In August, the parliamentarian filed a hearing with the purpose of listening to those interested in Bill 383/2017, authored by Senator Roberto Rocha (PSDB-MA), which aims to regulate the practice of eSports in Brazil.
At the time, in an official statement, the senator said she was sought "by several interested actors, opposed and in favor of the regulation of eSports in Brazil. So, I filed a request for a public hearing so we can hear from all sides," she explained.
Important names in the Brazilian electronic sports market, including some players, will be present at the audience. As is the case with the representative of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), Mario Marconini; INTZ co-owner Lucas Almeida, Black Dragons CEO Cherrygumms; BBL Director Leo De Biase; Gamers Club president Yuri Uchiyama, among others.
People will be able to attend the hearing over the internet by watching and submitting questions through the Senate website.
On the agenda will be the discussion on how the 'Sports Law' - as the project became known - has as its premises to regulate the practice of electronic sports in Brazil, including determining that players are recognized as athletes.
The project also proposes that violent games cannot be considered as sports: “It is not considered electronic sport the game that uses games with violent content or sexual nature, that propagates a message of hate, prejudice or discrimination or that advocates the use of drugs, defined by decree.” That would result in the non-recognition of athletes competing in championship games such as Rainbow Six and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
In another article, the proposal foresees that “electronic sport will be coordinated, managed and standardized by leagues and national and regional sports administration entities”, which, in theory, would open doors for the creation of regulatory entities. This point is reinforced by the sole paragraph that states that “the entities referred to in the caput can be organized into federation and confederation,” thus opening possibilities for the creation of esports confederations.
SPORTS UNDER DISCUSSION
Electronic sports and Senator Leila were the focus of a controversy in early June. At the time, in a hearing about Bill 383/2017, the former volleyball player said at the time that "this is not sport".
“We are talking about the ethical, moral issues of electronic games, but when it comes to sports, the sports community has to be heard because there is a preparation to be an athlete, to enter the court and represent a country, a league or a company. The high performance is that. It's giving everything,” said the senator at the time.
"I don't know what people fantasize about sports, but people give up their personal lives to represent the country," she continued. "I wanted people to understand that when we talk about electronic games, board games and sports, they are different things."
After the negative repercussions of her statements, the senator apologized (including on video), saying that "she is interested in knowing different views" and promised a public hearing on the subject (which will be held this week).
Leila Barros said she advocated “a broad debate with sports entities, athletes and gamers on the regulation of electronic sports” and she is concerned “with the possible incentive for extremely violent gaming competitions”, which is “a legitimate concern and deserves be brought into the process of building regulation.”
Days later, the senator received a letter from the Brazilian Association of eSports Clubs (ABCDE) and the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), which requested further discussions on the subject. Live Arena, which organizes eSports tournaments and is an education center with one of its leaders as Rodrigo Rivellino, has also positioned itself for a broader discussion of the topic.
In the document, the associations, which bring together some of Brazil's leading sports clubs and the world's leading game developers, say the project should be “discussed more broadly with stakeholders, whether they are traditional sports athletes or competitors and eSports companies.”
Source: GMB/ ESPN
