A certain Chinese city is heavily investing in competitive video gaming with the opening of the Hangzhou Esports town as reported by Esports Observer.
Hangzhou is the capital of the Zhejiang Province in China. With a population of nearly 10 million people (and another 10 million on top of that when you count the nearby related areas), it's one of the country's most prosperous cities. It's now turning its eye towards new economic opportunities with the opening of the Hangzhou Esports town.
The Hangzhou eSports Town is a $280 million complex that's effectively a city-within-a-city focusing on Esports at all levels. One of the first facilities in the complex to open is the venue for League of Legends teams LGD Gaming (pictured above) and Allied Esports will be getting a venue of their own at a later date.
The city is also home to the Hangzhou Spark, one of the eight expansion teams being added to the second season of the Overwatch League; odds are they'll be getting a venue of their own in the complex when teams start playing in their home cities in the future.
The city's government has stated that they have plans to build 14 facilities within the Hangzhou Esports Town. These will include buildings for the business like an Esports academy and arenas. Visitors to the town can stay in an Esports-themed hotel or visit the local theme park. If a player is unfortunate enough to sustain an injury, they'll be able to go to a hospital that's specifically equipped to train the unique maladies that players will face. (Eat your heart out, carpal tunnel syndrome.)
Hangzhou will play host to the 2022 Asian Games which will be including Esports are part of its competition. Suffice to say, Hangzhou is a place that's well-equipped for the growing area of competition.
What do you think of the Hangzhou Esports town? Do you think we ought to build something comparable in the West? Let us know in the comments below!
