FEATURE: Esports drawing corporate attention as benefit program amid pandemic

As the rise in telework amid the COVID-19 pandemic curtails interactions among employees, a growing number of Japanese companies are considering an inexpensive solution to the loss of workforce camaraderie — esports tournaments. On a weekday night in June, 40 people from 17 companies had gathered to observe an esports event organized by a group of employees at Net One Systems Co., a Tokyo-based IT service provider, at eXeField Akiba, a venue for esports activities in Akihabara, Tokyo’s electronics hub. It was the third esports competition conducted by the firm’s employees, 90 percent of whom …