The Jakarta Palembang 2018 Asian Games featured esports as a demonstration game. This was the first time in Asian games history that esports had a presence. It is a small step towards the mainstream integration of esports. It was a pleasant period for esports as it demonstrated the same skill-set and similar practice regimen as that of regular sports.
Olympics Chief Thomas Bach was not sure about esports’ inclusion into the Olympics games. His non-committal to the future of esports integration comes at a time when the industry is seeing rapid expansion across various segments. Titles such as Overwatch league, Riot’s League of Legends are witnessing investments to the tunes of tens of millions of dollars.
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Olympics will never include violent esports titles
Thomas Bach was clear when he said that esports games of a violent nature would not have a place in the Olympics. The Quadrennial games are one of the most famous sporting events in the world. Drawing from the Greek traditions, Olympics has amended the list of games and competitions over the years.
We cannot have in the Olympic program a game which is promoting violence or discrimination. So-called killer games. They, from our point of view, are contradictory to the Olympic values and cannot, therefore, be accepted.
Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee
The current Olympics does not hold as much similarity to the ancient Greek Games. However, the games have never seen a competition of a violent nature. Since many of the best esports titles feature violence in one kind or another, this is one of the most contentious issues for the Olympics-esports marriage.
Should esports change?
This announcement does come as a setback to esports as it seeks mainstream recognition. But it is not the end of the esports Olympics dream. Every day, we see the release of new esports titles. While most of them do not attain the same level of success as Dota 2 and CS: GO, it is only a matter of time.
With Olympics Committee drawing the line at violence, we will see the rise of non-violent esports titles such as PES, NBA2k, Racing titles as well as perhaps Rocket League. As for the esports industry, it is not a big loss since they continue to receive big investments.
China is already taking steps to regulate esports
Esports has seen wild unsupervised growth for the most part of the last decade. Without regulations and supervision, the quality of video gaming titles has been very wide. The decision to limit the number of video game title releases is sparked by Myopia fears. However, it would provide greater control for the Chinese government on this fast-developing industry. With various governments all around the world recognizing esports, they will soon have regulations specific to esports.
Esports might not need Olympics or vice versa. But the integration of the two disciplines will greatly help both parties. Olympics is struggling to maintain its relevance in this fast-moving world. Esports is the new thing on the market and cashing in on esports’ fame will definitely help Olympics remain popular amongst youngsters. For now, Esports will be featured at the upcoming 2022 Asian Games as a medal event.New Release Microsoft 70-461 PDF Exams