Johannesburg, South Africa - September 29, 2024

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠E-sports is thriving in South Africa, evolving from a fun pastime into a gainful career choice for many of the country's youth.

The country's e-sports scene has significantly developed since the first Telkom VS Gaming Masters in 2016. The event, beginning as a small community of gaming enthusiasts, has transformed into a robust competitive arena, with players competing at both the national and international levels.

In this year's finals, two of South Africa's top teams, Exceed and the Punishers, went head-to-head in an exhilarating clash for the championship. The Punishers, known for their teamwork and accuracy, claimed victory after a nail-biting contest.

The Punishers were formed during the COVID-19 pandemic and have since risen to become one of South Africa's leading e-sports teams.

As the first Gaming Olympics is set to take place in Saudi Arabia next year, excitement is building. Even parents who were initially skeptical are now wholeheartedly supporting their children's aspirations in gaming. Naledi Sempe, whose 14-year-old son is a passionate gamer, hopes her son can break into the competitive leagues.

Shotlist:
Johannesburg, South Africa - Sept 29, 2024:
1. E-sports contest venue, visitors;
2. Emblem of Telkom VS Gaming Masters esports contest;
3. Various of contest in progress, audience;
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Johan Von Backstrom, Senior Manager, Content and Gaming (starting with shot 3):
"E-sports has gone from strength to strength. You know, we've got some teams participating globally, and the local scene is very, very strong, and we're very proud to be a part of that from the beginning.";
5. Various of screen showing contest;
6. Various of contesters, audience cheering;
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Aaron "Slowye" Van Der Walt, gamer, the Punishers e-sports gaming team (starting with shot 6):
"You practice the entire year for something like this. You know, you practice literally day in and day out, and it doesn't feel like it leads up to much. But when you put in all the work and you end up winning the finals, you actually realize that the entire year was for this moment.";
8. Various of the Punishers esports gaming team members celebrating;
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Isabel De Sousa, owner, the Punishers esports gaming team (starting with shot 8):
"We created this during COVID, and we've been going strong. And I'm very proud of every single thing that they've done. Any of my teams, they've made us proud through the years, and I'm so happy for them.";
10. Various of audience watching esports games;
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Naledi Sempe, visitor:
"I think it's a different career altogether that we never thought about back in our day. I'm very excited for him to actually get into it and actually make it a career, especially with regards to the way the world is moving right now.";
12. Various of visitor playing esports games; audience.

[Restriction - No access Chinese mainland]