Interview to G.E.C. CEO and co-founder Giorgio Pica
May 20, 2021
We got in touch with G.E.C. CEO and co-founder Giorgio Pica! G.E.C. (“Giochi Elettronici Competitivi” – Competitive Electronic Games) si an italian organisation involved with eSports since 2014. Nowadays, G.E.C. manages eSports regulation for ASI (Associazioni Sportive Sociali Italiane), a sports marketing institution acknowledged by CONI. Keep on reading the interview!
Hi, Giorgio. First of all, thank you for your time! We had the pleasure of finding out about G.E.C., and we read that this organisation was born for the sake of eSports regulation and marketing in Italy, apart from wanting to give out knowledge about how to correctly use video-games. How does it feel to be in the lead of such an organisation? What were the biggest responsibilities you had?
Well, clearly the biggest responsibilities are those concerning the legal and financial area. And this goes for every move we make. That’s because it’s a brand new thing over here. You know, video-game tournaments. We’re trying to make this new concept seem legit to authorities, politics, local administrations, etc.
What are the traditional sports values – for example, mutual respect, collaboration, inclusivity, discipline – that are valued the most in eSports?
Inclusivity and socialization, for sure, at least for any team eSport. Then, I’d say putting in effort and discipline, especially for those who reach a very high level at what they do.
Please tell us about the most important eSports competitions in Italy, and also globally.
The most important competitions in Italy are the ones that allow you to get qualified for the next international stages. When it comes to global competitions, by now, every international event all over the world is organised by video-game publishers. But eSports organiser companies, such as ESL (Electronic Sports League https://play.eslgaming.com/italy), FACEIT (https://www.faceit.com/) or DreamHack (https://dreamhack.com/), are very much involved in the process, as well.
How are Italian players doing, in your opinion?
They’re doing very well. We have lots of pros and even world champions in the games they compete with. This happens for many different eSports titles, for example, there’s Riccardo Reynor Romiti, who’s the first Italian StarCraft II World Champion. Then we have Lorenzo Daretti, aka “Trastevere73”, MotoGP World Champion. And finally, Ettore Giannuzzi, or “Ettorito97”, who’s been given the title of PES World and Europe Champion (2011 and 2018).
How does the gaming industry profit off of this type of competitions? Also, would you mind talking about the disadvantages this pandemic brought along, like delayed events and online tournaments?
Well, the business model for eSports is pretty similar to that of traditional sports: there are sponsorships, advertisements and profits made from the transfer of media rights. Then, proceeds get shared among the various leagues, there’s merchandising and ticket sales for each event.
Do you feel like giving out some advice to those young players who want to get seriously involved with eSports, and try to become true pros?
Sure. The most important thing, above all, is to play with the goal of having fun. A very little percentage of players become pros. If you really like competing, you can give it a try and check your results. Eventually, if you managed to place in a high rank, eSports teams themselves will want to reach out to you.
Now, tell us where we can go to follow G.E.C. online. Also, we’d like to know about which channels – according to you – we should keep an eye on, so that we can start to get seriously involved with eSports!
I’m sorry to say that, at the moment, our website is unavailable. We’re currently upgrading it. But don’t worry: when we’ll be back on track online, you’ll be able to find us at http://gec.gg/ !
LINKS TO THE OFFICIAL WEBSITES:
https://it-it.facebook.com/GiochiElettroniciCompetitivi/
