VIRESA’s Post

The recent announcement by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of the official launch of the Olympic Esports Games starting in 2025 has opened up several possibilities. I would like to add some thoughts on this announcement, particularly regarding the future scenarios that could develop. Although there is talk of a potential enhancement, direct or indirect, of the international status of all activities involving video game competitions, there are realistic chances that the proposed path may not effectively include esports as a sporting activity to the extent one might expect. By organizing a separate event, esports have effectively been relegated to a category distinct from "classic" sports, which is not the case in Asia, where esports have been part of the Asian Games since 2023. This choice is driven by the desire to gather the broadest possible support within the National Olympic Committees, which indeed voted unanimously for the establishment of the Olympic Esports Games as a separate event. This decision might not be crucial in itself, but following the results of the Olympic Virtual Series (which later became the Olympic Esports Series), the growth might not meet many expectations. On one hand, this is due to a deliberate choice, given the internal IOC faction that has always opposed the inclusion of video games as a sport. On the other hand, it is due to the limitations that the IOC itself will impose on managing competitions, considering the numerous warnings over the years regarding "violent" video games. Another significant factor will be the games themselves. Game developers will need to decide whether to include their IPs in the Olympic Esports Games. We must acknowledge that many games, due to their violent content, do not adhere to the fundamental principles of the Olympic Games and, therefore, cannot be included, at least in the immediate future. There could certainly be "sporting versions" of certain games, but the general public will still have access to the "normal" versions. Having different versions and being unable to include all the games used in competitions in a single event opens the possibility of having various esports circuits outside of the Olympic Esports Games, potentially attracting more followers than the Olympic Esports Games themselves, as is the case with some sports. Another possible scenario is the establishment of a non-sporting (super) Federation dedicated to esports that regulates the entire sector, supported and promoted by the developers themselves. With the announcement of the officialization of the Olympic Esports Games, we are witnessing a pivotal change that could bring new awareness to the entire sector and serve as a benchmark for esports competitions worldwide. This may not mark the end of a "non-sporting" path but could instead accelerate the creation of new organizations. #esports #sport #IOC #OEG #Gaming #VideoGames #CompetitiveGaming #GamingIndustry 

The International Olympic Committee – IOC has announced the launch of the Olympic Esports Games in 2025 in partnership with the Saudi National Olympic Committee. This 12-year partnership aims to establish the Olympic Esports Games as a regular event, with the announcement coming during the inaugural Esports World Cup currently taking place in Saudi Arabia. A couple of interesting points:    •   The IOC plans to collaborate primarily with International Federations already engaged in e-versions of their sports.    •   A new dedicated structure within the IOC will be created, separate from the traditional Olympic Games’ financial and organizational model. This initiative marks a significant step for the recognition of esports, but it raises several important questions:    •   How will the IOC balance the appeal of established esports titles with their desire for sports-based IPs? The announcement seems to overlook the core of what makes esports popular—the games themselves.    •   What does creating a separate financial and organizational structure mean for the support and management of these Games? Does this imply the Esports World Cup will be rebranded with Olympic rings, or is there more substantial IOC involvement?    •   How will athlete selection and commercialization be managed? Will the IOC handle these aspects, or will they be delegated to other entities? The IOC’s approach seems to embody a “Field of Dreams” mindset—“build it and they will come.” However, understanding and integrating what truly makes esports popular will be crucial for its success. This represents a potential boon for esports, but there are more questions than answers at this stage. It will be interesting to see how the IOC navigates these challenges. https://lnkd.in/erAEv_cf

Olympic Esports to Become Standalone Event Like the Winter Olympics. I was thrilled to see the Olympic Esports is moving forward, but I have to say, the list of games could be much better! While I understand they need to start somewhere, some of the chosen games are very questionable. I hope they refine the list and include more relevant esports titles to attract a larger online audience. An expert advisor would be beneficial to ensure the selection appeals to esports fans. A Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) should be top of the list as that is filling stadiums already, DOTA 2 & LOL at the least! Including top-tier esports games, the Olympic Esports can attract a broad audience and establish itself as a premier event in the esports calendar. The games they have chosen are not ESports so this event could be catastrophic, like some kind of hellish cringey E3 on steroids. For instance, Gran Turismo is a decent choice, but Sim Racing is where the real excitement lies. Top drivers like Max Verstappen use Sim Racing for training, and there's a good chance you might have virtually raced against an F1 driver if you're playing Sim Racing. I do think including Chess is a fantastic idea, as it will attract a significant audience. To make this Olympic event more appealing and organized, I would suggest breaking it down into games with an estabished popularity, competitive scene and global reach. Here are some top contenders across various genres. First-Person Shooter (FPS).... Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS) Valorant Overwatch 2 Rainbow Six Siege Call of Duty: Warzone Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA).... League of Legends Dota 2 Battle Royale.... Fortnite PUBG Apex Legends Fighting Games.... Street Fighter V Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 11 Sports Simulations.... FIFA NBA 2K Strategy and Board Games.... Hearthstone StarCraft II Clash Royale Chess (Digital) Racing Games.... Rocket League Gran Turismo

🏅 Let the Games Begin! 🏅 #Esports is on its way to becoming an Olympic sport! The IOC announced the Olympic Esports Games (OEG), debuting in 2025 in Saudi Arabia. However, the OEG will not be tied to the Olympic Games, with a new structure and approach for financing and organizing these events. In our latest newsletter, we explore: 🔹 The relationship between the OEG and the Olympics 🔹 Potential for esports in future Olympics 🔹 IOC's history with gaming Check it out for more insights on this exciting development! 🌟 #Esports #Olympics #GamingIndustry #Konvoy Read more: https://lnkd.in/gzzPKE3P

Today's thought: With Olympics fever spreading across the world from #Paris2024, a new era of sports is just about to begin: The first ever Olympic Esports Games will be hosted by Saudi Arabia in 2025. As Mario Ho of Ninjas in Pyjamas puts it: "...with that, you'll start to see local governments, you'll see big companies pouring in further investments to build up esports ecosystems because now they have to send their athletes to the Olympics." This is big news for games companies financially, as they make the games that the cyberathletes play, putting the industry in focus for all the right reasons. What do you think, is playing video games a sport? 🎮 🇸🇦 🥇

The Japan Esports Union has officially joined the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) as an associate member! This milestone, approved on June 11, paves the way for Japanese esports teams to compete internationally until March 31, 2027. A recent Jiji Press poll shows over 40% of younger Japanese believe esports will become an Olympic sport. The IOC's new Olympic Esports Games, debuting next year in Saudi Arabia, further underscores this trend. Will Japan take as many medals in esports as they did in the France 2024 Olympics? Should esports be in the Olympics? #Esports #JapanEsports #Gaming #Innovation #Olympics Original article: https://lnkd.in/giypW-t7 https://lnkd.in/gdBQm5qW https://lnkd.in/gf2MnsGQ

The International Olympic Committee has just taken a breakthrough decision by voting in favor of the creation of the Olympic Games of Esports. This pioneering event will take place over the next twelve years, with regular events planned during this period. While full details are not yet known, some key points have already been identified: ❓ Which video games will be contested? ❓ What are the conditions for participation? ❓ What determines whether a video game qualifies as a sport? These questions remain unanswered for now, but the first crucial information is already known: the inaugural Esports Olympics will take place in 2025 in Saudi Arabia. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dQmafWni

A long waited transformational piece of news have finally been unlocked! The International Olympic Committee – IOC, have just announced that the IOC Executive Board proposed the creation of the “Olympic Esports Games” for the vote of the 142nd IOC Session, which will be held during the Olympic Games Paris 2024. This is a unique moment in time where the two worlds of traditional sports and esports finally merged and a incredible journey for one of the lead sports governing bodies worldwide. Many congratulations to Vincent PEREIRA and all his team but also to all the men and women that for decades have contributed to create this momentum, from the pioneers of esports like my dear friend Ralf Reichert, to the publishers and to other governing bodies like FIFA that have opened the way for traditional sports to understand the power of esports. For many years both communities were kind of wary of each other and couldn’t understand the learnings and the opportunity to learn, experiment and test diferent experiences, different communities and different rules of engagement. It took courage, it took commitment a nd resilience and it took capabilities to respect and understand each other. This merge is a incubator of change that allows both worlds to growth, to thrive and to create better base to growth for both. As I say many times, both ecosystems can and will learn a lot with each other and we can’t miss this opportunity of changing both ecosystems for better. In a time where esports is taking the traditional event and governance models from traditional sports into its own realm, with new exciting opportunities like the Esports World Cup Foundation , is fundamental that traditional sports can use this time and place to destroy stigmas and test its future relevance with younger communities. Maybe a good starting point is to test the concept that GEN-Z and below don’t like and can’t engage for the 90 minutes. Maybe something as simple as going to a top esports event can provide an answer to that … For the pioneers like my friend Ralf I m sure he would love to be 19 again and conquer a Olympic esports gold medal for Germany. It is still time to comeback and is time to say thank you to Ralf and other pioneers that brought the foundations for this to happen. Exciting times ahead

Many categories of products are no stranger to esports & gaming sponsorships, and gaming chairs are certainly not one of them. Dmytro Murko of Esports Charts & Streams Charts broke down insights into gaming chair representation in esports tournaments: 1️⃣ Razer Inc. - 35.6% 2️⃣ Secretlab - 26.1% 3️⃣ Herman Miller - 7.1% 4️⃣ TGIF, EUREKA ERGONOMIC®, AutoFull Gaming Chair - 4.8% 5️⃣ MAXNOMIC, Mavix Chairs, Haworth, DXRacer USA, Arena, Aorus, AndaSeat - 2.4% For reference, this is for LAN tournaments in 2023 with prize pools of $300K and above. The article mentioned how Razer’s representation was bolstered by the Gamers8 tournament in Saudi Arabia, as well as the CS Asia Championships 2023. Secretlab seems to be a popular chair among teams as well as tournament organizers, with multiple esports covered like Counter-Strike, Dota 2, LoL, ML:BB, VALORANT, Overwatch, and others. Interesting to see if this will change more in the future. As a Counter-Strike esports fan, DXRacer and Maxnomic were big sponsors of esports tournaments in the past however it seems as those brands have diminished their sponsorship presence. Follow #MoreMark for #Business content in #Gaming, #Esports, and #Creators!

One of the first discussions when I started studying Esports, was the question about videogames not being "public domain". I mean: they belong to a publisher and they are the martketing tool of some videogames. Any person in the world with a ball can play football or basketball in a park, and no one can claim they are violating their IP. However, esports are about videogames that are owned by a publisher. You are free to play them, but you have to register in the publisher site and sometimes that publisher asks you to install a kind of program to monitor your activity (anticheating, they call it). Still, you can join your friends in the "virtual park" that is internet and play a game or two, just for fun. What is the real difference? IP and ownership. Olympic Games are for the brotherhood of the countries, and sports themselves don't belong to anyone. Will the Olympic Esports Games be able to break down the wall of being a competition based on a comercial product and become the netx generations bonding brotherhoods? Are the countries ready to jump into the creation of national Esports teams representing them? I think they can. What do you think?