Could eSports Have an Olympic Future?

[Benny44]

No way - I love video games, but in no way would I consider a gamer to be even remotely on par with an Olympic athlete. I know it takes skill to play a game well, but it also takes skill to whittle a piece of wood into something interesting, pat your head & rub your stomach at the same time, and belching the alphabet - but I can't see any of them being Olympic sports either.
It takes a ton of mental and physical strength to be an athlete at the highest level - I'm not a big Olympic fan (fencing? Who does that? Probably less than 1% of people have ever even tried it). But I really can't see a valid argument to bring a 'sport' where you literally sit down to do something imaginary included in a place where world class atheletes are competing.
Still love video games though!

 

[Peasantslayer]

I think gaming can be far more skilled than some people realise because of how accessible and addictive it is, it means there's a lot of competition.

I don't think it belongs in the Olympics though because there's too many games out there and it's not really an athletic sport in the same way that running or swimming is, it's much more of a mental sport like darts or snooker. Having said that dressage and shooting are Olympic sports.

 

[Lain]

All physical feats are already simultaneously mental feats (example Shaq lacking mental composure to consistently hit free throws).

There is truth to that, but you know what I mean. Something like chess (not an esport, but same idea) requires more thought than just mental composure.

 

[VBR]

My initail reaction is to say no. However, if high torque racing wheels were used with virtual cars that had no power steering & they had full motion simulator rigs with 6DOF & VR, then maybe the strength, skill & endurance needed to participate at the highest levels would be on par with real world drivers/athletes. In that case I say why not.

 

[AudiMan2011]

No, eSports shouldn't be a part of any major sporting tournament. Video games are already too commercialised these days without stuff like the Olympics wanting to incorporate this stuff, since todays "yoof" aren't interested in pretty much anything besides posting ridiculous filtered photos on Instachat or following the Kardashians.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Is that why some of the participants are pensioners?

Many Olympic sports have an historical or military origin. For instance, the marathon is so named because in its original iteration, an army messenger had to run forty kilometres to the town of Marathon to warn them of an approaching army. The same goes for the dressage - it's all about the rider's ability to control their horse through a series of increasingly-technical moves. It has its origins in cavalry training.

 

[Joey D]

I don't think it should be included in the Olympics though, it just doesn't fit with the overall theme of the games. Plus it would get outdated really quickly, just because League of Legends is in right now doesn't mean it will be in 4 years time.

I could see it becoming part of the X-Games if it hasn't already, that seems like a better venue for it in terms of marketing and sponsorship.

 

[dbarrade]

What about VirZoom! Pegaso



It combines both cycling and dressage on a flying horse... all the bikes would be the same so there would be no technology advantage for some of the Olympians... and also it really fits in with the Olympic theme...