As the International Olympic Committee (IOC) attempts to embrace esports, it is struggling to understand what makes gaming competitions compelling. The governing body in charge of the Olympics is hosting an Olympic Esports Series in 2023, but the titles featured at the event will be quite different from League of Legends or Valorant.
The IOC announced the upcoming Esports Series on March 1. There will be nine games on display, and most of them are tied to sports that are part of the Summer Olympics. The full list of competitions is as follows: Archery, Baseball, Chess, Cycling, Dance, Motorsport, Sailing, Taekwondo, and Tennis.
With the exception of chess, none of the included esports have thriving competitive scenes. You won’t find a lot of Twitch streamers playing WBSC eBASEBALL™: POWER PROS, which will be the game of choice for the Esports Series’ baseball event. The absence of high-profile esports in the IOC’s lineup has led to widespread ridicule. Cloud9 was one of several gaming organizations that criticized the upcoming Series on social media.
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Fixed your esports for you @Olympics pic.twitter.com/XUE9JEVHgp
— Cloud9 (@Cloud9) March 1, 2023
Even if you put these omissions aside, there are still major problems with the games the IOC has selected for its Esports Series. PCGamer noted that Tic Tac Bow, which will be used for the archery event, has a rating of 1.9 stars out 5 on the Google Play Store. Another IOC-approved game, Tennis Clash, is full of “malicious and predatory” freemium mechanics.
In a statement provided to Digiday, an IOC rep said that the choice of games is meant to represent a “diverse programme” of competitions. The lineup was built in partnership with various International Federations, which facilitated partnerships between the IOC and developers.
“When considering these proposals, it is important to us that featured games align with the Olympic Values,” the rep said. “This includes participation inclusivity, such as technical barriers to entry, the gender split of player base and avoiding any personal violence, against the backdrop of the IOC’s mission which is to unite the world in peaceful competition.”
Given the titles the IOC has chosen, the Esports Series may be able to reach audiences in the parts of the world where mobile gaming is most popular. One such region is Southeast Asia, where the event will be held. Singapore will host the Series, which is set to run from June 22-25.
The IOC has dabbled in the world of esports, especially in Asia. A 2021 “Virtual Series,” which included multiple interactive competitions, was devised to build hype ahead of the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. As laid out in the Olympic Agenda 2020+5, these Series are also meant to “encourage the development of virtual sports” and “further engage with video gaming communities.”
If the governing body of the Olympic Games wants to ingratiate itself into the gaming world, it might want to showcase esports that generate hype all over the globe. Watching Faker’s League of Legends highlight reel is like watching Usain Bolt run the 100-meter dash. In both cases, unmatched competitors wow audiences with unmatched displays of skill. An “Esports Series” that lacks the presence of top-tier talent is unlikely to convince gamers that they should be paying attention to the Olympics.
If, despite these criticisms, you’re still curious about the Olympic Esports Series, you can learn more about the event by visiting the IOC’s official esports hub.
