Team Philippines is set to compete in the eSports event of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan. Although eSports has faced criticism for not being considered a real sport, even an Olympic-organized event is being dismissed by competitive gamers as not real eSports. This has left many long-time supporters of high-stakes digital contests puzzled by the choice of games at the inaugural Olympics Esports Week in Singapore.
Instead of featuring well-established gaming titles, the event will showcase 10 simulated sports such as archery, baseball, chess, and taekwondo. This decision has raised concerns among enthusiasts who believe that the event should focus on eSports, which are video games played at an elite competitive level, rather than virtual sports, which are digital recreations of real-world events.
Popular video games like “Counter-Strike” and “DOTA 2” have contributed to the booming growth of eSports over the past decade. These games have become a part of pop culture and have gained significant following on social media. Tournaments attract massive crowds in stadiums and millions of online viewers.
Matthew Woods, from eSports marketing agency AFK, expressed disappointment in the choice of games for the Olympics Esports Week. He stated that these games were not considered real eSports by industry professionals. Malaysian professional eSports coach Khairul Azman Mohamad Sharif echoed this sentiment, finding the game selection baffling. He believed that top eSports games should take precedence over sports games that are already physically contested.
While the choice of games may disappoint some, there is hope that the inclusion of the shooting event featuring “Fortnite” without its violent “Battle Royale” mode will satisfy some enthusiasts. The International Olympic Council (IOC) cannot feature games with violence that go against Olympic values. The IOC officially recognized eSports as a sport in 2017 and has been in discussions with industry players about inclusion on the grandest stage.
ESports will be a medal sport for the first time at the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou. Chester King, vice-president of the Global Esports Federation and CEO of British Esports, described the list of games for the Singapore event as a sensible first approach towards eventually including popular video games in the Olympic roster. The event serves as a testing ground to work out the complexities of bringing eSports to the Olympic level.
IOC sports director Kit McConnell explained that the choice of games was made to support virtual and simulated sports. The games had to be inclusive, have no technical barriers to entry, and promote gender equality, which is often lacking in competitive gaming.
Inclusion of popular video game titles and top players at the Olympic level has the potential to attract millions of new viewers to the Games. However, navigating relationships with publishers of these games may prove to be a challenge. Publishers have significant influence over who hosts events and how they are organized due to owning the intellectual property rights of their games.
While there are no current plans for eSports to become medal events at the Olympics, the Singapore event will be closely watched to gauge its reception. The altered format of the games will play a significant role in determining how the event is received.
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