Esports in the Olympics

Over the past few years esports, the competitive play of multiplayer videogames has drastically grown in popularity among the younger audiences, to the point that some are beginning to believe that it should be considered a sport. Not only do some people consider it a sport, but there are also those who believe that it should be added as an Olympic event. It might sound ridiculous but I believe that it could work, and should be added as an Olympic event. Esports require a vast amount of skill and in some cases teamwork, enough to be considered a sport. Esports also have a great amount of public interest and a large established viewer base which are also necessary to be an Olympic event. There are already movements by some groups that are trying to get esports in the Olympics and despite some pushback, they can make that a reality once enough people understand what goes into playing esports.

Esports are Sports

Esports, the competitive play of multiplayer videogames, has dramatically risen in popularity over the past few years, bringing up the question of whether it is a sport. A sport is an organized display of strength, stamina, dexterity, and/or, in some cases, strategy between two or more competing parties, therefore esports is a sport. Some people might not believe that esports fall into any of these actual criteria, thinking that esports are nothing but young adults trying to justify wasting their time playing videogames, but they would be wrong. Playing esports actually requires a massive amount of dexterity in order to compete at a professional level, and in many cases they also require coordinated teamwork in order to implement strategy effectively.

Esports and Opposing Voices

The thought of esports, the competitive play of multiplayer videogames, being considered a sport, is often considered ridiculous, and it should be easy to find respected sources that share this view. However this is not actually the case, in fact it is almost the opposite, finding respected individuals in favor of esports is actually far easier than finding those apposed. This is largely due to the issue of esport’s status not fully being in the public’s view, if at all. Most people who are aware of the issue are already prone to having the opinion that it’s a sport, while those who might be against the idea are not aware that the issue exists. This said, There is not a complete lack of opposing voices in the debate, arising from those, usually related to traditional sports, comes a push back against the idea that esports are actual sports. These voices of opposition can be split into two groups, those of “traditional” sport athletes and members of older generations.

A Begining to the Esport Debate

I am sure that to many people, the idea of classifying competitive video game play as a sport would be an absurd idea. I understand that at first glance it might look like esports, the organized competitive play of video games, has nothing in common to what most people would consider traditional sports. However, if you look closely, you could be surprised at the similarities between what we might define as a sport and what goes on in an esport. To play at a competitive level a massive amount of dexterity is required, among other things. But does the dexterity required to participate competitively in esports make them actual sports? I believe that a sport is an organized display of strength, stamina, dexterity, and/or, in some cases, strategy, between two or more competing parties, therefore an esport is a sport.

The Stars of Free to Play

when I first started to become interested in esports, the competitive play of video games, I used the documentary (2014) Free to Play to give my parents a better understanding of what I was interested in, showing them that esports is more than just a fad. The documentary Free to Play, which can be viewed for free on youtube using the link below, is a film that was produced by Valve Corporation, and released March 2014. The film follows the events of The International 2011, which was a tournament for the popular online game called Dota 2, having the largest prize pool of any video game tournament at the time of filming. The documentary stars three professional Dota 2 players, Benedict Lim, Danil Ishutin, and Clinton Loomis, showing the challenges each of them have had to face to become a professional esports athlete, as well as the events of, and leading up to, The International 2011. I’m not going to spoil which player’s team won the tournament (if any) so you will have to watch it in order to find out.

Esports, Where to Begin.

In my past few posts I have often mention that esports, the competitive play of video games, are relatively underground and out of public view. If esports only revolved around a single game then it would easy be look into on your own. Unfortunately, for those new to esports, it is made up of numerous different games and played on all sorts of different devices. I can only imagine how daunting it must feel to someone first looking into esports on their own for the first time. Simply trying to figure out where to start would be the biggest challenge. According to the article Moth, J. (2014) Top 5 Most Popular Esports Games Right Now, the some of the most popular games in esports are, StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and League of Legends, all of which are good places to start learning more about esports.

Esports, the Opposition

There is some debate revolving around whether or not esports, the competitive play of video games, should be considered sports alongside basketball, golf, and archery. when I first began researching this, I was certain that the majority of discussion would be by those in opposition to the idea of esports being actual sports. However, to my astonishment, the opposition to esports is the most underrepresented side of the debate. Aside from the occasional comment on a YouTube video or post on some forum, there aren’t very many people saying that esports are not sports. I believe the reason opposing opinions regarding esports are so scarce is because esports are unknown to the general public, and most of the people who are aware of esports are either of the opinion that esports are sports, or just don’t care.That said, there is not a complete lack of voices speaking out against esports. Every now and then someone, often from an older generation, in the public’s view will give their opinion stating that esports are not “real” sports, or simply just laugh it off as something too ridiculous to take seriously.

Players Enter the Discussion

Whether or not esports, the competitive play of multiplayer video games, should be considered sports next to the likes of traditional sports such as football, golf, or basketball. There are some people, such as myself, who advocate that esports be given the same recognition as any other sport. On the other hand there are people who think the esports should not be considered a sport. When it comes to the debate on esports, I believe the groups with the most influence are colleges, television stations, and the different game developers.

Esports, an Introduction

Electronic sports, commonly referred to as esports, is the competitive and organized play between two or more individuals on some type of multiplayer game. Athletes must demonstrate superior coordination, reflexes, quick thinking, and team communication if they wish to be able to compete. There is not one single type of game played in esports, rather esports is a conglomeration of many different games and genres.

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