Brandon Beck, co-founder of League Of Legends developer Riot Games, believes that gamers will, within his lifetime, line up alongside the finest athletes in the world at the Olympic Games.
Speaking to GI.biz at Gamescom, Beck said that his dream could only become a reality if the companies behind games played at high competitive levels gave them the infrastructure and support required to match the effort that players put into their games.
"We don't have our sights set on replacing soccer right now, but we definitely think that eSports [have] a place as a large, important, mainstream competitive activity," he said. "I fundamentally believe that eSports will be an Olympic event in my lifetime.
"It's important for companies to not just say they're excited about eSports, but to actually make commitments: from a development standpoint and from a financial standpoint. These players have to make a massive commitment to become pro athletes, so there has to be a viable career path for that to grow into anything."
Beck's chosen his words carefully, and with good reason: League Of Legends leads the charge in rewards for competitive players. The game's second season had a prize pool of some $5 million. Earlier this year Riot added a spectator mode to the game, so it's no surprise that Beck goes on to predict that "the innovation going forward in eSports is all going to be around the quality of broadcasts, the quality of live events, the quality of the leagues themselves."
It's a fascinating subject, and one we're keen to look into a little more deeply. Keep an eye on the site in the coming days.
Comments
12Not even in the remotest regions of fantasy is this a possibility.
They are games, not sports. Just because the term eSports has become popular as it's a useful term for distinguishing competitive playing of video games for other playing. Doesn't mean it changes the nature of the activity.
I don't say this disparagingly but it is a simple fact.
As such they have no place in the Olympics. If pool, darts, and chess etc haven't made it in, I really can't see eSports doing so.
I fully expect there will be a Olympic style event, but it won't be the Olympics.
Sorry but he's in fantasy land. Gaming isn't even a valid para-olympic sport. In fact a good rule is if you can do it while eating, it's not a sport.
I want whatever he's been smoking.
Deluded, silly man.
I'm pretty sure he's saying this just for coverage/exposure or whatever, no clown on earth believes fat dudes with fast fingers are going to end up on podiums with the national anthem playing behind them.
Speak for yourself. I'm a skinny man with slow fingers.....
Sounds like something a fast-fingered fatty would say.....
What's wrong with you people?! You sound like a bunch of 70 year old state officials.
If rifle shooting (lying half asleep on the floor pulling a trigger) can be an Olympic sport than so can be an intense eSport battle!
But I think the main focus must be with removing any sort of glitches from the software (like winning the world eSport title in Project Gotham 4 by using the guardrail to take faster corners). That and promoting a clean and fair competiton...you know, not taking pills etc...just like in the real Olympics ;)
I say go for it!!!
I would rather there be fewer olympic sports. Start by getting rid of anything involving a fucking horse.
The Olympics is for athletes.
Another problem with this idea is that nearly all competitive games are quite violent. Even if this idea weren't a pipe dream, it would probably be hard to sell the IOC and various sponsors and television channels on broadcasting a bunch of people from different countries delivering one another head shot after head shot.
You have any spare body fat I'll gladly take it of you.....;)