Will Video Games ever be in the Olympics?

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Giant Octopodes

Giant Octopodes

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Sorry for the overly clickbaity thread title, just a thought provoker / conversation starter. Let's be real, the olympics has some pretty dumb stuff in it already, and it has moved far from just displays of raw strength (the javelin, shotput, etc) to some pretty esoteric displays of skill (I don't know what they call it when they ski up to shoot things, but yeah, that's an olympic sport).


So what about "eSports"? They involve hand / eye coordination, multitasking, strategy, and so forth, and they become more and more relevant to broad audiences on a yearly basis. So I'm not talking about "in the next 20 years", because I think we would all agree the answer is no. But "ever" encompasses a very long time frame. Could any video game warrant either inclusion in the olympics, or alternately gain the kind of viewership actual sports enjoy?


Just curious what folks thoughts are.
 
I love playing video games, but to see them as an Olympic Sport? No thanks.

Virtually all the events require significant physical exertion, apart from perhaps the Horse-based stuff, that's just being good at riding a horse

Video games do not require significant physical exertion
 
Big/Sky/Fly said:
Golf is more of a sport than video games...
Click to expand...

Golf's in the Olympics. So is Walking. So is Curling. So is Horse Dancing.

I think if Chess gets in, Video Games will get in. One won't be in without the other though. People have been pimping Chess for the Olympics for years.
 
It's amazing to me that people fill large sports arenas to watch other people compete in video games. The events are starting to make it onto TV, not just the online stations on twitch and YouTube, but ESPN and others air these events. My son told me about an Fortnight event a few months ago that paid over $3M to the winner. A 16 year old won it. Even the kid in 100th place in that event made $50k.

I asked my son why so many people want to watch other people play these games. He asked me why do I watch other people play games I could be playing too? He said the reasons are that these kids are so much better than the average player - people watch to learn and to be entertained. Just like traditional sports. I don't get it,but a whole generation of young people do. It's catching on.

Now the shameless plug. As many of you know, my son launched and his college buddy formed a company and launched a new energy drink targeted at this market. Glitch is for gamers and i actually starting to gain some traction. There is NO CAFFEINE and NO SUGAR in Glitch, which sets it apart from th others. He's got investors calling him and big plans for 2020 and beyond. They've just finished reformulating the product a bit and are relaunching today at 2PM if anyone is interested.

Here is the link to their website: https://glitchdrink.co

A gamer with 8 million followers that promotes Glitch: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-kOXc3gBwksVfmndSEz7jg

And a story: https://www.stack3d.com/2019/10/twe...-uf_fgJcurM0dTm-cGRT5fa0gchkAIcTR62a4YboEzdhQ
 
grog said:
It's amazing to me that people fill large sports arenas to watch other people compete in video games. The events are starting to make it onto TV, not just the online stations on twitch and YouTube, but ESPN and others air these events. My son told me about an Fortnight event a few months ago that paid over $3M to the winner. A 16 year old won it. Even the kid in 100th place in that event made $50k.

I asked my son why so many people want to watch other people play these games. He asked me why do I watch other people play games I could be playing too? He said the reasons are that these kids are so much better than the average player - people watch to learn and to be entertained. Just like traditional sports. I don't get it,but a whole generation of young people do. It's catching on.

Now the shameless plug. As many of you know, my son launched and his college buddy formed a company and launched a new energy drink targeted at this market. Glitch is for gamers and i actually starting to gain some traction. There is NO CAFFEINE and NO SUGAR in Glitch, which sets it apart from th others. He's got investors calling him and big plans for 2020 and beyond. They've just finished reformulating the product a bit and are relaunching today at 2PM if anyone is interested.

Here is the link to their website: https://glitchdrink.co

A gamer with 8 million followers that promotes Glitch: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-kOXc3gBwksVfmndSEz7jg

And a story: https://www.stack3d.com/2019/10/twe...-uf_fgJcurM0dTm-cGRT5fa0gchkAIcTR62a4YboEzdhQ
Click to expand...

So amazingly exciting!!! All the best to him.


Cheers
 
That’s awesome grog.

Money to be made in supps.

If he monitors the MLB & NFL banned list and avoids ingredients on those it’s only a matter of time before a hi profile gamer/pro athlete endorses. Alertness. Attention. Sharper mind and reflexes. There’s plenty of crossover to pro game readiness.
 
Giant Octopodes said:
Sorry for the overly clickbaity thread title, just a thought provoker / conver to some pretty esoteric displays of skill (I don't know what they call it when they ski up to shoot things, but yeah, that's an olympic sport).
Click to expand...

Biathlon, and that's not an easy sport.

Cross country skiing is already a sport and is not really different than any other running event.

The athlete has to be able to travel over the specified distance faster than the opponent.

So the cross country skiing part of it clearly is a "sport".

Just plain shooting is in the olympics with multiple categories.

There is certainly a skill involved here, and there are physical aspects as well.

The shooter has to be able to minimize movement of their body, to reduce any movement of the weapon. At the accuracy they are trying to achieve, that makes a big difference.

And that's what makes the biathlon so challenging.

The competitor has to ski as fast as they can from shooting station to shooting station. This is clearly an aerobic activity and they will be fatigued and breathing hard from the effort.

Once they get to a shooting station, they have to calm themselves down to be able to shoot. If they miss a target they have to do penalty laps before continuing on the course.

So the two activities are the exact opposite, in a physical sense.

The event is probably meant to be a sport version of what ski troops did back in the day and there is a long tradition of Olympic sports doing that type of thing, specifically the Pentathlon.

THE ANCIENT DISCIPLINES
The ancient pentathlon consisted of running, jumping, spear-throwing, discus and wrestling. The pentathlon held a position of unique importance, with the winner ranked as “Victor Ludorum” (the winner of the games).

THE MODERN FORMAT
The modern pentathlon was introduced by Baron de Coubertin at the Stockholm Games in 1912, comprising pistol shooting, fencing, swimming, horse riding and running. It was his belief that this event would test “a man’s moral qualities as much as his physical resources and skills, producing thereby a complete athlete.”
Click to expand...

Both formats consisted of events that would consist of skills that a warrior of that era would need to posses.
 
TommyD420 said:
Golf's in the Olympics. So is Walking. So is Curling. So is Horse Dancing.

I think if Chess gets in, Video Games will get in. One won't be in without the other though. People have been pimping Chess for the Olympics for years.
Click to expand...

I guess carpal tunnel could set in and stuff...can they go on IR for that?
 
O_P_T said:
Biathlon, and that's not an easy sport.

Cross country skiing is already a sport and is not really different than any other running event.

The athlete has to be able to travel over the specified distance faster than the opponent.

So the cross country skiing part of it clearly is a "sport".

Just plain shooting is in the olympics with multiple categories.

There is certainly a skill involved here, and there are physical aspects as well.

The shooter has to be able to minimize movement of their body, to reduce any movement of the weapon. At the accuracy they are trying to achieve, that makes a big difference.

And that's what makes the biathlon so challenging.

The competitor has to ski as fast as they can from shooting station to shooting station. This is clearly an aerobic activity and they will be fatigued and breathing hard from the effort.

Once they get to a shooting station, they have to calm themselves down to be able to shoot. If they miss a target they have to do penalty laps before continuing on the course.

So the two activities are the exact opposite, in a physical sense.

The event is probably meant to be a sport version of what ski troops did back in the day and there is a long tradition of Olympic sports doing that type of thing, specifically the Pentathlon.



Both formats consisted of events that would consist of skills that a warrior of that era would need to posses.
Click to expand...

If you pay even closer attention they go from max heart rate in the ski exertion period down to beats per minute in the 40s - yes, they physically control their heartbeat. It’s amazing.
 
You can draw some similarities between e-sports and race car driving. The drivers just sit in a chair, but they better be fit and stay healthy to maximize concentration over a period of time. E-sports in fairly fresh still, so they have a way to got, but the pro teams have fitness and neutrtion coaches. It think the stereotypical fatty drinking red bull and eating pizza will fade out as they wont survive on talent alone.

Also: anyone who dont think e-sports will get huge in the future are dinosaurs.
 
Cross country kicked my ass...not easy at all, especially in deep snow and long distances.

---------- Post added at 08:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:59 PM ----------
DeflateThis said:
You can draw some similarities between e-sports and race car driving. The drivers just sit in a chair, but they better be fit and stay healthy to maximize concentration over a period of time. E-sports in fairly fresh still, so they have a way to got, but the pro teams have fitness and neutrtion coaches. It think the stereotypical fatty drinking red bull and eating pizza will fade out as they wont survive on talent alone.

Also: anyone who dont think e-sports will get huge in the future are dinosaurs.
Click to expand...

Eh...there is skill involved, but, it's not physical. It's like ping pong.

Car racing has wrecks involved at least.

Organized competition? Sure...Olympic sport? Why would it be? $$$$$?...
 
Big/Sky/Fly said:
Cross country kicked my ass...not easy at all, especially in deep snow and long distances.

---------- Post added at 08:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:59 PM ----------



Eh...there is skill involved, but, it's not physical. It's like ping pong.

Car racing has wrecks involved at least.

Organized competition? Sure...Olympic sport? Why would it be? $$$$$?...
Click to expand...

First you use golf and now ping pong as comparisons. Both are Olympic Sports...
 
The IOC is almost as corrupt as FIFA.

Fewer cities/countries are bidding to host them. It obscenely expensive to host them.
 
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