If you are looking for an article to equally weight whether competitive video games should be in the Olympics or even if they can be considered a sport you have come to the wrong place. I unequivocally believe that video games can and should be considered a sport. It also follows that they should be eligible and seriously considered for the Olympics in Paris in 2024.
First, let's break down whats happening. The OCA (Olympics Council of Asia) has included E-sports as a medal event in the Asian Games. (bbc.com) The will be demonstrated in the upcoming 2018 Asian Games. It has now been reported by the AP press that Paris is looking into E-Sports for the upcoming 2024 Olympics. In what I believe would solidify the legitimacy of the sport not in the eyes of those who play, because we already know it is, but those that do not play.
Don't you fear, I have some reasons why I do think it is a sport. This is not just a hobby where you can grab a bag of Cheetos, watch Rick turn into a pickle, and then jump on for maybe a round or two of League of Legend. I wish because I'd be a god. It takes a lot of work and dedication. If you don't believe me take a look at a 2015 article of Team Liquid's (League of Legends) training schedule. They train as a team at least 8 hours a day, then go home and play more. If you wonder why people start to quit after only a few years, wonder no longer. The schedule is grueling.
Not only are they practicing hard, many teams are finding the benefit of having their players physically fit. I understand because it is not widely adopted yet this isn't my strongest argument but here me out. The Immortals, also a League of Legends team, provides fitness training for their players. As their Performance Coach Robert Yip said the days of slacking are over.(npr.org) Physical fitness not only helps with players not burning out but people who work out tend to be healthier in general. It also helps with depression and cognitive function. (health.gov) This leads me to believe that even more teams will be adopting some routine of physical fitness to keep their players at their best, in turn silencing those who believe that sports need some form of physicality. No, it won't be as much as someone who sprints but it's the muscle of the mind they are working out and not the legs.
There are several reasons I think that E-Sports should be picked up by the International Olympics Commity and honestly needs to be. I think the strongest though is that E-sports viewership is through the roof and is only growing. Citing the earlier BBC article there was an audience of 320 million people in 2016. Tapping into a small percentage of this market would be a huge boost when they only averaged 27.5 million views for Rio.(Veriety.com). This would be a huge shot in the arm (hopefully with a legal substance) for the Olympics and one that IOC should not ignore. It was such an obvious move that ESPN has already started to pick up games and report on them like any other sport. Side note, I have to say their coverage is getting a lot better.
E-sports are also globally recognized. I would go into how people play all around the world but I feel this is redundant. If you even question this I would invite you to head over to steam spy.
I also think there might be some push back from the gaming community at large not wanting their favorite activity to go into the spotlight. I have heard that making games a profession could take away the fun for those who just want to play. As someone who absolutely sucks at Non-American Football, I still love to play it and join local clubs all the time. Just because I won't ever be pro does not mean the game will lose its luster. I am sure my knees will give out long before that. My silver four status also tells me I'll never make it into the LoL finals but it's still fun to pick up the game from time to time.
Finally, the Olympics will legitimize the sport in general. If it is to meet the rigor of an Olympic sport, stern rules will not only need to be in place but thoroughly enforced. This means a better process for checking equipment and rigs, drug testing (Adderall is cheating), and over all better practices. These are issues that have been popping up in the sport and need to be addressed in a serious way.
Having E-Sports as an Olympic sport is something that I hope happens. In the end, I think we are all going to be better for it and we will start to see a level of gameplay that we have not before. This is something we can all look forward to.
First, let's break down whats happening. The OCA (Olympics Council of Asia) has included E-sports as a medal event in the Asian Games. (bbc.com) The will be demonstrated in the upcoming 2018 Asian Games. It has now been reported by the AP press that Paris is looking into E-Sports for the upcoming 2024 Olympics. In what I believe would solidify the legitimacy of the sport not in the eyes of those who play, because we already know it is, but those that do not play.
Don't you fear, I have some reasons why I do think it is a sport. This is not just a hobby where you can grab a bag of Cheetos, watch Rick turn into a pickle, and then jump on for maybe a round or two of League of Legend. I wish because I'd be a god. It takes a lot of work and dedication. If you don't believe me take a look at a 2015 article of Team Liquid's (League of Legends) training schedule. They train as a team at least 8 hours a day, then go home and play more. If you wonder why people start to quit after only a few years, wonder no longer. The schedule is grueling.
Not only are they practicing hard, many teams are finding the benefit of having their players physically fit. I understand because it is not widely adopted yet this isn't my strongest argument but here me out. The Immortals, also a League of Legends team, provides fitness training for their players. As their Performance Coach Robert Yip said the days of slacking are over.(npr.org) Physical fitness not only helps with players not burning out but people who work out tend to be healthier in general. It also helps with depression and cognitive function. (health.gov) This leads me to believe that even more teams will be adopting some routine of physical fitness to keep their players at their best, in turn silencing those who believe that sports need some form of physicality. No, it won't be as much as someone who sprints but it's the muscle of the mind they are working out and not the legs.
There are several reasons I think that E-Sports should be picked up by the International Olympics Commity and honestly needs to be. I think the strongest though is that E-sports viewership is through the roof and is only growing. Citing the earlier BBC article there was an audience of 320 million people in 2016. Tapping into a small percentage of this market would be a huge boost when they only averaged 27.5 million views for Rio.(Veriety.com). This would be a huge shot in the arm (hopefully with a legal substance) for the Olympics and one that IOC should not ignore. It was such an obvious move that ESPN has already started to pick up games and report on them like any other sport. Side note, I have to say their coverage is getting a lot better.
E-sports are also globally recognized. I would go into how people play all around the world but I feel this is redundant. If you even question this I would invite you to head over to steam spy.
I also think there might be some push back from the gaming community at large not wanting their favorite activity to go into the spotlight. I have heard that making games a profession could take away the fun for those who just want to play. As someone who absolutely sucks at Non-American Football, I still love to play it and join local clubs all the time. Just because I won't ever be pro does not mean the game will lose its luster. I am sure my knees will give out long before that. My silver four status also tells me I'll never make it into the LoL finals but it's still fun to pick up the game from time to time.
Finally, the Olympics will legitimize the sport in general. If it is to meet the rigor of an Olympic sport, stern rules will not only need to be in place but thoroughly enforced. This means a better process for checking equipment and rigs, drug testing (Adderall is cheating), and over all better practices. These are issues that have been popping up in the sport and need to be addressed in a serious way.
Having E-Sports as an Olympic sport is something that I hope happens. In the end, I think we are all going to be better for it and we will start to see a level of gameplay that we have not before. This is something we can all look forward to.
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