Esports has been gaining traction across the world. So much that people have considered having esports enter the olympic games. Games like League of Legends, Overwatch, and many more have been considered to be an Olympic eSport. These games have been a core part of the esports community for years and have gained fame, players, and fans world wide.

Recently, the Asian Games added a few different titles to their roster. These games were: League of Legends, StarCraft II, Legacy of the Void, Hearthstone, Pro Evolution Soccer 2019, Arena of Valor, and Clash Royale. For each game, countries created rosters to compete against each other throughout the tournament. Famous esports legends like Faker, Uzi, and more were selected to represent their country, not their team. This was the first time esports had entered a tournament of this stature. It was considered a success and had a huge viewership from across the world. Even with the massive success of the broadcast, the International Olympic Committee had other opinions.

The IOC has announced that esports that portray or promote violence cannot be an olympic game.  They have stated that games in which you “kill” your opponent is not appropriate for the Olympics. On top of that, the recent shooting at the Jacksonville Madden 19 tournament has made people even more skeptical of the thought of having an international esports event. Esports is still considered new in many people’s eyes, and they are unsure if the industry has developed to a level of professionalism and stability that is expected of a professional sport.

Currently, it remains uncertain if esports can enter the olympics. There are many game genres that could be considered that don’t express a violent theme. Some genres that come to mind are: racing games, traditional sports games, and online card games. It does not seem that esports will be included in the upcoming olympics, but we can expect to see more talks as the years progress.