The 100-meter dash, the discus throw ... Unreal Tournament? It could happen, and Ted Owens of the Global Gaming League is pushing to get competitive gaming into the XXIX Olympiad, set to take place in Beijing in 2008. Owens is hoping that China -- a country where gaming, a billion-dollar industry locally, is embedded into the culture -- will be open to adding the event. While the Chinese government is being encouraging, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is less than thrilled at the idea of putting a demonstration sport into the Olympics. However, there are many reasons they should rethink their position:
- Ratings: The television audience for the Olympics has been declining for some time now, and was hit hard this February. Meanwhile, competitive gaming is moving into the spotlight, with USA Network picking up Major League Gaming tournaments as hour-long TV specials.
- Conflict of Interest: While it's easy for the IOC to look down on gaming for health reasons, they certainly don't mind profiting from the industry. As Ed Hula, editor and founder of Around the Rings, stated, "[Lobbying for] video gaming would be like asking the IOC to approve power smoking." But while the Olympics do not sell endorsed cigarettes, they certainly license video games, and Sega paid a pretty penny for the rights to release Beijing 2008 titles for every system in existence.
[update 1: fixed a typo. Let the post-hating continue!]
[update 2: fixed one more typo, 'cos I'm cool like that.]
