Turkmenistan enters brave new world of eSports

That eSports have arrived in authoritarian Turkmenistan, a country of around five million people which was practically offline just over a decade ago, testifies to gaming's global pull.

Reclusive, gas-rich Turkmenistan is dipping its toe into the world of eSports having got a taste for gaming at a showcase sporting event it held last year. The Central Asian country is in the process of forming a national eSports team that will represent it in events devoted to Counter-Strike, Dota 2, Hearthstone and other popular computer game titles.

Denis Oglodin, who plays under the gaming name Den4EZ, has already earned the right to wear the republic's colours after his five-man team triumphed in a national contest for Dota 2 – a multi-player battle game – on Friday.