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Fran Lu

A Chinese esports club which trains professional players has discovered a new business opportunity: helping addicted young people quit online games.
Su Chenhao is the owner of an esports club in northern China’s Hebei province that opened in 2018.
However, Su quickly discovered that talented players are one in a million.
Most people think they can become professionals, but they have become addicted to e-games, which they play to escape studying and other real-life troubles.

Su said this inspired him to develop another business dedicated to helping people quit in 2023.
Fees for the “gaming dissuasion” course are based on duration.
A one-week course costs several thousand yuan and a 22-day course costs 10,000 yuan (US$1,400).
The fees also vary depending on the level of addiction and parental preferences.
Su required youngsters to play games every day from 9am to 12am, and only rest during lunch and jogging time.
One child, Xiao Dan, dreamed about becoming an esports player before the course and suffered muscle cramps on the first day.

Su said another child cried to go home on the second day of the course.
Su’s club has trained nearly 4,000 children in the past seven years, and he noticed that more than 85 per cent of them were addicted to online games.
“Such a high-pressure atmosphere makes gaming a task more arduous than studying,” Su said, explaining the mechanism behind the courses.
According to the 2024 China Esports Industry Development Report, published by the Shanghai Esports Association, China has 490 million esports users, about 35 per cent of the country’s total population.
China listed esports as an official sport in 2003.
Many Chinese players have made their names on the world stage.
E-games also went from a useless plaything to a profitable career in the eyes of many parents.
According to Sina Sports, an average professional player can make 20,000 yuan (US$2,800) a month, while a top player can make one million yuan (US$140,000) over the same period.
World-level legendary players can earn even more from commercial endorsements.

Su’s club is not the only one to offer quitting programmes.
An esports club in southwestern China’s Sichuan province accepted 700 students in the past eight years and only sent three players to professional clubs.
According to the club’s owner, Hou Xu, the chance of an e-gamer becoming a professional player is one in 120,000.
One function of his classes is to dissuade those not qualified from trying to become professionals.
“It is a win-win game. The club makes money and the children are not addicted to games any more,” said one online observer.


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Chinese esports club offers 22-day course to help children quit gaming, charges US$1,400

An esports club in China is offering a 22-day, US$1,400 course aimed at helping children quit gaming. Photo: Shutterstock

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Many children delude themselves that they can become professional players and end up as addicts. Photo: Shutterstock

People play video games at an internet cafe in Beijing. China listed esports as an official sport in 2003. Photo: EPA-EFE.

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News

People & Culture

While top players can make huge amounts of money, only 1 in 120,000 will become professionals; most simply become hooked on gaming


While top players can make huge amounts of money, only 1 in 120,000 will become professionals; most simply become hooked on gaming.


Esports

Children in China

Chinese esports club offers 22-day course to help children quit gaming, charges US$1,400

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}While top players can make huge amounts of money, only 1 in 120,000 will become professionals; most simply become hooked on gaming

While top players can make huge amounts of money, only 1 in 120,000 will become professionals; most simply become hooked on gaming