The Taipei City Government aims to provide a better environment and opportunities for young people to succeed in pursuing their interests, including professional gaming, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said yesterday morning.
Speaking at a press conference for an e-sports competition next month, Ko said the world is changing rapidly and some activities are quickly becoming industries, such as e-sports, so the city government will let the private sector take the lead and provide the support it needs.
“The government’s power is still limited, so its main role is to provide the environment and opportunities for young people to contribute their strengths,” Ko said, adding that it is better to not interfere too much with what young people are doing and focus on providing them with an environment in which they can find success.
Taiwan has a gaming population of about 7 million and many companies that manufacture computer hardware, Ko said.
This means Taiwan has the potential and advantage in developing e-sports, he said, but added that local companies are still lagging in their ability to create game content.
While visiting a Taipei Media School exhibition in the afternoon, Ko said he was surprised at how sophisticated the student projects were, adding that the popular mindset that students must receive higher education must be changed.
“Our education system trains students to become good employees, but does not teach them to be creative entrepreneurs. I think creativity is what industries in Taiwan should emphasize,” he said. “Most students receive conventional education, but giving all students the same type of education is somewhat wrong.”
Citing an example, Ko said some young people like audio and visual design, so they can perform well in what they are interested in, but if they only receive conventional education, they might have poor grades, because they are forced to do things they do not like every day.
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