapore Tourism Board.

According to then Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing, Singapore is deepening its capabilities by building a robust talent pipeline for the video games industry.

Courses in this area are available at Nanyang Polytechnic and DigiPen Institute of Technology.

Professional gamers should take advantage of the strong support provided to carve a sustainable career out of e-sports.

Fixing matches to make a killing is a short-sighted approach and may also discourage many young and talented gamers from joining the profession.

Many companies will not want to be associated as sponsors for any e-sports tournament if there is any financial hanky-panky involved.

I strongly urge the professional gamers not to be involved in such unethical tactics, which may destroy the local e-sports industry that is still in its developing state.

Foo Sing Kheng