Videogames Aim For Olympic Recognition 116
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."
Not gonna happen. Forget about it. (Score:3, Insightful)
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. (Score:2, Insightful)
I am all for a true World Championship. I don't think I would watch it though.
Re:Not gonna happen. Forget about it. (Score:2)
Thus video-gaming could be a winter event. It's no lamer than curling.
Re:Not gonna happen. Forget about it. (Score:2)
Re:Not gonna happen. Forget about it. (Score:2)
Except that you at least have to get out of bed to do curling. And put clothes on.
Re:Not gonna happen. Forget about it. (Score:1)
Re:Not gonna happen. Forget about it. (Score:3, Interesting)
Ahem, submitted without comment:
Women of Curling calendar [blogspot.com] (NSFW)
Re:Not gonna happen. Forget about it. (Score:2)
Video games even fit nicely with the Olympics history of being a competion in the martial arts...the latest metric of soldiering prowess.
Re:Not gonna happen. Forget about it. (Score:2)
Details details details (Score:2)
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/pro
The Olympics are switches to Linux (Score:1)
Winter or Summer? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Winter or Summer? (Score:2)
Re:Winter or Summer? (Score:1)
Re:Winter or Summer? (Score:1)
Personally I think the idea of playing video games sounds stupid for all but the Special Olympics.
Olympic recognition? (Score:1)
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2006/02/1 6/PM200602166.html [publicradio.org]
Re:Olympic recognition? (Score:2, Interesting)
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 cabl
Re:Olympic recognition? (Score:3, Insightful)
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
What games? (Score:3, Insightful)
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? (Score:2)
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 material
Re:What games? (Score:1)
Re:What games? (Score:2)
Re:What games? (Score:1)
Re:What games? (Score:2)
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
Re:What games? (Score:2)
First, in order to
Re:What games? (Score:2)
Slowing the action down in foil makes sense to me as well, since historically, the risk of injury meant that you'd spend more
GTA (Score:1, Funny)
Ahh... this will be enough Tacos (Score:2)
Okay... seriously... I guess if syncrhonized swimming is a "sport" than so is team DDR...
What about baseball? (Score:2)
(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? (Score:2)
Re:What about baseball? (Score:2)
Re:What about baseball? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:What about baseball? (Score:2)
Re:What about baseball? (Score:1)
Re:What about baseball? (Score:2)
Re:What about baseball? (Score:2)
Re:What about baseball? (Score:1)
Re:What about baseball? (Score:1)
Possibly the most stupid idea ever... (Score:3, Insightful)
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... (Score:1)
Re:Possibly the most stupid idea ever... (Score:2)
In Canada, we call this curling. It's been an Olympic sport for a while now.
Re:Possibly the most stupid idea ever... (Score:1)
your ideas intrigue me and i'd like to subscribe to your newsletter.
Oferpetesakes (Score:2, Insightful)
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 (Score:2)
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 [www.cbc.ca] 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 (Score:2)
Twitch sports (Score:2)
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 th
Re:Twitch sports (Score:2, Insightful)
SITTING ON YOUR ASS AT A PC IS NOT A SPORT!!! (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:SITTING ON YOUR ASS AT A PC IS NOT A SPORT!!! (Score:2)
Oh really?
Please read the dictionary [reference.com] before making ridiculous, inaccurate assertions about the meaning of words.
Re:SITTING ON YOUR ASS AT A PC IS NOT A SPORT!!! (Score:2)
Re:SITTING ON YOUR ASS AT A PC IS NOT A SPORT!!! (Score:2)
Re:SITTING ON YOUR ASS AT A PC IS NOT A SPORT!!! (Score:2)
Jebus (Score:1)
Re:Jebus (Score:2)
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. Th
As long as synchronized swimming exists... (Score:2)
Re:As long as synchronized swimming exists... (Score:2)
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... (Score:1)
Although it sucks to watch.
Re:As long as synchronized swimming exists... (Score:2)
Re:As long as synchronized swimming exists... (Score:1)
Empirical evidence, please.
Re:As long as synchronized swimming exists... (Score:2)
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... (Score:1)
Re:As long as synchronized swimming exists... (Score:2)
Non-Traditional Sports (Score:2, Insightful)
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
won't happen (Score:2, Insightful)
Videogames are not universally accessible by any means that disqualifies it from being an olympic sport, period.
Re:won't happen (Score:2)
Re:won't happen (Score:1)
Neither is snow, but we still hold the Winter Olympics every four years...
Awh, how cute (Score:2)
<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
This is retarded (Score:1, Offtopic)
Overheard at my house later tonight. (Score:3, Funny)
Training for the Oympics, Baby!
Never. (Score:2)
Nice try though.
Re:Never. (Score:1)
Re:Never. (Score:2)
Especially since they got rid of baseball!
(I kid because I love. Also, David Wells frightens the heck out of me. Me, small children, and buffet restaurants.)
Higly unlikely (Score:2, Informative)
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 ar
Re:Higly unlikely (Score:1)
Re:Higly unlikely (Score:2)
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 dr
Re:Higly unlikely (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Higly unlikely (Score:2)
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,
Re:Higly unlikely (Score:2)
Re:Higly unlikely (Score:1)
I too agree that there should not be drug testing in chess b
Pro's can't be in the olympics remember? (Score:2)
Gaming making it on to TV (Score:1)
hehe (Score:1)
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
Not gonna happen (Score:1)
BAWLS (and other assorted energy drinks)
I mean, think of the doping scandals!
We need the Mental Games. (Score:2)
Worldwide recognition for skills (Score:1)
Wait a second! (Score:1)
Why not Chess? Why not auto racing? (Score:2)
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 nex
Re:Why not Chess? Why not auto racing? (Score:2)
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 fac
For the 27,467,901st time... (Score:2)
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
Re:For the 27,467,901st time... (Score:2)
Re:For the 27,467,901st time... (Score:2)
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?)
WTF, over? (Score:2)
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 e
One of the reasons (Score:2)
Skydiving and golf (Score:2)
Re:Skydiving and golf (Score:1)
Gads now i have the stupidest image in my head (Score:2)
Got this dang imagine of curling with Tetris blocks stuck in my brain now so try not to think about it too hard.
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 (Score:2)
So... Is this next??? (Score:2)
Spandex-clad geeks???
I've said it before... (Score:1)
Citius. Altius. Fortius. (Score:2)