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Competetive gaming at the Olympics

monke

monke

macrumors 65816
Original poster
May 30, 2005
1,437
3
Link​

Owen, who runs
the Global Gaming League (GGL), a media company focused on the lifestyle and culture of gaming, is currently talking with the Chinese government in hopes of bringing competitive video gaming to the 2008 Games as a demonstration sport.
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What do you think of video games at the Olympics?

If I had the choice? No way, the Olympics aren't about video games, they are made for countries to compete physically. Go hold a tournament if you want but putting competetive gaming in the olympics would ruin them.

Exactly how do they expect to draw more people in? Do they think that 100,000 more people are going to watch the games just to see a bunch of coach potatoes play Halo for multiple hours on end. Better think of something else.
 
iNeedtoSwitch said:
Link​



What do you think of video games at the Olympics?

If I had the choice? No way, the Olympics aren't about video games, they are made for countries to compete physically. Go hold a tournament if you want but putting competetive gaming in the olympics would ruin them.

Exactly how do they expect to draw more people in? Do they think that 100,000 more people are going to watch the games just to see a bunch of coach potatoes play Halo for multiple hours on end. Better think of something else.
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This is pure lunacy. I think I'd rather see paintball in the Olympics over video games, but at least paintball bears some resemblance to sport. Then again, the Olympics have gone so far from for what they are supposed to stand, so I wouldn't be surprised if they found enough corporate money to throw at this to make it happen.
 
Originally, (in ancient Greece from 776 BC to AD 393) the Olympic Games included athletic, literary, and musical competitions.

Therefore, according to tradition, the Olympics were not just for sporting events, but rather a variety of different talents. I would like to see other events involving other talents held at the Olympics, but I'm not sure video games should be one of them.
 
miloblithe said:
Chess has never been part of the Olympic games. Video games shouldn't be either.
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I was about to say that exactly. I mean, I love video games, but I in no way would even consider the idea that they ought to be in the olympics...
 
oh yeah, let's put the idea into children's heads that "hey, if you sit on your fat @$$ playing video games all day then you, one day can be in the olympics!"

I can certainly respect video gaming as a skill, heck I'm surprised there isn't a world of videogames thing like poker right now. I can see people making money competing at video games, but please, let's keep it out of the olympics. What's next, competitive photo retouching at the olympic level?
 
It's marketing.
I very rarely watch the Olympics any more... ever since they started doing endless up-close-and-personals, then would show 3 100-yard dashes in a freaking hour. But to answer your original question: I don't give a rats ass what's in the Olympics. They are dead to me. Life is too short for plopping one's ass down in a Barca-Lounger and watching an endless string of commercials. I would love to live in Europe, where EVERY event, no matter how "un-newsworthy" is shown without commercials.
Maybe then I would care about inclusion of various events.
 
Great idea, now those who compete in the Special Olympics will actually be better athletes than these sofa spuds.

I guess this can be sponsored by McD's with an Bronze/Silver/Gold McFry award.

Of course there will always be some athletes that will cheat and dash over to the competition.

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No way, the Olympics are about physical sport. If they were going to add sports other physical ones they should add card games instead of video games.

I still think the Olympics should just be about athletic sports though.
 
wow, there's no way that that's going to work. and if by some freak chance it does, then the world has some serious problems. it would take out all of the prestige of the olympics. a gold medal would be worthless if couchpotato pat got one.
 
killuminati said:
No way, the Olympics are about physical sport. If they were going to add sports other physical ones they should add card games instead of video games.

I still think the Olympics should just be about athletic sports though.
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Well Baseball was eliminated from the olympics but table tennis was added.:rolleyes: How is there more sport in table tennis then Baseball.:eek:
 
MacNut said:
Well Baseball was eliminated from the olympics but table tennis was added.:rolleyes: How is there more sport in table tennis then Baseball.:eek:
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When baseball eliminated? Thinking back on it, I can't remember watching olympic baseball but I always assumed it was there.

And I don't think table tennis should be there, if they're gonna have that they might as well also add foosball. :rolleyes:
 
CorvusCamenarum said:
It's a recognized sport along with others only. I wouldn't really call it a sport though. I play chess and don't consider myself an "athlete" per se.
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This is similar to a discussion I have had several times with friends - what is the difference between a game and a sport. Personally I would class chess as a game, and it is my impression that the Olympic Games would contain only sports. As you point out, a sport would seem to imply a certain level of physical skill or activity, whereas a game would generally involve a more intellectual/mental approach.

Instinctively, I would class computer games as, well, games and would not have thought they should be represented at the Olympics. However, games undeniably involve a high degree of hand/eye coordination, so an argument could be made for them being a sport, but I still think it is a daft idea.
 
Kernow said:
This is similar to a discussion I have had several times with friends - what is the difference between a game and a sport. Personally I would class chess as a game, and it is my impression that the Olympic Games would contain only sports. As you point out, a sport would seem to imply a certain level of physical skill or activity, whereas a game would generally involve a more intellectual/mental approach.

Instinctively, I would class computer games as, well, games and would not have thought they should be represented at the Olympics. However, games undeniably involve a high degree of hand/eye coordination, so an argument could be made for them being a sport, but I still think it is a daft idea.
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I remember seeing a television program once where some smarmy teenager actually said with a straight face that people who play video games are athletes. If memory serves, he was interviewed on the couch with several of his friends, the smallest of whom was significantly larger than myself (6'1" and 255 pounds). I still laugh at that.

It's hard to tell where to draw the line between game and sport. As I said earlier, I don't consider myself an athlete for playing chess. Nor do I for bowling, even though a better case can be made for bowling being a "sport" as opposed to a "game".

The only thing I can possibly posit offhand is that a for a game to be a sport, it requires 1) the use of the entire body and 2) direct competition at the human level. Video games satisfy neither component.
 
Heck yeah I want video games in the olympics. If they have a retro-gaming event with street fighter 2, I am assured of the gold. Noone can withstand the power of Ryu. I may have been training for the olympics all these years and never even knew it. Maybe instead of the national anthem I'll have them play We are the champions.:cool:
 
killuminati said:
And I don't think table tennis should be there, if they're gonna have that they might as well also add foosball. :rolleyes:
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Have you ever watched professional table tennis? It's literally like tennis, played with smaller equipment, and more diving/lunging over barriers.
 
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