The International Esports Federation (IESF) and DLA+ Architecture & Interior Design (DLA+) have entered into a global partnership to establish guidelines for the design of esports venues.
The Esports Venue Standardization Guidelines will define spatial and technical requirements for esports facilities and establish regulations and procedures for esports venue certification.
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DLA+ will be responsible for the certification and inspection of participating venues and serve as an advisor to IESF. The certification and inspection processes will include qualifications, requirements, schedule, documentation, testing and evaluation methods, plus fees based on each classification of the esports facilities.
The focus of standardising esports venue guidelines, according to both organisations, is to ‘satisfy the needs of fans, players, media, and operators, as well as identifying requirements to promote efficient, functional, and safe environments for esports events’.
Vlad Marinescu, President of the International Esports Federation commented: “We at IESF are excited to provide our members with the Esports Venue Standardization Guidelines to aid them in their consideration and design of esports facilities for fans and players. The guidelines will be a significant resource for our global members and will also help our efforts creating an international standardisation in various disciplines alongside the stakeholders of the esports ecosystem.”
IESF says it will use its global member network of national governing bodies together with DLA+’s expertise of esports venue planning and design to implement the standardisation guidelines.
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Sung Jung, DLA+ Associate and Sports Practice Leader added: “The DLA+ IESF partnership will explore the unique characteristics of esports activities and environments, both technical and physical, and leverage those qualities to promote this fast-growing sport. As sports and entertainment venue design experts, we will establish standards which will offer an efficient process and clear guidance to create a positive experience for fans, players, media, and operators.
“Our goal is to ensure that all esports venues provide the conditions necessary for high-quality competition, production, and presentation of esports games and events, both in-venue and through various forms of media.”
Esports Insider says: The popularity of esports grew out of chaos, spawning organisations like IESF that aim to bring predictability through standardisation. The organisation’s partnership with DLA+ is very intriguing, as it will be interesting to see how many designers will be keen on having their venues ‘esports certified’.