One of the biggest ways that video games have evolved over the decades is their appeal in the eyes of the world at large. At one time, they were nothing more than toys, or something to distract you for a few minutes until you ran out of quarters. But now, things have grown way beyond that. Games are now heralded at times for being cinematic masterpieces, and in the eSports realm, they’re now a way for gamers to make money for their skills. And with groups like the Overwatch League, the sky is truly the limit on what’s next.
Apparently, that might include the Olympics. How so? Well, a special summit is going to be held soon in Switzerland, one where eSports players, as well as certain game industry leaders, will be making their case for eSports to be included into the Olympics on some level. Some of the people going include players from the Overwatch League.
To be clear, a “deal” for this to happen isn’t in place, this is a summit to discuss the possibility, and nothing more. However, it could be viewed as a major first step in eSports becoming a part of the Olympic Games, and that would be a huge victory for gaming.
Another thing to note is that should this happen, the first games to likely get the eSports event would be the Paris games in 2024. And as the head of IOC noted when asked about this, there are certain things that would need to happen before this is approved:
“For esports to be included in the Olympic program, first of all, we would have to deal with a single, recognized federation or body that represented the whole of the esports community, the same way we deal with FIFA for football, the IAAF for athletics, and so on.”
But hey, if it does happen? That’d be pretty awesome.
