Should Video Games Be An Olympic Event?

The Olympic games are home to some pretty diverse sports, but they all have something to do with some kind of physical activity – in other words, athletes have to train for months and years and follow a strict regimen before they’re ready to compete in the games. A person doesn’t just one day decide they want to compete in the games and sign up to participate. At least that’s how it is now, but in the future, who knows? The former Chief Creative Officer of Blizzard Entertainment has revealed he thinks video games should be a part of the Olympic Games; specifically, he’d like to see the day when e-sports are classified as an actual Olympic event.

Here is his reasoning in his own words: “I think the way that you look at e-sports is that it’s a very competitive skillset and you look at these professional gamers and the reflexes are lightning quick and they’re having to make very quick decisions on the fly…” He goes on to elaborate, “…If you want to define sport as something that takes a lot of physical exertion, then it’s hard to argue that video games should be a sport, but at the same time, when I’m looking at things that are already in the Olympics, I start questioning the definition.”

He goes on to state that video games have increasingly become more and more of a spectator event – meaning that people enjoy watching others play them. Would that translate well in the Olympics? Time will only tell, but we probably shouldn’t get our hopes up that they’ll be included any time soon; it turns out getting new Olympic events into the Games isn’t all that easy to do.

What do you think? Should video games be an event in the Olympics? Let us know in the comments section below!

[Image via Hemsie]

SOURCE: BBC