The Prime Minister of Denmark, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, played some rounds with the CS:GO team Astralis and asked them a few questions. Now he plans to anchor eSports more firmly in Denmark.
The purpose of the meeting: Lars Løkke Rasmussen has been advocating for eSports for some time and appears to be interested in competitive gaming. He opened the CS:GO tournament Blast Pro Series in Copenhagen in November 2018 with a speech.
His interest in eSports evidently continued, leading him to meet with the professional team Astralis. For over two hours, he discussed with the professionals, shared his views, and even played some rounds with them.
Rasmussen, together with the Danish Ministry of Culture, plans to create “a good framework” for eSports in Denmark. In a press release Culture Minister Mette Brock mentioned that such a framework is important because eSports is constantly growing, and they want to build an understanding of young people’s interest.
Why strengthen eSports? In a short interview with the site Motherboard Rasmussen spoke more specifically about the reasons for the meeting and his plans:
Many young people game. According to statistics, I think it’s 96% of all Danish boys who play at least twice a week. They sit in their basements and their rooms behind closed doors, and I think many parents wonder what they are actually doing.
And then they can watch Astralis and realize that gaming also involves meeting people in real life, having good sleeping habits, good nutrition, and exercise. […]
Many of my colleagues don’t yet appreciate gaming as a sport. But I think we can change their minds. The really important work RFRSH is doing [Note from the editors: RFRSH takes care of the media presence of Astralis] and brings Astralis to the forefront will change the whole landscape of eSports globally.
As it sounds in the interview, the plans are not only about entering the growing eSports industry but also about showing what gaming really is. That it is more than just playing, as some experts have already demonstrated in our stream.
Who is Astralis? Astralis is an eSports organization and a CS:GO team that partially consists of former members of the well-known team Team SoloMid. Astralis has been recognized as the best CS:GO team overall for many years. They have finished in 1st place in most premier league tournaments of the game in recent years.
Rasmussen himself identifies Astralis as “role models” or “icons” for young gamers, especially in Denmark. Their behavior, their training, and their style of play are intended to set an example of what gaming is all about and to show parents what their children are actually interested in.
The team captain, Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander, is pleased about the opportunity to make a difference for gamers and eSports in general.
What about Germany? Here, growth in eSports is still quite limited. Although there are plans by the government to expand eSports, some politicians still strongly oppose eSports as a sport.
In smaller areas, however, successes can already be recorded. We spoke with a young eSports organization that has already made a name for itself at least around Lake Constance:
