The UK government announced last week its decision to support a monumental eSporting event in Rio this summer. It is no coincidence that this event will be happening in Rio while the Summer Olympics are also taking place. According to BBC, a new eGames international gaming tournament will makes its debut and feature teams from Britain, Canada, Brazil, and the United States. The event will be similar to the Olympics, in that winners will be playing for medals and the honor of representing their countries on the biggest stage in eSports. The eGames are being run by the International eGames Committee (IEGC), which was newly formed and seeks to mirror the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The IEGC is confident that the eGames will be successful, particularly because players will be competing to honor their respective countries. Chester King, the chief marketing officer of the IEGC, iterated “In line with other globally established sporting events, the eGames will be a medal only competition, with no prize money, but the opportunity to take home gold for your country.” The UK government is supportive of the opportunity to send eTeam GB to compete and represent the country. Ed Vaizey, Minister for Culture of the UK, said “The eGames promises to be an exciting venture that will give eSports competitors across the UK even more opportunities to showcase their talents on an international stage.”
According to Wired in the UK, the eGames will be set up with each country having a national squad of gamers, who must be at least 18 years old and can play on both team and individual games. During non-Olympic years, National Qualifiers will be held in each country to determine the representatives. Teams have been specified to include males and females. Events for the eGames will begin at the conclusion of the Olympics, and will take place in the Olympic arenas. The 2016 eGames will be a two-day pop up showcase event this summer. The future of the eGames will coincide with the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang 2018, and the Summer Olympics in Tokyo 2020.
The idea of the eGames becoming its own Olympic style games is an excellent way of gaining international exposure for eSports. The Olympics is the most widely viewed sporting event in the world. 3.6 Billion people watched the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and 3.5 Billion people watched the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. By promoting an international competition for nationwide pride, the eGames adds legitimacy to eSports. Normally, eSports are played for large cash prizes. Now, eSports can claim to be played not only for cash, but also for pride. Traditional sports, particularly the Olympic sports, pride themselves on athletes competing on the idea of amateurism. With the booming growth of eSports, and companies such as Yahoo, and ESPN, taking notice, it seems evident that the first annual eGames will have a huge opportunity to be successful.
