Videogames Aim For Olympic Recognition

Chris Morris at CNN's Game Over column reports that there is a push on for possible representation of pro gaming at the 2008 Olympics. From the article: "Television networks are getting interested, too. NBC's USA Network will air a series of seven hour-long shows featuring Major League Gaming tournaments this fall. But financial and network interest don't earn a sport an Olympic berth; Just ask fans of golf, motorcycle racing and bowling - or, for that matter, baseball, which (along with softball) will be dropped from the Olympics in 2012. And the fact that video gaming is so technology dependent could be particularly damaging."

Comments

Not gonna happen. Forget about it.

[LostCluster]

One thing Olympic sports have in common is that the rules of play don't change that much each cycle. Soccer is played on a flat field retangular field every time. The mass of a discus or javelin is always the same it was last time. Oh, and it doesn't matter who makes the balls, timing devices, or shoes used, those are interchangable sponsors that can change every cycle.

If there were to be an Olympic First-Person Shooter event, everybody would have to play the same sanitized game which wouldn't have any new maps utilize the latest whiz-bang technology. Imagine America's Army gone open source and stripped of American and Teriorist designations.

This is just not going to happen. Forget about it. Nothing to see here.

Re:Not gonna happen. Forget about it.

[Greeger]

I would have to agree. Video games are too technologically dependant. The Olympics have long been about physical strength and endurance. Video games are hardly about the physical. They will stay out of the Olympics for the same reason Chess and Monopoly aren't in the Olympics.

I am all for a true World Championship. I don't think I would watch it though.

Re:Not gonna happen. Forget about it.

[Slider451]

The winter olympics rely heavily on equipment (e.g. skates, skiis) which evolves over the years. And there are events based on skill, not strength or endurance.
Thus video-gaming could be a winter event. It's no lamer than curling.

Re:Not gonna happen. Forget about it.

[LostCluster]

Skates and skis may evolve over the years, but ice surfaces and snow covered hills don't.

Re:Not gonna happen. Forget about it.

[mrpeebles]

It's no lamer than curling.

Except that you at least have to get out of bed to do curling. And put clothes on. :-P

Re:Not gonna happen. Forget about it.

[SaturnTim]

Why no new maps? Is the bobsled course the same every time? Are the downhill or cross-country ski courses exactly the same? How about cycling? The venues do change, so maps could change... Not every event is the same for every olympics, so changes to the maps or gaming engines could happen.

Re:Not gonna happen. Forget about it.

[objwiz]

haven't you tried curling naked?

Re:Not gonna happen. Forget about it.

[daeley]

haven't you tried curling naked?

Ahem, submitted without comment:

Women of Curling calendar (NSFW)

Re:Not gonna happen. Forget about it.

[Anonymous Coward]

And there are events based on skill, not strength or endurance. Thus video-gaming could be a winter event. It's no lamer than curling.

Curling is not lame. However, it is lame to call curling an "Olympic sport." Eliminate curling from the Olympics, then maybe we'll stop hearing stupid proposals like video gaming as an Olympic sport.

Re:Not gonna happen. Forget about it.

[paeanblack]

Rifle and Archery have the same technology-to-skill ratio as video games.

Video games even fit nicely with the Olympics history of being a competion in the martial arts...the latest metric of soldiering prowess.

Winter or Summer?

[ChocolateNinj4]

What makes it qualify as a winter sport or a summer sport?

Re:Winter or Summer?

[LostCluster]

Winter sports all involve ice or snow. Basketball, an indoor event that is played in the USA during the Winter season is a Summer event because it uses neither ice nor snow. Hockey, since it involves ice, is a Winter event.

Re:Winter or Summer?

[MrSquirrel]

Winter sports are the games that require extreme amounts of computer muscle -- that way you can put your computer in a pile of snow for cooling. All the other games get put into the Summer category. Also, it would have to be internet-integrated so the athlete's could compete in the real-life conditions of having 13 year olds talking about girls and "pwning".

Re:Winter or Summer?

[grub]

Personally I think the idea of playing video games sounds stupid for all but the Special Olympics.

Olympic recognition?

[Mursk]

IIRC, most people ignored the last Olympics. Aren't vidoegames already there, or possibly even better off?

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2006/02/1 6/PM200602166.html

Re:Olympic recognition?

[olego]

I ignored the last Olympics because of how it was covered by the network(s) in this country. NBC, I believe, held exclusive rights to show the events it deemed most entertaining, with about 15 minutes of commercials between 10 minutes of events.

I also tried watching some events online, but I didn't have IE6, and it didn't support any other browser properly.

Because there is a mind-boggling embargomonopoly on the Olympics here, and because I'm not willing to spend a ridiculous amount of money to buy cable to watch just 1 station for 2 weeks, I ignored it. I'll probably ignore the World Cup this year for similar reasons.

Re:Olympic recognition?

[rnturn]

Olympic Recognition? It'd be nice if what was shown by NBC was recognizable as the Olympics. IMNSHO, the Olympics haven't been the Olympics since, say, Munich. Rather than penalize countries that refused to play by the rules (East Germany, Soviets, etc.) the IOC just rolled over and let full-time professionals compete. From that point it's been downhill. Ever since it's been one doping scandal after another. And that's just the Summer Games. The Winter Olympics have been a disgrace for even longer what with a host of stupid sports that require judges who are incapable of acting like adults. ("Oh, dear, the British skater got low marks from the Romanian judge. Could that be in response to the 3.5's that the Soviet skater received from the U.S. judge?") Judges, check your politics at the door. The Games were about athletic competition, not geopolitical competition. Oh, and any country that turns down their invitation to the Games forfiets their right to compete for the next couple of Games. Yes, I realize that the U.S. wouldn't have gotten to go for boycotting the Moscow Games. Tough. Geez, there are so many things about the Olympics that are screwed up.

Once, the Olympics were about the individual athletes or teams. NBC pretty much single-handedly turned it into a competition between countries. I never got that same sense when ABC covered the Games. While there was always a bit of that -- the athletes themselves expressing their pride and all -- NBC made it obnoxious what with their semi-hourly update on the medal count and how many gold medals the U.S. had won. Rarely, if ever, is it U.S. athletes that won medals; it's that the U.S. has won the medals. It's, IMO, a nauseatingly jingoistic shift away from the individuals' achievements to something that the nations had somehow achieved. (I'm surprised that Bob Costas hasn't said something about the superiority of American cord-fed beef being the deciding factor in the competition.) You'd be right if you guessed that I'm not in favor of the obligatory, flag waving victory laps either. The IOC ought to be shutting that practice down. Hard.

How refreshing it would be to toss out every single sport that doesn't have an outcome that meets the Olympic goal of higher, faster, and stronger. Heck, it wouldn't take as long to hold an Olympics if they were to dump all the so-called sports that awarded medals for "prettier". (Don't even get me started on Rhythmic Gymnastics. I might be carrying a blunt object.) Nah, we couldn't have that. Think of the losses in advertising revenue. Bu-u-ut... what if NBC were banned from covering the Olympics for, say, the next 20 years. On second thought, make that 30 years. That would be a good start. The IOC coming down hard on the politization of the Games would be another welcome step.

Re:Olympic recognition?

[Anonymous Coward]

To the contrary, I think NBC's coverage is weirdly focused on inspirational individual mini-dramas. And anyway, nationalism has been a part of the Olympics since very early - how could it not be, in an international competition?

The insistence on using amateur athletes was an anachronism which had nothing to do with showcasing the best people in their sports competing - which is what most people associate with the Olympics.

What games?

[eln]

Making video gaming into an Olympic sport is silly. "Video gaming" is really more like a grouping of many, many distinct sports rather than one sport. What games would be played? How would records be kept? How could you have a "world record" in videogaming? Presumably, the games we play now are vastly different from the games that will be played in 50 or 100 years, so how do you compare records from one era to the next?

Other Olympic sports are discrete entities with well-defined rules that don't change much over decades or centuries. Video gaming changes significantly from one year to the next.

Re:What games?

[Red Flayer]

"ther Olympic sports are discrete entities with well-defined rules that don't change much over decades or centuries."

Not so. The modern Olympics have new events added almost every cycle, while some less-popular events are canceled. Fencing, for example, is under constant threat of removal.

Rules changes are common as well -- from regulations of ski sizes and shapes, to the ball used in football^Wsoccer (see the concerns about the new ball to be used in the World Cup), to regulations on bicycle materials. The Olympics are a collection of sports that changes in composition of the whole and of individual parts.

Also, just an FYI (as an example) fencing has changed it's rules many times since the advent of modern fencing in the early 20th century.

To be quite honest, modern sport is little more than a century old, and though the roots of modern sports go back farther than that, only mass media has caused solidification of the rules of sports. While I heartily agree that adherence to tradition is a major appeal factor of the olympics, the inclusion of sports such as snowboarding in recent years shows that the Olympics are trying to blend tradition with new things.

However, in re: video games, I say they have no part in the Olympics. The only sport that comes close to being as non-athletic as video games are would be marksmanship, which even outside the *athlons requires physical action on the real world more so than videogames.

Also part of the Olympic ideal is the concept of fair competition -- though different nations have different capacities to develop a pool of talented athletes in many sports, even Jamaica can get a bobsled team together. But many developing nations would not be able to compete in video games for decades -- until video games are more international (read: not just 1st-world) I think we have to leave them off the docket.

Re:What games?

[the phantom]

So, what's your weapon? :)

Re:What games?

[Anonymous Coward]

tetris
nuff said

Re:What games?

[Red Flayer]

Was sabre. You?

Re:What games?

[the phantom]

Foil. Sabre is too fast, epee is too slow. Though, with the changes in the timing of the boxes, foil has slowed down a lot, too. I have been refereeing a lot more, recently, and will probably go in that direction in the future. :)

Re:What games?

[Red Flayer]

I've been out of it for a while, what changes did they make in the timing?

When I fenced competitively, electric was just starting to be used for sabre, TONS of problems with the captors (sp?) and with not registering dead circuits (like when people would disconnect in the back to avoid a touch), easier in sabre since the off hand is kept down, not up. Big hooplah at the individual State championships when I was a senior in HS -- many of the schools couldn't afford electric equipment for sabre, and their fencers were at first not allowed to participate -- though they got a grant to purchase loaner equipment to the schools who didn't have it yet.

My understanding is that sabre has slowed down a lot due to the elimination of the fleche -- though at the scholastic level in the US, the fleche was never allowed anyway, and the speed was still extremely fast.

Re:What games?

[the phantom]

Sabre is still really, really fast. The right-of-way rules exist, but most sabre touches consist of the two fencers advancing upon eachother, hitting, and turning to the referee whilst screaming loudly. Most referees will give the touch to the louder screamer. This is a bit of an exageration, as there are some good referees running around, but not many for sabre. Hell, I'm not comfortable reffing sabre, though I am pretty good in foil. In foil, they made two changes to the timing:

First, in order to get rid of the flick, they changed the contact time. Now, the tip must be down for a longer period of time, which makes flicks very hard to pull off. It can still be done, but it is difficult. This, I think, is a good change. It really doesn't alter the game that much, and gets rid of a maneouver that has questionable right-of-way (the way many of the Californians pull it off, anyway).

Second, they decreased the lockout time. This means that, even if a fencer is parried, he can often get a remise in fast enough to lock out his opponent. This change was made to make refereeing easier, and was, in my opinion, a bad idea. It encourages fast remises, discourages compound ripostes, and makes the sport sloppy, at best. Furthermore, because the faster fencer can almost always get the light, everyone is a lot more cautious, leading to long bouts of inactivity. Foil is the new epee.

Re:What games?

[Red Flayer]

I've directed a lot of sabre bouts, and the most common action was, of course, "simulte," but occasionally, a prize-de-affaire or stop (in time or not). I'm sure that hasn't changed, since the offense far outweighs defense in sabre in terms of effectivness. Interestingly enough, though, I find it does almost mimic the idea of cavalry riding by each other, so it's true to its roots.

Slowing the action down in foil makes sense to me as well, since historically, the risk of injury meant that you'd spend more time testing your opponent -- their timing, distance, form, etc. Though most historic duelling was far more like epee than the other weapons.

The decrease in lockout time is pretty nasty. Personally, I think the director should call the action, and the machines just register hit/off-target/second hit. Depending on machines to call the action via lockout may standardize direction, but leads to errors. I'd much rather human error that at least can be disputed or acknowledged rather than a machine which has to be obeyed (and styles altered) in order to consistently win bouts.

My pet peeve with the sabre was the captor. Retreating, laying out a line (in time) then parry the opponent -- doesn't register as a touch unless there is significant change in momentum of the bell. Which means if you extend smoothly as you retreat, you cannot register a stop cut or stop line -- even if it's in time and contact is clear. One of my team-mates lost a cucial bout in the state finals due to this -- even the opposing fencer's teammates were demanding he acknowledge the touch.

GTA

[neonprimetime]

I can just imagine ... Joe Blow taking home a gold medal for winning at Grand Theft Auto! My American hero! Wave that flag proud!

Ahh... this will be enough Tacos

[the_skywise]

For the Final Fantasy Olympiad XXVIII...

Okay... seriously... I guess if syncrhonized swimming is a "sport" than so is team DDR...

What about baseball?

[isaac]

Baseball is played and enjoyed by billions (OK, maybe one billion) people around the world and couldn't manage to retain its slot in the Summer Games. Why should any videogame be in there?

(Well, OK, maybe Starcraft. It's at least as popular as curling, and like curling is dominated by countries other than the USA.)

-Isaac

Re:What about baseball?

[LostCluster]

Baseball failed to continue as an Olympic sport because there wasn't enough nations willing to field national teams. Europe's more interested in "football", er, "soccer". Baseball's almost purely an American thing, with maybe a little intrest from Japenese people who really wish they were Americans. Think about it, you don't hear about any MLB Europe leagues forming.

Re:What about baseball?

[AuMatar]

And Canada. And many Central American nations (look at how many Cubans and Dominican Republicans play for MLB teams).

Re:What about baseball?

[MythMoth]

Oh, we play it - we just don't take it seriously. It's called rounders, and the rules say you have to wear stockings and a pleated skirt if you want to play. It's right up there with Morris dancing as an Olympic candidate.

Re:What about baseball?

[TopShelf]

You forgot Central and South America, which boast several high-quality baseball countries.

Re:What about baseball?

[romcabrera]

I live in Ecuador, Southamerica, and would like to comment: "EH, WHAT??"

Re:What about baseball?

[TopShelf]

Well, there are Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela, for example...

Re:What about baseball?

[Isaac-Lew]

I think the real reason baseball was dropped was because the International Olympic Committee has a stricter drug-testing policy than Major League Baseball, & the MLB didn't want to get potentially involved in any embarrasing scandals.

Re:What about baseball?

[Premo_Maggot]

Did you watch the World Basbeball Classic?

Re:What about baseball?

[daeley]

http://www.ecuadorcoe.org.ec/htm/FND_Beisbol.htm

Re:What about baseball?

[Anonymous Coward]

Which brings us to the real reason nobody gives a flying rat's ass about the Olympics anymore: If we wanted to watch professional sports, we would. The Olympics are supposed to be about amateur sports. The athletes aren't supposed to be part of a professional league, but are supposed to be part of a best-of-the-nation team taken from the non-pros throughout the country.

Olympic baseball was just another lame all-the-pros-go-on-vacation-and-play-in-the-olympi cs sport, similar to basketball and hockey. Fortunately, the IOC saw how lame it was and killed it before it became a tradition. A pointless tradition.

Possibly the most stupid idea ever...

[The Faywood Assassin]

The Olympics are about physical achievement and performance.

Videogames do not promote such ideals. Otherwise we'd might as well add BEER PONG to the list of events.

Jeeeezzzzzz!

Re:Possibly the most stupid idea ever...

[BecomingLumberg]

The last time i spoke against video games as a sport on /., it took weeks for my karma to recover. At least people finally think videogames are not a sport when they are juxtaposed against the olympics.

Re:Possibly the most stupid idea ever...

[freeweed]

Otherwise we'd[sic] might as well add BEER PONG to the list of events.

In Canada, we call this curling. It's been an Olympic sport for a while now.

Re:Possibly the most stupid idea ever...

[jimmydins]

Otherwise we'd might as well add BEER PONG to the list of events.

your ideas intrigue me and i'd like to subscribe to your newsletter.

Re:Possibly the most stupid idea ever...

[Grakun]

we'd might as well add BEER PONG to the list of events.

That is an excellent idea. If someone wants to write up a petition to get this looked into, I'll sign it.

Oferpetesakes

[Odin_Tiger]

It'll never happen, and as an avid gamer myself, I say "Thank God!"
If the Olympics accept gamers, then it'll be one more excuse for them to not get outside, ride a bike, etc. The Olympics are for physical athletes, not people with unusually high twitch-response ability.

Re:Oferpetesakes

[bwcarty]

The Olympics are for physical athletes, not people with unusually high twitch-response ability.

I don't think video games should be considered for the Olympics, but I disagree here. If you want a gold medal or world record in any timed race event, you have to have unusually high twitch response.

See Justin Gatlin for example. His 9.766 time in the 100m wasn't good enough for sole ownership of the world record after it was rounded up to 9.77.

Re:Oferpetesakes

[Kupek]

I think the poster implied that the Olympics are not for people whose sole exemplary attribute is high twich response. A sprinter, for example, must have fast twitch response, but they also must be excellent athletes. Being first off the block isn't enough to win, you also have to be able to run fast.

SITTING ON YOUR ASS AT A PC IS NOT A SPORT!!!

[mrchaotica]

All the other issues with this (that others have mentioned) don't even matter because video games aren't sports to begin with! This would be as ludicrous as making Poker or Tax Accounting Olympic "sports!"

Re:SITTING ON YOUR ASS AT A PC IS NOT A SPORT!!!

[drinkypoo]

All the other issues with this (that others have mentioned) don't even matter because video games aren't sports to begin with!

Oh really?

sport (spôrt, sprt)
n.
3. An active pastime; recreation.

Please read the dictionary before making ridiculous, inaccurate assertions about the meaning of words.

Re:SITTING ON YOUR ASS AT A PC IS NOT A SPORT!!!

[mrchaotica]

Odd that you neglect definitions number 1 and 2, which clarify "active" to mean physically active. To reiterate, sitting on your ass at a PC is not "active," whether you're pressing buttons or not.

Re:SITTING ON YOUR ASS AT A PC IS NOT A SPORT!!!

[the phantom]

That definition is less than convincing. An active pasttime implies that you, ya know, do something other than sit on your ass in front of a keyboard. While I would generally criticize you for assuming that the dictionary is authoritative in all matters, even that in not necessary -- it is quite easy to argue that video games are not active, thus do not meet that definition of sport.

Re:SITTING ON YOUR ASS AT A PC IS NOT A SPORT!!!

[drinkypoo]

I neglected meanings 1 and 2 because meanings are "or" and not "and". Also, look up the meaning of "active" - "physically active" is NOT its only meaning. When a specific meaning is required in a dictionary, it is specified.

Jebus

[RegalBegal]

I'll file this under 'stupid'. First, who in the typical gamer's age range watches the olympics. Second...well there is no second. I just don't like the Olympics and don't like hardcore gamers enough to agree with something like this going down. We should add kite flying, beer can crushing, grocery bagging and ummm anything-I-can-do-real-well-that-others-might-not- be-able-to do-that-I-want-to-be-noticed-fror-because-in-high- school-the-swim team-tried-to-drown-me to the Olympics.

Re:Jebus

[Anonymous Coward]

You may have hit it on the head and not even realized. You wonder how many in the gamer age group cares about the Olympics? Well this gives them a reason to watch and care. Whoever is in charge takes notes of these things as that will bring in more advertizing revenue! I still don't think it will happen tho.

Re:Jebus

[Sage Gaspar]

You may have hit it on the head and not even realized. You wonder how many in the gamer age group cares about the Olympics? Well this gives them a reason to watch and care. Whoever is in charge takes notes of these things as that will bring in more advertizing revenue!

Exactly, but still pointlessly doomed to be a failure. If you noticed, the olympics (or at least NBC's take on the olympics) has been moving in an OMGEXTREME direction trying to attract youth viewership. Or really, any kind of viewership. The truth of the matter is that people respect olympic athletes, they'll tune in for a couple events, but there are very few people that actually want to watch the olympics. And even less that want to watch "professional gaming." Most professional gamers nauseate me and I really don't get entertained by watching what seem to be the most popular competitive games.

As long as synchronized swimming exists...

[Shadow Wrought]

Then this ain't frivilous.

Re:As long as synchronized swimming exists...

[GeckoX]

I keep hearing this. Tell you what, YOU show me just how incredibly easy it is. I'll even let you do it solo. Show me a reasonable competetive routine down at the pool today without drowning or looking like a pathetic wimp and I'll personally ensure you never have to see the sport on the screen again.

Can someone explain why men are so incredibly threatened by a dozen buff women in bathing suits performing strenuous physical excercise? In unison no less?

Re:As long as synchronized swimming exists...

[tddoog]

True. Synchronized swimming is incredibly difficult.

Although it sucks to watch.

Re:As long as synchronized swimming exists...

[Shadow Wrought]

I dispute none of it. However, that doesn't change the reality that for most people, the first thing they think of is this. Synchonized swimming gets far more publicity from being mocked than being taken seriously. Indeed, the cynical view is that it only exists to make all the other ludicrous Olympic events look good by comparison. It may not be fair, but that's the way it is perceived.

Re:As long as synchronized swimming exists...

[ClamIAm]

Synchonized swimming gets far more publicity from being mocked than being taken seriously.

Empirical evidence, please.

Re:As long as synchronized swimming exists...

[Shadow Wrought]

Empirical evidence, please.

Think for a second about your past conversations. When synchronized swimming has been the topic, was it mockery or merit which was discussed?

Re:As long as synchronized swimming exists...

[ClamIAm]

Merit.

Re:As long as synchronized swimming exists...

[Shadow Wrought]

LOL! That's the best laugh I've had on the dot for a awhile. Thanks!

Re:As long as synchronized swimming exists...

[ClamIAm]

And the troll reveals himself.

Non-Traditional Sports

[jizziknight]

You need to bring younger viewers back if you want to keep making money. To do that, you need to embrace non-traditional sports. They did it with snowboarding - and look how the popularity of that has surged in the Games

Ok, I agree. But what about the sports that we see on the X-Games? I'd much rather watch skateboarding, BMX, or motocross than people playing video games. I enjoy gaming as much as the next nerd, but watching someone else play is just not fun. Watching someone faceplant on some stairs or rack themself on a rail is much more entertaining.

won't happen

[CheechWizz]

Isn't one of the main goals of the olympics to unite diverse people from all over the world, because sport is such a great unifier?
Videogames are not universally accessible by any means that disqualifies it from being an olympic sport, period.

Re:won't happen

[Isaac-Lew]

Most winter sports are inaccessible to a lot of the world, not just because of where people live but also the expense (it's cheaper to buy a football/soccer or just run around than it is to buy hockey equipment, skis, etc). Does that mean we shouldn't have the Winter Olympics?

Re:won't happen

[BobNET]

Videogames are not universally accessible

Neither is snow, but we still hold the Winter Olympics every four years...

This is retarded

[Zork the Almighty]

You should have saved this one for April 1st.

I'd watch

[Anonymous Coward]

I'd watch if the Olympic gaming event was in the Summer Olympics and was a curling video game. That could take care of the problem the Summer Olympics has had due to lack of curling.

Overheard at my house later tonight.

[MrCopilot]

"Whaddya Doing honey?"

Training for the Oympics, Baby!

Re:Overheard at my house later tonight.

[Anonymous Coward]

"Whaddya Doing honey?"

Training for the Oympics, Baby!

I don't think masturbation will be an olympic sport anytime in the near future either.

Never.

[jonnythan]

The IOC will never allow a "sport" where a 400-lb, 30-year-old, bald slob can win a gold medal.

Nice try though.

Re:Never.

[jizziknight]

I think you've forgotten what the guys on the weight lifting teams look like. Granted, the slobs you're talking about can't bench press a car....

Re:Never.

[daeley]

The IOC will never allow a "sport" where a 400-lb, 30-year-old, bald slob can win a gold medal.

Especially since they got rid of baseball! ;D

(I kid because I love. Also, David Wells frightens the heck out of me. Me, small children, and buffet restaurants.)

Higly unlikely

[deltagreen]

Chess and bridge have wanted to get into the Olympics, but I think the idea has been abandoned by most players of those two games. Among the silly effects it did have while going on, was drug testing in chess. Yep, testing for all kind of steroids and enhancers, although caffeine is probably one of the few things that actually would have given any sort of advantage in chess. Speaking of which, will pro-gamers be able to live without caffeine it becomes an olympic sport? :-P

Another problem is that there are too many different sports in the (Summer) Olympics as it is. IOC certainly won't let any new sports in without kicking out old ones. And I'm not sure videogames would seem more *worthy* than the sports that are alredy in.

Re:Higly unlikely

[fuzzyfozzie]

Actually, drug testing in chess really wasn't silly at all. The Russians -- (among the top in the world, unlike America, chess is viewed as a real profession in Russia) -- would use any means they could to get their players to do their best. Anatoly Karpov-- a World Champion for many years --would have a team of advisors that concentrated solely on the drugs and medication he would be given. If his advisors saw that there was going to be a long, complicated position up ahead, they would give him a drug that would provide a steady stream of energy. If they saw that there would soon be a need for a quick burst of tactical concentration, he would be given an amphetamine.
So you can see that in reality, drug testing in chess is a good idea.

Re:Higly unlikely

[deltagreen]

How would they do this during an important game? Wouldn't this be pretty difficult to do during say a World Championship match? Korchnoi's team made a huge fuss about the yoghurt Karpov received during a game, and that it might be a potential message from his seconds. I have a hard time seeing Karpov being allowed alone with anyone who would give him the drugs.

And didn't Karpov also have a tendency to become exhausted as long matches progressed? I think the Russians didn't do a very good job with those drugs. ;-)

Re:Higly unlikely

[fuzzyfozzie]

"They will go to greath lengths to get the most from their players, for example, sometimes during my matches I was wired and tested for blood pressure, heart rate, galvanic skin response and other things. I was given amphetamines and tranquilizers on the days of important tournaments...Karpov has a doctor on hand to regulate his medications. During the match against Korchnoi he was so exhausted that they had to give him high dosages of amphetamines, which saved him in the end." --Lev Alburt

Re:Higly unlikely

[deltagreen]

Hmmm, interesting. Hadn't seen anything so specific connecting Karpov to drugs. This is something that would be administered between matches, not during?

I still don't think drug testing in chess is worth the hassle, though. With all the different banned drugs that include many substances found in common medicines, I'm sure something like the ongoing Chess Olympiade is a nightmare to properly regulate and test according to Olympic standards. After all, the vast majority of participants there are amateurs, who don't have the time or resources to check whether all medicine taken prior to and during the event are safe.

Anyway, thanks for the quote. Appreciate it. :-)

Re:Higly unlikely

[deltagreen]

I meant between GAMES, not matches. Sorry about that.

Re:Higly unlikely

[fuzzyfozzie]

Yes, I would assume it would be given between games but I'm sure there have been instances in which it was given during. You might have read (or heard, or saw) Searching for Bobby Fischer which is an account detailing Josh Waitzkin's rise to the chess scene. Although it is about scholastic chess, the majority involves international chess and has lots of interviews and accounts of GMs. It's an interesting read and is where I picked up this qoute.
I too agree that there should not be drug testing in chess but I was just making the point that it was not entirely useless and silly.

Maybe we could go for the special olymics!

[Anonymous Coward]

Because we're special, right Mom?

Gaming making it on to TV

[Boffy]

Over in the UK we're getting our first proper online gaming TV show this June. 1 show a week on a little-known satellite channel. It's from a company called Prize Fight and it's called Prize Fight TV. PF seem to do online gaming for cash prizes, and from what I gather they'll be using the show as a sort of highlights package for CSS, Q3 and BF2 (lol BF2 has highlights?) games. Their website is here.

hehe

[ChillBeast]

Well as many others have pointed out, Olympics are about physical competition on a balanced playing field.

Nothing to do with video gaming there.

Professional gaming IS definately on the rise though, and as a pro gamer it's nice to see more in the news about pro gaming, but I think we are already moving in the right direction (larger, televised events, more sponsors, etc.) The Olympics is fine how it is, let them keep curling, discus, javelin, and whatever else ya see there. Keep gaming to gaming leagues.

What I would like to see though, is a MLG/CPL merger or something where we combined the pc and console gamers into one entity instead of having 50 different pro leagues.

Not gonna happen

[atezun]

The number one reason gaming will never become an olympic sport

BAWLS (and other assorted energy drinks)

I mean, think of the doping scandals!

We need the Mental Games.

[Bananatree3]

These games would be on the same prestige as the Olympics, but it would have things that require only mental/reflex skill. While the Olympics is about physical endurance, performance and ability, the games would have things like pi-memorization, videogame contests, mental arithmatic, pattern recognition contests, etc.

Worldwide recognition for skills

[knn03]

"That Korean got l33t skillz."

Wait a second!

[CheechWizz]

Now I get it, they're talking about the special olympics, right?

Why not Chess? Why not auto racing?

[SloppyElvis]

This is nothing more than a gimmick.

Is video game prowess different than marksmanship or archery? Not all that much, but that makes no difference. The last thing the IOC wants to be known for is keeping the world's kids in dark rooms (see Miyamoto) playing video games for a chance at gold.

And what games? What machines? The Global Gaming League is simply looking to grab headlines to promote its coming TV deals, hoping that youth will start following Fata1ity (or whatever her handle is) like she's the next Michael Jordan or Mia Hamm.

The problem is excellence in gaming doesn't bear the sex appeal excellence in athletics does. Sure, stand-out ability and an ability to earn large sums of cash can do wonders for anybody's sex-appeal (see Trump), but a great body sells a lot more perfume and sponsor apparel, and usually helps a person's television presense (to the point where they can smile, thank Jesus, and everyone says, "what a great role model for the kids").

Gamers as role models? In your dreams, kid.

In case you haven't heard, games are evil corruptors of the young that show boobies and turn you into a horde of terrists that refuse to fall into line.

For the 27,467,901st time...

[PFI_Optix]

Video games are not a sport and gamers are not "cyberathletes". I love gaming as much as the next guy and nearly went pro twice (fell just short of making enough money to make it more than a money-making hobby), but I resent these people who are trying to make gaming into something it's not.

Soccer and gymnastics and all the other sports and athletic events are lessened when we try to group gaming in among them. It is a unique competition, and deserves its own unique venues.

You want to add something new and fresh to the Olympics? Paintball. Now *there* is a sport fitting of the five rings.

Re:For the 27,467,901st time...

[drinkypoo]

Go look up the meaning of "sport" and come back and tell us again how video gaming isn't one, so I can call you a liar and an idiot (instead of just an uneducated buffoon.)

Re:For the 27,467,901st time...

[the phantom]

http://onelook.com/?w=sport&ls=a

Look through those definitions. Almost all of the ones that discuss the "sport" that we are talking about (as opposed to a kind of person, or a summer cottage in Maine) emphasize physical excertion. Of course, you can find other defintions that would (maybe) include video games, but many of those are rather vauge (one states that sport == recreation -- maybe recreational sex should be an olympic event?)

Re:For the 27,467,901st time...

[Anonymous Coward]

look at the meaning of toothpick and tell me how a toothbrush isn't one.

then go look at the meaning of "dumbass" and let me know how you're not one.

Twitch sports

[kherr]

The Olympics are for physical athletes, not people with unusually high twitch-response ability.

Some of the Olympic sports that run counter to this comment are:

Archery
Shooting
Table Tennis
Curling

They rely more on twitch response (except curling) than actual physical capabilities. I'd also include fencing as a twitch response sport, but it does require a fair amount of athleticism.

Video gaming would seem possible, being enjoyed around the world. But the fate of chess and other comments that have pointed out the need for "sameness" would make it seem highly unlikely. I Guess gamers will have to go for the professional circuit in South Korea and elsewhere.

Re:Twitch sports

[Odin_Tiger]

Uhhhm...no, I don't think so. Archery is about patience and steadiness. There's no worry that if you don't get a bullseye in 0.01sec from seeing the target, it will shoot you back. Same for shooting. Table tennis...vaguely, sorta, kinda. But it requires far more than depressing a finger / thumb 1/4", and the ability to move your whole arm, as well as your body for wild shots, is more a matter of overall health than twitch. As for curling...I don't even see how that has anything at all to do with 'twitch response'. It's repetition of the same thing every time, and trying to do that thing perfectly. There's no surprise involved.

Re:Twitch sports

[Anonymous Coward]

The Olympics are for physical athletes, not people with unusually high twitch-response ability.

Some of the Olympic sports that run counter to this comment are:

Archery
Shooting
Table Tennis
Curling

They rely more on twitch response (except curling) than actual physical capabilities. I'd also include fencing as a twitch response sport, but it does require a fair amount of athleticism.

Video gaming would seem possible, being enjoyed around the world. But the fate of chess and other comments that have pointed out the need for "sameness" would make it seem highly unlikely. I Guess gamers will have to go for the professional circuit in South Korea and elsewhere.

Archery: I guess you've never pulled back on a bowstring. Those compound bows require you to flex your muscles, pull back on 70 lbs, and hold 30lbs of pull steadily while you aim. If you've ever done it once, then you'd realize that it requires some physical effort to get a good shot. Now try doing it 100 times a day. LongBows require 80 lbs to 120 lbs of pull, not an easy task by any means.

Shooting: While this does not require too much physical effort it does not rely on twitch response. Accurate shooting on a real gun requires a calm, steady hand. Many good shooters actually skip a heart beat when they actually squeeze the trigger. There's not supposed to be any twitching involved. That ruins the shot. Stupid movies and stupid video games make real shooting seem like twitch response. Real guns don't work like video game guns.

Table Tennis: This may be the only one you listed to have twitch response elements, but it is also about endurance, aerobics and accuracy. Have you ever played or seen a match? They are quite physically active. If anything Table Tennis and Badminton should have better coverage than they currently have. Regular tennis seems to be on slow motion in comparison.

Curling: I'm not sure how this became an olympic sport, or how you associated this with twitch response. How heavy is that thing they curl? I doubt that twitch response is involved to any high degree.

I don't consider video games a sport by any means.

WTF, over?

[Sylver Dragon]

Video games are not a sport. If it doesn't involve getting your ass out of a chair and actually moving something other than your wrists, you're gonna have to work pretty hard to call it a sport.
And why are we looking at this sort of thing? Most videogames are terminally boring to watch someone play. If we're going to add somehting to the Adlympics, let's at least pick a sport which has been around for a while and has some real recognition and respect. I still want to know why we don't have Sumo as an event.

One of the reasons

[Sv-Manowar]

I think one of the main reasons this will never happen is that it does not involve any physical exertion, it's the new equivalent to a game of chess or a card game and it will only ever reside in it's own leagues. Which is arguably where it should stay, some things have their place and to be honest, the olympics is definitely not the place that gaming should be celebrated as a sport.

The Olympics are switches to Linux

[Joe The Dragon]

good like finding good games for it.

Re:Why not Chess? Why not auto racing?

[freshman_a]

Is video game prowess different than marksmanship or archery? Not all that much

Uh, what? As a gamer who's shot a gun and bow quite a bit in his life, there's a big difference between actually shooting at a target and pointing-and-clicking with a mouse.

The problem is excellence in gaming doesn't bear the sex appeal excellence in athletics does.

I don't think sex appeal has all that much to do with it. For example, look at Olympic wrestlers. Cauliflower ear - hardly sexy.

I think it's more to do with the fact that Olympians are, for the most part, physically fit and Olympic events should require some physical activity. Breaking a sweat from being overweight and sitting at a computer drinking highly-caffinated carbonated sugar water while making yourself susceptible to carpal tunnel doesn't exactly count.

Skydiving and golf

[DreadPiratePizz]

Competitive skydiving and golf aren't even an olympic sports. Why the hell should video games be?

Re:Skydiving and golf

[ClamIAm]

Golf used to be.

Gads now i have the stupidest image in my head

[hurfy]

So i will share it with you.........

Got this dang imagine of curling with Tetris blocks stuck in my brain now so try not to think about it too hard. ......you're welcome :)

Ok, the whole idea is silly. When do they add poker?

Now a Non-olympics event for games,poker,??? for players from around world could be fun. (I want a cut tho FOX)

No

[I Like Pudding]

No, emphatically. I've been been a gamer since forever, and the only thing media coverage of games does is make me feel guilty by association. 85% of the print media is unreadable, and video coverage is exponentially worse. Every gaming program I've seen on the TV just oozed the SNAP INTO A SLIM JIM RAR OMG 2 D MAXX BOOBIES angle until I wanted to shoot myself in the head. YOU HEAR ME G4? FUCK YOU.

Re:Why not Chess? Why not auto racing?

[Anonymous Coward]

Not that I'd have a problem if such a great gamer were female, but 'Fata1ity' is a guy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnathan_Wendel

Sorry, but I'm in a mood to pick nits.

So... Is this next???

[Pig Hogger]

http://www.tronguy.net/images/TronGuyWallpaper800x 600.jpg (Warning: NSFW!!!)

Spandex-clad geeks???

This is a no-brainer, folks!

[Anonymous Coward]

I mean DUH! They already have CURLING in the Olympics, of all things. It's only logical at this point.

Details details details

[MMaestro]

What about the physics? (HL2's burned out cars hanging from a single wire or Doom 3's everything falls to the ground like a sack of bricks?)
The weapons? (HL2's Gravity Gun is INSANELY overpowered compared to any other weapon besides the rocket launcher.)
The spawn locations? (Yes, this does matter.)
The locations of certain weapons? (Again, it does have an effect.)
Are you going to use a 'dark' engine (a la Doom 3) or a 'bright' engine (a la HL2)?
Are there regulation keyboards and mice? (Some hardcore/professional gamers swear by five-button mice for better control.)
What about regulation hardware? (Higher FPS do matter at a professional level.)
What if the game crashes/glitches? (Do you restart the match because one of the players clipped through the floor?)

Awh, how cute

[SmallFurryCreature]

You must be new here. The proper way to say this would be like this.

<sarcasm>Isn't one of the main goals of the olympics to unite diverse people from all over the world, because sport is such a great unifier?</sarcasm>

Unless you were serious in wich case you must be new to this world. Sport is such a big unifier that whenever two soccer clubs meet their fanclubs try to kill each other. When nations meet on the soccer field you get more nationalism then at a Nuremberg rally.

As for the olympics. Well any "higher" goal was ripped from it when the US boycotted the Soviet games and the Soviet boycotted the US games. Did not exactly bring these nations together did it?

And what did the wonderfull athletes do when they brother and sisters were slain by terrorist at munich? Well go right on because they need those medals and in four years time you might be too old.

At least during events like tour de france when someone dies the competitors make a statement by allowing the affected team to finish first.

Not the olympics. Sorry but all that is about is people who consume tax payers money and return nothing to live a privileged live to fuel nationalist pride.

Proffesional sport is just a form of entertainment. Do we subsidise hollywood with tax money? (Uwe Boll is tax funded, doesn't that say enough) No? Then why should some sports assholes.

Sorry buy the olympics survice because calling it a sham and a waste of money is politically incorrect.

Oh well at least this crap won't happen. Olympics is for amateurs so any pro-gamer would be barred. I suppose the olympic athletes don't want to compete with people good enough to make a living from their sport. Another reason why it is a complete sham.

Pro's can't be in the olympics remember?

[SmallFurryCreature]

Only amateurs. Kinda of kills the deal doesn't it?

One lame Olympic sport does not justify more

[Anonymous Coward]

IF synchronized swimming exists as an Olympic sport
AND synchronized swimming as an Olympic sport is not frivolous
THEN maybe videogames aiming for Olympic recognition is not frivolous.

However, synchronized swimming is a lame Olympic sport and should not have Olympic recognition. Videogaming is an even more ludicrous idea.

I've said it before...

[BigNumber]

Any endeavor where a fat guy like me can win a gold medal isn't a sport.

Citius. Altius. Fortius.

[SouperMike]

Nerds playing Quake meet none of those. Go back to your mom's basement.