Gaming might not really need the Games
MACAO — Electronic gaming’s bid to reach the Olympics might be on hold, but backing from big sponsors and a relentless march into the mainstream raise the question of whether it needs the Games at all.
With sportswear giant Nike last month announcing its sponsorship of China’s League of Legends Pro League (LPL), gaming already bears the hallmarks of any successful sport.
Adidas, Mercedes and BMW are some of the other global brands to jump on board, while McDonald’s dropped its sponsorship of Germany’s national soccer team to focus on e-sports.
The LPL, China’s official competition for Tencent’s hit title League of Legends, has 14 regional divisions and teams even have their own home venues. The game also has an annual world championship.
As of next year, professional players will be fully decked out in Nike designed jerseys and shoes, with an accompanying lifestyle range — much like any big soccer, basketball or baseball team.
“It (e-sports) already hit mainstream, a couple of years back,” Philip So, who heads business development at League of Legends developer Riot Games, told AFP at last week’s Sportel convention in Macao.
“But the Nike sponsorship got a huge reaction from our fans when we announced it. I think it was surprising to everyone how much buzz it generated.”
A Goldman Sachs briefing last October said e-sports was on course to reach nearly 300 million viewers by 2022 — similar numbers to the National Football League’s global grip on fans of American gridiron.
New audience
Some are now beginning to wonder if the Olympics needs e-sports more than the other way round, as the venerable institution dating back to the late 19th century strives to reach a younger audience.
“I think it would be great for the Olympic program to have e-sports because they are going to be able to capture the attention of a new audience that otherwise would disappear,” Maurizio Barbieri, Twitter’s Southeast Asian head of sports partnerships, said at Sportel.
“But overall, how would the Olympics help e-sports in general? I mean, the NBA didn’t need the IOC (International Olympic Committee) to become the No 1 basketball league in the world.”
E-sports won’t be part of the Olympics until at least Los Angeles 2028, after it was left off the list of nominated sports for Paris 2024 — which included the equally youthfriendly break dancing, surfing, skateboarding and climbing.
But So said that when e-sports was a demonstration event at last year’s Asian Games, viewing figures in China outstripped those of traditional sports, even though the competition wasn’t shown on TV.
He said people who play computer games are now proud to identify themselves as “gamers”, underlining the rise of a movement that has spread organically, from the grassroots up.
“It’s a complete paradigm shift. This is the time for gamers to come out. It’s revenge of the gamers,” added So.
China’s support
Much of the opposition to e-sports is related to concerns over screen time and inactivity among young people, as well as a lack of understanding of the games.
China has been particularly cautious, last year announcing curbs including temporarily suspending new releases of online games.
But So said China’s sports ministry remains a supporter of e-sports, drawing a distinction between professional gaming and streaming, where amateurs play for audiences online.
“We work very closely with government departments and it’s definitely on their agenda and in their interest to grow the sport as well.”