Video game competitions should be in the Olympics
The hottest sports ticket in Asia-Pacific right now isn't for a soccer match, an NBA exhibition game or even a swim meet. It's for the medal event debut of competitive video gaming, or esports. The milestone moment is taking place at the quadrennial Asian Games — sometimes referred to as an “Asian Olympics.” Leading up to this week's games, at least 5 million people applied for the right to buy a pricey ticket to the futuristic purpose-built esports arena in Hangzhou, China, the host city. No other event, from basketball to table tennis, had near the demand, much less a ticket lottery.
But so far, the Olympics, the world's preeminent sporting competition, has no intention of following Asia's lead. That's a mistake. With hundreds of millions of fans and players, esports can bring a desperately needed infusion of youth, cultural relevance and money to the lagging and scandal-plagued Olympics.
Esports, which requires a high level of critical thinking, quick decision making and coordination, is already among the world's most popular competitive activities. Last year, the global audience totaled more than 500 million people. More than half of that amount was watching — not playing — competitive gaming online or on TV at least twice a month. The 2022 League of Legends World Championship, one of the world's biggest tournaments, had 5.1 million viewers during peak times; by comparison, ESPN had a record-breaking 3.4 million viewers for the 2023 women's US Open tennis final a few weeks ago.
It's not just Asia where esports are popular, either. The US, home to developers responsible for some of the world's most popular games, has also produced top players (though they are not eligible to appear at the Asian Games).
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