For someone born in Brazil and living in Qatar, it was a fascinating experience to be surrounded by influential people such as Dame Louise Martin, President of the Commonwealth Games Federation, Chris Chan, President of the GEF, Chester King, head of the GEF’s Commission for the Commonwealth Esports Championships and passionate young esports athletes.

I also understood how esports can be a symbol of hope for many like Esports Global director Dave Martin explained.

"This event [Commonwealth Esports Championships] is an opportunity to explore the passion for hundreds of millions of people who are interested in esports," said Martin.

"This is about people coming together, this is about people communicating, playing as a team and team infrastructure that surrounds those individuals who play games."

Students from Loughborough and Warwick Universities demonstrated a bit of Rocket League during today’s meeting in Birmingham, where Dota 2 and eFootball series were also revealed as the titles for the inaugural Commonwealth Esports Championships.

During the presentation, I was blown away by the ability of these young athletes to communicate with each other between the matches while concentrating on every single detail, patiently within the game.

After observing and speaking to some of them, it reminded me of my home country Brazil and how esports has been making a huge difference in people's lives, especially youngsters from places that are still under development, where access to the internet and equipment of good quality are definitely not part of their lives.

I believe esports cannot be considered as a "hobby" any more, as they have built up a huge community that continues to grow in terms of popularity.

This new industry has connected millions of young people across the world, providing not only entertainment, but also technology and innovation.

It is also generating job opportunities as the number of competitions and associations has increased every year, such as the World Esports Association and the Esports Europe.

Professional gamers from all over the world can also get scholarships and fight for prizes worth millions of dollars at international championships.

Martin, who was leading the presentation, mentioned that "Esports is a game and not a sport".

This got me thinking.

People play games sitting down and many are of the opinion that you don't have to be fit in order to succeed in esports.

But I disagree as it still involves physical movements, especially if you are on simulators.

It is not like football or swimming, but it does include physical movements and is also mentally stressful.

If chess is recognised as a sport, esports can fall under the same category too.

Despite not having the same physical impact as some conventional sports, it requires a lot of effort from the athlete, especially when it comes to mind games, defining strategies and brainstorming the best ways of obtaining positive results.

They also need a lot of physical preparation and training in order to stay in the same position for hours to complete a game.

This is certainly a long discussion and I can spend hours doing it.

Obviously, today’s society still does not recognise gamers as "real" athletes, but I believe the perceptions are beginning to change.

English Rocket League player Bella Selwood, who has been playing since 2017, is looking forward to the Commonwealth Games and has expressed her enthusiasm.

"You play [esports] with your friends, it is more casual," she said.

"To have it at the Commonwealth Games is extremely exciting."

I also had the opportunity to exchange a few words with another athlete Walden Killick, who shared his thoughts about the Commonwealth Esports Championships, saying that the event "gives people the opportunity to play at the highest level".

I believe that more competitions and international events will change how people look at esports.  

As a media intern here in the UK for some work experience, this event was certainly an eye-opener in more ways than one.