Video games at the Olympics? A question that has shaken up since its appearance at the explosion of esports. While video game professionals now follow training similar to sports athletes, the arrival of video games on the program of the Olympic Games has been considered many times. As an appetizer, the International Olympic Committee has decided to set up the Olympic Esports Series. A competition whose games have recently been unveiled, a list that is struggling to convince.
just dance at the olympics
Next June, in Singapore, the Olympic Esports Series will take place. Exit League of Legends, CS:GO or Fortnite, the first nine games of the Olympic Esports Series have been unveiled. Titles that cover disciplines already visible at the Olympic Games, such as cycling, chess or even archery. A discipline absent from the Olympic Games nevertheless made its appearance: dance. But among the list of games, few are unanimous.
To start, participants of the Olympic Esports Series will be able to jiggle on Just Dance for dancing, or flex their brains with the Chess.com online chess game. follow Zwift (cycling), Grand Touring (for motorsport), Virtual Regatta (sail), WBSC eBaseball : Power Pros (baseball), Virtual Taekwondo (taekwondo), Tennis Clash (tennis) and Tic Tac Bow (archery). Titles for the most part unknown to the battalion which relate to unpopular disciplines. The democratization of disciplines by the video game, enough to arch some eyebrows.
The #OlympicEsportsSeries games lineup:
Archery
Baseball
Chess
Cycling
Dance
Motor sport
Sailing
Tennis
Taekwondo
The qualifying rounds have already started, for titles that are sometimes mobile. Accessible to as many people as possible, they aim above all to reach a younger audience with the aim of raising their awareness of sport. Despite everything, football is not represented, even though it is the most popular sport in the world and it could have brought great visibility to the event. In June, only the finals will be held, which you can follow live on the Olympics.com site.
However, esports as it is conceived by the committee is completely different from what the fervent defenders of the scene know today. Popular games, established for years, in which evolve teams with sometimes huge budgets, whose players follow training worthy of professional sports athletes. A difference in perception of the environment, let’s hope that the committee does not go straight into the wall with its decision.
a decision criticized
On Twitter, the announcement of the games caused a strong reaction from Internet users, in particular professionals from the current eSports scene:
This is so lame and an embarrassing disconnect with what esports actually is lmao
This is so pitiful and an embarrassing disconnect from what esports really is
Are the esports in the room with us right now?
Is esports in the room with us right now?
Whats the point of having esports at the olympics of sports that already exist? The point should be to highlight excellence in established gaming scenes and allowing it to become accessible to more mainstream audiences
What is the point of having esports in the Olympics of sports that already exist? The goal should be to highlight the excellence of established gaming scenes and allow them to become accessible to a more mainstream audience.
Ah yes sailing, the famous esports
Ah yes sailing, the famous esport
Another banger of a decision by random consultants with absolutely 0 insights to what Esports is. I thought IESF was living in their own private bubble of 20 people but this takes the prize
Another big decision made by random consultants who have absolutely no idea what esports is. I thought the IESF lived in its own private bubble of 20 people, but this decision takes the cake.
Nevertheless, it is possible that tenors of the competitive esports scene will appear later. And for good reason, the finals of its Olympic Esports Series are only part of the festivities. It remains to be seen whether the rest of the announcements will manage to satisfy the most interested.
On your side, how do you find this choice of the Olympic Esports Series? Do you think the games have been selected correctly? Feel free to respond to us via the comment section below.
