Exploring potential future relationships between sports and esports
“When will esports be part of the Olympics?”
is a question often asked by people desperate for approval from cultural authorities or from their parents.
The organisers today announced the Commonwealth Esports Championships, running in August alongside the main event.
And maybe it’ll lead to more esports?
This year’s event is in Birmingham, England.
And running alongside it, allied but quite separate, will be a Commonwealth Esports Championships.
It’s not clear where they’re pulling that from.
It would be quite funny if they mean, like, Zwift.
I think there’d be poetry in playing Sega’s Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games, too.
When will esports be part of the Commonwealth Games proper?
I don’t care.
I’m perfectly happy with esports continuing as its own thing in its own form.
I like sports and I like esports, but I see them as quite different in so many ways.
One of the key aspects for me is that esports go down in consumer products.
Throwing the two together does both a disservice.
It’s fine if they’re separate.
Insisting esports join ‘real’ sports always looks desperate, either for money or for validation.
My high school PE teacher was a bully too, but you gotta move on.
