As we’ve reported in the past, eSports is rapidly becoming a majorly popular sector of the entertainment industry. So popular, in fact, that Xbox Head Executive Phil Spencer predicted that eSports will eventually become as popular as conventional sports. The University of California Irvine, meanwhile, announced last month that it will be the first public research institute to foster an eSports team and to grant eSports scholarships to students. eSports arenas are springing up around the nation, and the eSports industry alone is projected to earn $1.9 billion in revenues by 2018.
But those skeptical of eSports’ potential for success often point out that the phenomenon will be hard pressed to reach the level of respect enjoyed by more ‘traditional’ athletics. After all, eSports largely focuses on huge prize pools and sponsorships as its main source of leverage. At what point will eSports also celebrate the simple joy of national pride and glory, as the Olympics strive to do?
That’s not to say that eSports don’t already do that. But the eGames aims to heighten that ethic in competitive gaming by providing skilled gamers with a place to represent their country. The first eGames is supported by the UK Government and is set to take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil this summer to coincide with the 2016 Olympics. At this two-day event, players from all over the world will compete against one another individually and in teams for medals.
Today, the International eGames Committee revealed the members of its Advisory Board. According to eGames’ official website, the Advisory Board exists with the purpose of “instilling good governance, responsible competitive video gaming and ensuring the competition and national qualifiers are inclusive and diverse.” The Advisory Board also decides on which gaming charities will receive donations as a result of the event.
The Advisory Board members are as follows: Andy Payne OBE, who founded and currently owns British software publisher Mastertronic Group; Jude Ower MBE, founder and CEO of cause-based marketing platform Playmob; Jo Twist, CEO of UKIE, a trade body committed to uplifting the British gaming industry; Véronique Lallier, Vice President of European Publishing at Hi-Rez Studios; Andrew Smith, Corporate Affairs Director at British film and television studio Pinewood Studios; and Daniel Cossi, President of the Brazilian National eSports Confederation (he’s also the founder of the Brazilian Tolkien Society).
While the eGames’ goal is certainly admirable, the event itself has drawn skepticism from gamers themselves, as can be seen from comments in a thread from SMITE’s subreddit on Lallier’s induction into the IEGC Advisory Board.
A personal comment from the author on the IEGC: the fact that the first eGames conference is being held right alongside the 2016 Olympics (in the same city, no less) seems like a questionable decision. Granted, the next eGames are planned to take place when no other sporting events are occurring, but deliberately planting yourself next to the most respected athletic institution in the world just seems like a desperate bid for attention. It also gives off the message that gaming has something to prove; which, as history dictates, tends to conjure stereotypes of the irate, downtrodden gamer in the minds of many outsiders.
Perhaps the IEGC will prove itself capable of bringing gamers together on a level heretofore unseen. Only time will tell – and we won’t have to wait long.