A collaborative team of Bangladeshi researchers has published a pioneering study examining the legal and institutional frameworks of competitive gaming (esports) across Asia.
The peer-reviewed research offers a strategic roadmap for Bangladesh to maximize its potential within the global digital sports industry.
The study, titled "Global game or national project? A doctrinal and computational analysis of esports regulation across the development spectrum in South Korea, India, and Bangladesh," has been featured in the Scopus-indexed journal Research in Globalization (Elsevier).
The research was co-authored by Md Nayem Alimul Hyder, Roksana Akther, Md Shahidul Islam, Mst Rezwana Karim, Tawhid Ahmed Chowdhury, Iftakhar Ahmed, and Abdulla Al Kafy.
Iftakhar Ahmed is affiliated with the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) and Tawhid Ahmed Chowdhury is affiliated with the Bangladesh Army International University of Science and Technology (BAIUST), contributing significantly to this interdisciplinary effort.
By combining doctrinal legal analysis with advanced data science methods, such as computational topic modeling and media sentiment analysis, the researchers developed an esports-specific regulatory formalization index to assess national infrastructure:
- South Korea demonstrates advanced development, leading the regulatory index at 96.4%.
- India holds an intermediate position at 64.3%, following recent regulatory updates for online gaming boundaries.
- Bangladesh currently registers at 35.7%, reflecting an infrastructure that is still in its foundational stages following the official recognition of esports as a sport.
The study notes that while Bangladesh has taken positive initial steps by recognizing esports, the institutional capacity and framework for player rights require further development.
To support sustainable professional growth and protect stakeholders, the researchers recommend:
- Developing a comprehensive, centralized statute specifically tailored for esports governance.
- Establishing standardized, legally binding professional athlete contracts to safeguard player rights.
- Codifying official professional athlete status for competitive gamers.
- Setting up robust institutional mechanisms for dispute resolution and specialized professional training facilities.
This research serves as an important resource for policy formulation, providing actionable, data-driven frameworks for sports federations, legal practitioners, and digital industry stakeholders in emerging economies.
The complete open-access article can be retrieved through the ScienceDirect Journal Database.
