In February 2018, esports in Germany was recognized as a real sport by German’s first national esports association. With Germany taking the initiative, more regions within Europe are sure to follow. What could this mean for the future of esports across the world? There are a lot of positive potential outcomes thanks to this news – we’ll talk more about them below.
In summary, this news will mean that more people across the world will start to consider esports as a real competitive sport and this will help to strengthen the health and growth of the esports industry.
With Germany recognizing esports as a real sport, a number of benefits will be made possible for those working within the esports industry. Firstly, it will give German organizations the ability to apply for not-for-profit status, a powerful tool for helping new organizations looking to create fun community-led not-for-profit tournaments and events.
This news should also help to pave the way for simpler German visas for those visiting Germany to play esports. Visa issues have been a big concern in the esports industry so far, but with more recognition of the industry across the globe, players will find it easier to travel to events and be picked up by international teams.
Germany may have been the first major European country to recognize esports as a sport, but Germany certainly won’t be the last. Germany’s decision will help influence other neighboring countries to make similar moves. In the future, we may see a world where all countries recognize esports as a sport. This will help the industry in many ways.
More government funding could go towards grassroots esports events, players and organizations may be given free movement to work and compete across the globe. Finally, the general public may become more accepting of national and international competitive esports events.
For those that aren’t a part of the esports industry, it may seem strange to look in and see countries like Germany start to recognize esports as a real sport. From the outside, esports couldn’t look any further from a real sport. A quick glimpse at ongoing tournaments will showcase teams of young gamers sitting at a computer screen, playing games.
However, as you start to learn the ins and outs of the game that these gamers are playing, you’ll begin to appreciate the level of competition that has always been there in competitive esports. Just like with real sports, esports requires practice, training, determination and a combination of physical and mental skills.
Players with good mouse control and aiming skills are able to outperform players that don’t require as good skill. This can be compared to the skill required to play snooker at a competitive level. The level of strategy and tactics that go into playing video games competitively is also incredibly in-depth.
If you can understand the complexities of a game of high-level chess, you should be able to understand how esports can have a similar level of strategy.
Just like with real sports, esports also provide fans the opportunity to support their favorite teams, players, and countries. Worldwide events such as WESG in CS:GO or the Overwatch League for Overwatch have put a focus on competition between countries, whilst other tournaments see organization-backed teams fight it out in front of a large audience.
In summary, whilst you may not see esports players running and jumping, there’s still a lot of physical and mental training that goes into preparing a player for a competitive esports event. As the global stage for esports grows, so does the competition, and this will only make the level at which players must compete to stand a chance at winning an event even higher.
A dream for many within the esports industry is to see players compete in an esports tournament within the Olympics. It may seem far-fetched, but it might not be long before esports actually are accepted as an official Olympics sport.
Germany will now push for acceptance by the International Olympics Committee and some other countries are also doing the same.
As esports continues to grow, a number of issues remain present. Solutions to these problems still need to be solved before esports can truly be considered a real Olympics sport. Firstly, there isn’t just a single esports game played competitively. There are dozens of games that individuals can play at a competitive level, and tournaments for a handful of those are now watched by millions of people every year.
Will esports be accepted as a selection of games for the Olympics? For example, will League Of Legends and Overwatch both be accepted as separate sports, or will they share the same slot within the Olympics? Will the Olympics branch off to provide a separate event solely for esports games? There are a lot of questions that need to be answered. The second issue that needs to be addressed is the issue with age ratings on some games.
Whilst there are many competitive esports titles that are suitable for all audiences, some of the most popular video games have an age rating due to depicted violence. Counter Strike: Global Offensive, for example, showcases a game mode where a team of counter-terrorists fight to stop a team of terrorists from detonating explosives. The Olympics have long been a family friendly event. If esports are to be accepted as an olympic sport in the future, what will be done about the games like Counter Strike?
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