The interest around esports has grown significantly over the past few years, with more and more people following its events and titles. This has led to discussions around whether having these video games in the Olympics could be beneficial for both the athletes involved and the Olympics itself.
In this article, we will explore what the potential benefits of having esports as part of the Olympic Games might be, from heightening the profile of the Games to promoting fairness amongst competitors. We’ll also look at how this could potentially lead to increased funding for esports players, as well as better recognition for their work. Finally, we’ll consider how it might affect issues such as mental health and gender equality in sports.
What Esports Games Are in The Olympics
Esports have been a part of the Olympic Games since 2018, when a demonstration event in South Korea allowed players from all over the world to compete in games like League of Legends, Arena of Valor and StarCraft II. This has opened the doors to esports being included as an official event in the Olympics in the future, allowing gaming enthusiasts to showcase their skills on an international stage. In this article, we will look at the history of esports in the Olympics and the benefits it could bring.
The Beginning of Esports in the Olympics
The Olympic Games has seen a variety of sports added and removed over the years. One of the latest additions to the ever-growing list is esports, or electronic sports. Professional gaming, which has grown exponentially in popularity over the past decade, has been contested in various international tournaments since 1997.
In 2013, eSports made its debut on the Olympic stage when it was included as an exhibition event at the Asian Indoor & Martial Arts Games (AIMAG). This marked a major milestone for competitive gaming as organizers sought to legitimize and acknowledge esports as both a sport and entertainment medium, acknowledging its worldwide fanbase. Following this success, eSportsevents were included at numerous multi-sport tournaments such as; The Minsk 2019 European Games in Belarus and 2018 Asian Games held in Jakarta-Palembang Indonesia.
As competitive gaming continues to gain more acceptance throughout the competitive sporting world and professional leagues emerge with larger prize pools, more money is becoming available to fund prize money which will help increase player salaries and attract more top talent into esports events. This year’s Tokyo Olympics will be accompanied by an accompanying “E-sports Final Tokyo 2020” event on June 24th, 2020 featuring competitions involving three game titles; Super Smash Bros., Overwatch, and Street Fighter V: AE.
Japan is one of only a few countries so far to officially integrate esports into their Olympic program; with French President Emmanuel Macron giving his support for Paris 2024 Olympics set to be first bronze medal accredited Olympics for esports games if approved by International Olympic Committee (IOC). Whilst title contenders are yet unknown there’s no doubt that this extra layer of competition from leading eSports organizations and players from across world will bring renewed enthusiasm from tens of millions viewers turning in virtually watch second Olypmic event this summer season—making it one truly unique spectacles of 2021!
The Growing Popularity of Esports in the Olympics
The popularity of esports has risen exponentially in recent years, leading to discussion of integrating them into the Olympics. Some view this as a natural step in the further legitimizing of professional gaming, but it’s important to remember its history before jumping to conclusions. Esports made their preliminary debut at the 2018 Asian Games as a demonstration sport under the jurisdiction of International Olympic Committee. This event showcased some of the biggest global events such as NBA 2K18 and League of Legends. Though this inaugural event focused mainly on PC games, consoles are also likely to be featured in upcoming events by 2024 Paris Olympics.
Unlike traditional sports, esports have additional coverage and advertisement opportunities that could be beneficial for both gamers and hosting countries. Data analytics is also becoming increasingly utilized with dedicated teams measuring spectator engagement such as long time spent watching or crowd reactions. As the need for such data continues to grow, so too do opportunities for new ways of presenting esports at a grand scale; especially within future Olympic settings.
In addition to large scale events like these, many countries are starting their own national leagues and entering partnerships with game developers to assist with preparation for large tournaments worldwide. Intel is even taking steps towards creating specific engines dedicated solely for more efficient optimization in these large-scale tournaments. With all these developments coming together, there’s potential for great growth in playing styles, spectator viewing experiences and overall legitimacy across industries endemic or otherwise associated with esports globally!
Benefits of Esports in the Olympics
Esports games have become more popular in the past few years, and the Olympic committee is currently in talks to add them as an Olympic sport. If esports became part of the Olympics, there could be tremendous benefits both to the esports community and the Olympic Games. In this article, we will discuss some of the potential benefits that could come with having esports in the Olympics.
Increased Global Reach
The inclusion of esports into the Olympic program would increase worldwide access to the Games. Esports is one of the fastest growing industries in the world, and its reach expands across all nations, cultures, genders and social backgrounds. By having esports included into the Olympics, it can create global parity between all participants regardless of their background by displaying a platform for growth through a shared passion.
Esports also has unique potential to embrace modern technology to engage with younger generations looking for something new. Through pioneering cutting-edge technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), these tools can be used to provide a completely immersive experience that could abstract viewers away from any language or cultural barriers they may face traditionally when observing an event. This can give viewers an unprecedented level of involvement that traditional sporting events in the Olympics have never had before.
The increased global reach could result in more lucrative business opportunities for sponsors by accessing large untapped markets containing potential customers eager to have their voices heard on a much larger stage than before. Furthermore, this could open up further pathways for global collaboration between nations looking to share knowledge and experiences whilst competing against each other in a comparatively safe scenario with minimal risk of geopolitical issues arising from fierce competition between countries.
Increased Media Coverage
The inclusion of esports in the Olympics could bring a new level of mainstream coverage, making it possible for esports fans to witness their passion on the same worldwide stage that has showcased all sorts of physical sports throughout history. Esports games such as League of Legends and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive could be broadcast on each Olympic’s yearly platform and would give millions of fans a chance to see top teams compete outside traditional tournaments.
Increased media coverage would also draw attention from casual viewers who might not even be familiar with the video game version being played in the Olympics. This could lead to a massive surge in spectatorship, similar to what has already happened for competitive gaming over the past few years. In addition, Twitch streaming channels and other providers of esports content would likely benefit from more viewers tuning in during the events.
Furthermore, this increased media coverage offers an opportunity for sponsorships and partnerships within esports industry, since these stakeholders will now have access to a global platform which showcases their icons or games. This can provide major investment opportunities for upcoming innovators who are looking for financial backing for their projects.
Increased Opportunities for Professional Gamers
The presence of esports in the Olympics will provide world-class professional gamers with immense opportunities. Professional gamers and teams can reap large financial rewards if they are able to showcase their gaming skills on a global platform like the Olympics. This could potentially be a career game-changer and add an extra feather in the cap for many ascending professional gamers.
Furthermore, esports being part of the Olympics could draw international interest and participation, creating a larger base for competitive players and teams competing to become Olympic champions. It would also enable sponsorships and partnerships from businesses looking to capitalize on the attention given to esports from the mainstream media coming from all corners of the globe during Olympic years.
In addition, for amateur players interested in becoming professionals, watching experts compete at an international level could inspire them to pursue their own professional esports careers as well as attract potential students who are interested in learning about gaming skills used by these professionals at such globally recognized events which will ultimately create much larger Esports industry networks around the world.
Conclusion
In conclusion, introducing esports games into the Olympics would provide benefits to both athletes and spectators. It would offer a new form of entertainment that appeals to the large and growing number of people who enjoy playing and watching video games. It provides the opportunity for new revenue streams that could be used to fund Olympic events, while creating more visibility for those events. Furthermore, it could create potential opportunities for collaboration between traditional professional esports organizations and national Olympic committees around sponsorships, media partnerships, training initiatives, and more.
Ultimately, rolling out more esports titles at the Olympic Games is an attractive proposition for all parties involved due to its potential to increase engagement with current fans as well as attract new followers from different demographics. In order for it to be successful though, careful consideration must be given in how it is implemented in order to ensure that competition remains fair and enjoyable for everyone involved.