The president of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach strictly excludes video games from the Olympic Games. eSports would have no place in the Olympics unless things change. However, the committee’s arguments are outdated and weak, believes our eSports expert Benedict.
In July, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) came together to debate whether eSports should be included in the Olympic Games. The outcome was the “Esports Liaison Group,” which is supposed to mediate between the Olympics and eSports. However, the IOC president is now initially excluding video games.
It tastes best when reheated: The debate about violent video games
The president of the committee Thomas Bach now speaks in an interview about eSports, video games, and the Olympic Games. He makes it clear that video games do not fit into the Olympics; they contradict its values.
In the lines presented from pcgamer and apnews, Bach only refers to “violent video games.” Sure, Counter Strike and Overwatch are major eSports titles, the Battle Royale genre is on the rise, and weapons are a main component in all of them.
“Shooting games” are simply more action-packed and popular to watch than many other games. But gaming and eSports are much more than mindless slaughter.
“Video games” are not the same as violent games
The most successful games are actually MOBAs and strategy games. The top 5 games where players earn the most are according to esportsearnings Dota2, CS:GO, League of Legends, StarCraft II, and Heroes of the Storm. (As of September 5, 2018, 1:15 PM)
Directly behind, at number 6, lies Hearthstone. And to be honest, in all these games it is about hitting an opponent – with spells, cards, or something else. But violence is certainly not the focus.
Apart from Counter Strike, there is not a single shooting game on the list. Anyone talking about “violent games” here simply has no idea about the subject and is leading an outdated, obsolete discussion.
The viewer numbers speak for themselves. According to data from sullygnome (As of September 5, 2018, 1:15 PM), the most viewed games on Twitch in the last 365 days worldwide across all languages are:
- 1st place: Fortnite
- 2nd place: League of Legends
- 3rd place: PUBG
- 4th place: Dota 2
- 5th place: IRL
- 6th place: Hearthstone
In only one third of these games are weapons the focus of the game …
Discrimination and violence in games
Bach states directly: “We cannot have a game in the Olympic Program that promotes violence and discrimination. So-called violent games. These, from our perspective, contradict the Olympic values and therefore cannot be accepted.”
It is the committee’s responsibility to exclude disciplines where something is killed, even if only virtually. This is a matter of ethics. However, it is not entirely clear whether Bach is referring to the act of killing in a game, or to the focus on combat and weapons.
What is the problem: weapons or killing? If killing is a problem, there are many games where no virtual people are killed: Hearthstone, Splatoon, even Fortnite, where players are just knocked out. In the case of a focus on weapons, there are also games that do not have that, like Dota 2, FIFA, or Hearthstone.
For some disciplines that are already Olympic, however, Bach’s criticism apparently does not apply. Archery and sports shooting are already sports that involve the use of weapons, and Olympic fencing simulates a deadly hit to determine the winner.
And whether a mouse click or a fist punch promotes more “violence” can be debated.
Games include, they do not discriminate: What Bach means by promoting discrimination is also unclear to me. I myself have been a gamer for over 15 years, and I don’t care if my fellow players are women, have a different skin color, or disabilities. What matters to me is how well they play.
Video games themselves do not differentiate who plays. They simply react to the input and are therefore even more open to more players than traditional sports could be.
Especially for players with disabilities, there are opportunities. There are controllers for players with disabilities to also be able to play. Video games even allow people who are paralyzed to participate.
Are we uncivilized?
Bach takes it a step further. After all, he admits that some Olympic sports are actually fights in themselves. Boxing, wrestling, judo, and hockey are such examples.
Martial arts are civilized: Bach says about these: “Of course, every martial art has its origins in real combat between humans. But sport is the civilized expression of that. If we have e-games in which killing is involved, that cannot be reconciled with the Olympic values.”
This sounds as if Bach is suggesting that sports, in general, are civilized, but gaming, or violent games in particular, are not. Why else would he specifically state that video games contradict Olympic values, but martial arts do not?
eSports and games also represent values: Video games also embody a unique ethics that affects players even more than traditional sports:
- Team spirit: Team spirit is one of the most important aspects for many eSports disciplines. Teams train for months in their own training houses and have to rely on each other to win.
- Fairness: One of the biggest moral aspects that gaming teaches is fairness. Anyone who cheats in a video game finds it hard to regain friends there. “Cheaters” are not liked by anyone.
- Sportsmanship: If you look at the Overwatch League alone, it is already clear that professional gamers possess a strong sense of sportsmanship. After each match, hands are shaken, former team members are even hugged when they are defeated. Absolute “shit-talk” is rather an exception and often just not serious fun.
It is questionable from which values Bach is speaking when he invokes the “Olympic values.” There are hardly any moral or ethical values found in traditional sports or in Olympic disciplines in particular that gaming does not also cover.
Olympics misses an opportunity
eSports is a growing industry, and interest in video games is steadily increasing among the younger generation. In popular games like Fortnite even 13-year-olds are becoming professionals.
The head of Logitech already stated in an interview with Business Insider: “eSports will be the largest sport in the world – bigger than soccer.” This may take a while, but the trend is definitely recognizable. Events like the Overwatch League are already being broadcast on television.
Currently, it is still early enough to get involved in eSports and become one of the go-to places for the future. The IOC might miss this opportunity with their president’s decision.
Bach demands that the games adapt to Olympic values. Whether and when that will happen, or whether video games even need that, time will tell.
It is exhausting
I have been working as an author and journalist for video games and eSports in particular for some time now. The reasons for rejecting eSports as “real sports” have since remained the same, with minor alternations in wording here and there.
It shows that those responsible for larger events, like here in the Olympic Games, have no idea what they are actually criticizing. It also shows that they have no interest in dealing with eSports.
I am slowly losing interest in having “my sport” aligned with traditional sports. I am tired of the discussions from people who come with the same arguments over and over again and showing their ignorance, even managing to take a jab at gamers themselves here.
Therefore, I share the opinion of SPD politician Lars Klingbeil: eSports does not need the Olympics – the Olympics need eSports.
For gamers, there are also their own events with which they can have fun, such as the esports Summer 2018 from Unitymedia.
