In the past few years, the scope of competitive sports has taken a remarkable turn, with some of the most popular events in the world no longer coming from traditional sports. Instead, international tournament organizer e-Sports International will feature the increasingly popular eSports competition at the 18th Asian Games.
A Short Introduction: Esports, short for electronic sports, is a form of competition in which gamers play on computers or gaming consoles against each other in video games. Teams or individuals compete in a wide range of games, from first-person shooter games to real-time strategy and fighting games. Professional gamers often form teams that compete in larger-scale tournaments for prize money. These tournaments become popular and attract worldwide attention.
Esports at the Asian Games
When most people think of the Asian Games, they think of sports like swimming, track and field, and other traditional Olympic sports. But this year’s edition of the Asian Games, hosted by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), will break the mold with the introduction of esports for the first time.
eSports will join the regular sports competition as a demonstration event, as the OCA attempts to assess the viability of including the activity in the program as a regular medal sport. There will be seven different disciplines featured at the event, including the popular title, Starcraft II, and Arena of Valor, Pro Evolution Soccer 2018, Clash royale, etc.
Esports athletes from 18 countries will compete at the Asian Games, including China, South Korea, and Japan. They will battle it out in front of a crowd of 40,000 spectators in the Jakarta Ice Palace.
What to Expect
The stakes are high for esports at this year’s Asian Games. While it’s still a demonstration event, gamers will be eligible for medals in the Jakarta competition. That means if your country has a player competing in the tournament, they have a chance to bring home a prize.
The event will also give the OCA information they need to decide if esports can become a regular Olympic sport in the future. If this year’s games show that esports can be actively included in OCA’s list of activities, the organization could decide to add it to the program of the 2022 Asian Games.
Conclusion
The 18th edition of the Asian Games is set to be an exciting one for fans of esports. With 18 countries competing in seven game titles, the tournament promises to provide exciting and intense action for everyone involved. Though the fate of esports as an Olympic sport is still to be determined, the demonstration event will give the OCA the information they need to make their decision in the future.