When the Olympics 2024 commenced last week there was one thing missing, the electronic sports (Esports). They are a form of competition that uses video games.
Esports often takes the form of organised, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, played individually or as teams
There’s already a community of active Esports players in South Africa and across the world. History was made last week when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to create Olympic Esports Games. The first edition will be held in 2025 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The 142nd IOC Session in Paris endorsed the proposal by the IOC Executive Board (EB) unanimously. For the organisation of the Games, the IOC has partnered with the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Saudi Arabia for 12 years. This comes after an organisation of the Olympic Esports Week in Singapore in 2023. As a result of the success of this event, the IOC President asked the IOC Esports Commission at the 141st IOC Session in Mumbai, India, in October 2023 to study the creation of the Olympic Esports Games. The Commission, under the leadership of IOC Member David Lappartient, devised a project which addresses the interest of the esports community while respecting the Olympic values. This is a good move by IOC leaders which should be embraced by all.
Lately, we’ve seen a backlash against gaming by parents who misunderstood this new trend in sports. While the concern about the negative impact of video games is understandable, little has been done to assist young people to be balanced.
Recently, I have noted that when it comes to the impact of technology on society there’s little scientifically proven information about its impact. It has also been noted that there’s a tendency to focus on negative aspects of its impact. Here’s an example: Recently, academics from the Stellenbosch University have indicated that although there's a slight yet meaningful positive link between anxiety and depression in adolescents and the time they spent on social media as well as their engagement on different platforms, the jury is still out on whether social media is to blame for the current mental health crisis among young people. In a study published recently in the medical journal JAMA Pediatrics, researchers from Cambridge University and Stellenbosch University (SU) cautioned against making reliable conclusions about the relationship between social media use and mental health.
Although this study has not necessarily focused on video games it does illustrate the need to avoid assumptions about new technologies and their impact on societies.
The reality is that anything that we use has negative and positive consequences which highlights the need to advocate for balance. The recent decision by the IOC committee should be considered when deciding the extent to which young people can use mobile phones. It should be considered especially by entities that are planning bans on mobile phones amongst young people. It is my view that instead of a complete ban there’s a need for better managed use of such devices to avoid limiting young people.
As Olympics of the future will include Esports (gaming) the time is now to get all schools to introduce young people to gaming. There’s no doubt in mind there’s a bright future for gamers. In addition to just Esports, there’s a need to also focus on game design and development. A combination of Esports and Game design could be a future career. When we take away devices from young people we may be limiting their chances of widening their horizons. There’s now a need for local sports businesses and organisations to consider the meaning of Esports and how they can also participate. According to Statista, the Esports market worldwide is projected to reach a revenue of US$4.3bn in 2024. This is expected to show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2024-2028) of 7.10%, resulting in a projected market volume of US$5.7bn by 2028. There’s no better time to get involved while avoiding the bad elements of eSports industry.
