His comments follow after the Indian Government amended its rules and asked the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to include esports as part of multi-sport events.

Esports featured at the 2018 Asian Games as a demonstration sport and is set to be contested as a medal event at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, which was postponed to this year because of COVID-19 complications.

The latest statement by the Indian Government has raised hopes in the country that esports will now be treated in the same way as traditional sports.

The Indian IT Ministry will henceforth be the main agency for online gaming-related matters and the Sports Ministry will be required to include it in its curriculum.

Marinescu, publicising the inaugural Asia Open Esports Championship that will run from January 30 to March 15, welcomed the beneficial effects of the Government's announcement.

"India is the world's second largest esports market," he told Mint.

"It is central to the future of esports.

"The target of the first season may not be profitability but to get in more interest from those who are participating as well as sponsors.

"The FIFA World Cup, for instance, wasn't making any profit for the first 10 editions."

The IESF has partnered with Indian media firm Bang Bang Media Ventures (BBMVPL), owned by Bollywood producer Madhu Mantena and banker and entrepreneur Ravneet Gill, for the Asia Open Esports Championship.

With more than 35 countries expected to participate, the event will see four games and three skill-based categories including amateurs, mid-core and professionals.

"We are delighted with the recent Government announcement," Gill said. 

"Gen-Z is a very experiential generation and gaming is a multi-cultural mega trend.

"The idea of doing the Asia Open was to bring some of these things to light and bring together gaming communities.

"India’s internet penetration is the highest in the world and in the next couple of years and not the next five years, India is going to be one of the main capitals of gaming globally."

A report undertaken by the Dentsu agency has indicated that the number of Indian gamers is expanding annually at a rate of 12 per cent, with 507 million players involved in 2021.

That figure is expected to rise to 700 million by 2025.