Esports are Too Violent for Olympics

AlphaAtlas

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Back in July, the International Olympic Committee hosted a forum on esports, raising hopes that professional gaming could be an official part of the Olympic Games someday. But in an interview with AP, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said that esports are too "violent" for the Olympics at this time. Bach stated that the "killer" games popular in the esports community contradict Olympic values. Game publishers like Blizzard called for esports inclusion in the past, but how big publishers will respond to the Olympic Committee's call for nonviolence remains to be seen.


"Of course every combat sport has its origins in a real fight among people," he said. "But sport is the civilized expression about this. If you have egames where it's about killing somebody, this cannot be brought into line with our Olympic values."
 
"Sport is the civilized expression of this."

Doesn't this define video games to a tee? Instead of constantly fighting each other over land and going to war over petty reasons, we kill virtual representations of people instead.

Say it with me now:
VIDEO GAMES ARE NOT REAL

I don't think "esports" should be in the Olympics, either, but I disagree with the committee's reason for excluding them.
 
People who dont play games don't understand them. When you play a shooter you are not thinking I'm going to kill my enemies. You are simply exploiting the mechanics of a program the best you can to outscore the other players. No one thinks of it as killing someone. You would think that the olympic commitie which understands sport and competition would understand though the rules mimic violent acts in the real world the game is not about violence itself.

On the other hand I dont think eSports should be in the olympics, nor do I think they are sports. I really wish professional gaming would just die, worst thing for the hobby ever.
 
While you won't find me a supporter of e-sports in the Olympics, their reasoning sounds really screwed up. If memory serves, the original Olympics were basically a way for the different Grecian citystates to have competitions as a partial substitute for all out war. The competitions were also quite violent. If the current iteration of the Olympics is banning e-sports for being too violent the Olympic committee needs to rename the Olympics to something else or be labelled hypocrites.
 
While you won't find me a supporter of e-sports in the Olympics, their reasoning sounds really screwed up. If memory serves, the original Olympics were basically a way for the different Grecian citystates to have competitions as a partial substitute for all out war. The competitions were also quite violent. If the current iteration of the Olympics is banning e-sports for being too violent the Olympic committee needs to rename the Olympics to something else or be labelled hypocrites.

hahaha are you serious? that was gladiator shit not the Olympics.. the Olympic games were a religious event held in Olympia(thus the name) for Zeus.
 
I can imagine "The Onion" doing an article on training for esport Olympic games...
It's not real. It's not a "sport".
It's just a game. There is a difference.

That's like asking for tic tac toe.
 
I can imagine "The Onion" doing an article on training for esport Olympic games...
It's not real. It's not a "sport".
It's just a game. There is a difference.

That's like asking for tic tac toe.
Ha seriously, or checkers. Regardless of violence or whatever esports in the Olympics would be pretty sad.
 
Keep in mind these are the same sort of people who took the shooting out of the biathlon in favor of laser tag guns.

They're concerned about violence? Yeesh. They still have the shot put (originated from guys hucking cannon balls), javelin (yeah, that's a weapon of war) and fencing (duh), along with Judo and Taekwondo.
I don't think "esports" should be in the Olympics, either, but I disagree with the committee's reason for excluding them.
Agreed. For the same reason I wouldn't include Chess in the Olympics. The Olympics are about physical ability--strength, endurance, agility, speed.

There's another issue with esports, and that's the fact that esports are often so complex and so ridiculously fast-paced that they make for a lousy spectator sport to anyone who doesn't already understand all the nuances. I can explain soccer, basketball, or football to someone thoroughly enough in 60 seconds that they can enjoy watching it. I could probably do the same for something like Team Fortress 2. But League of Legends, where there are well over 100 characters, each with four abilities plus a passive, dozens or hundreds of items, and endless variations of runes, not to mention character-matchup-specific effects? Forget about it. When the entire game can turn on a player missing the timing of a cast by 20ms, it's awful hard for people to follow. Overwatch is similar--fantastic to play, but hard to watch unless you already know it really well.
 
the rules of these e-sports changes every few months with patches etc, and yet they want to make it an Olympic sport? it's complete nonsense, but entertained because of $$$
 
I don't think it should be in the Olympics either. But as to violence...Boxing is an Olympic sport I think getting beat in the head IRL is more violent than pixels shooting other pixels.
This was my first thought. Brain damage from boxing or a bit of carpal tunnel.
 
Shooting? Archery? Fencing?!? That's simulating real life or death combat.

I don't care about esports, but violence isn't a reason against it.
 
I am a big fan of esports. I don't see any reason for it to be included in the Olympics though. They could easily create a "esports world cup" or something similar.
 
I have no problem with eSports as an industry, I'd prefer a different name but it has no place in the Olympics. eSports brings money and attention to PC gaming I have no issue with that.
 
I'm still trying to wrap my head around the appeal of esports. I've been gamer since I was little, even tried to watch of a few esports events on twitch, barely lasted a minute and got bored. Not sure how these events sell out entire stadiums.


On the topic of Olympics. I can only imagine watching the coverage when they showcase the strict training of these 'atheletes' gaming all night drinking mountain dew.. haha
 
I'm still trying to wrap my head around the appeal of esports. I've been gamer since I was little, even tried to watch of a few esports events on twitch, barely lasted a minute and got bored. Not sure how these events sell out entire stadiums.


On the topic of Olympics. I can only imagine watching the coverage when they showcase the strict training of these 'atheletes' gaming all night drinking mountain dew.. haha
No different than watching people play sports.
 
I'm still trying to wrap my head around the appeal of esports. I've been gamer since I was little, even tried to watch of a few esports events on twitch, barely lasted a minute and got bored. Not sure how these events sell out entire stadiums.

To me the only way these are popular is if you actively play that particular game and know it well. Otherwise it just doesn't make any sense.

I like to see what is being played in HGC so I know how to draft and play it in Ranked.
 
Well...

https://www.businessinsider.com/pro...aining-regimen-they-use-to-stay-on-top-2015-5

It's pretty insane. 50 hours minimum a week playing one game...I don't think I could do that even in my hardcore gamer days as a kid.

Not really out of line with the training requirements for Olympic sports. One of the reasons sponsorship is so important. Otherwise the Olympic hopeful has to chose between spending time on training or working to pay for food, lodging and other expenses.
 
Watching someone run the hurdles is no different than watching someone sit with an xbox controller??
You are watching a screen and somebody is doing something. It does not matter what it is, unless big female boobs are involved. ;)
 
No different than watching people play sports.
Not really. A lot of games that are popular in "esports" are not very spectator friendly. They require intimate knowledge to even know what is going on most of the time. Coupled with horrible commentators who either have no social skills or knowledge of the game, themselves, it is a lot different.

For the most part, physical sports are easy to start watching and understand what is going on.
 
Not really. A lot of games that are popular in "esports" are not very spectator friendly. They require intimate knowledge to even know what is going on most of the time. Coupled with horrible commentators who either have no social skills or knowledge of the game, themselves, it is a lot different.

For the most part, physical sports are easy to start watching and understand what is going on.
Understanding yeah, but still does not change the fact that you are just watching a screen. Takes the same amount of energy.
 
No one dies playing video games, either.

In before Jacksonville references in a fallacious attempt to refute me.

Think you forgot about the people that play MMORPGs for days or weeks then die due to not eating or from a blood clot forming in their leg from sitting so long. Also the people that played Sword Art Online and died in the game after the hacker tied their physical body to the person in the game .... oh wait that last one isn't real.
 
50 hours a week is a long time to play a game?

I think I made it a few times putting in 25 hours a week on some games (that was games as in plural, multiple games spread out over those 25 hours). That was when I had no life, no job, no g/f, no cat, nothing. Now I have all of the aforementioned and am lucky to get maybe 4-5 hours of gaming in a week.

Yeah, 50 hours is nuts.
 
"Sport is the civilized expression of this."

Doesn't this define video games to a tee? Instead of constantly fighting each other over land and going to war over petty reasons, we kill virtual representations of people instead.

Say it with me now:
VIDEO GAMES ARE NOT REAL

I don't think "esports" should be in the Olympics, either, but I disagree with the committee's reason for excluding them.
They should at least have forza at the Olympics....
 
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