Skateboarding and surfing were among the new sports introduced at the Tokyo Olympics. Why not add esports to the list? It is worth considering adding esports to the Olympics because of its popularity and growth. It’s also important for it to be recognized on a large scale. According to a recent article by “The Economist”, esports is “bigger than football”, and its viewership reached 134 million people worldwide in 2016, with 5.5 billion hours of online video viewed. The potential to engage the young generation is also immense, with many young people flocking to esports tournaments. If esports were recognized, it would attract the attention of more viewers.
However, there are arguments against recognizing esports in the Olympics. It is said that esports is not a “real” sport because it lacks proper rules and regulations. Some also say that it is violent, especially in scenes where players are shooting at each other. Esports indeed lacks rules, but the nature of competition does not necessarily mean it’s violent either. That said, I believe the point of recognition cannot be about whether esports is “real” or not, but rather why it should not be recognized.
There are examples of games that have developed rules and regulations through discussions between “participants”. Through this process, competitions have developed into various sports that are often regarded as real sports. Also, while some may think esports is violent, it can be considered a game that promotes fair play and sportsmanship. The game’s competitiveness comes from using teamwork.
The main point of recognition should be to let the youth enjoy esports. The Olympics was created to give the youth opportunities to gain experience that will make them useful community members when they grow up. Esports provides this opportunity by allowing young people to participate in competitions to compete with their peers and achieve success through teamwork. The Olympics was created in the midst of modern society, which requires people to use teamwork for their success. This is the ability the Olympic Games were created with. If esports becomes recognized, it can help fill this need for teamwork required in today’s society.
As esports becomes more popular, especially among younger generations, recognition is also becoming more important. It would be a shame for this opportunity to pass by due to political boundaries or other reasons. Recognition of esports will allow more people to participate in competitions and overcome unique obstacles to particular games. There is no doubt that esports has the potential to become recognized as a real sport if it is given its proper stage in society. It is given its proper stage in society.
