What Video Games Would Make It To The Olympics?

No shock here: The Olympic Committee will most likely not allow violent video games to be part of the games in the near future. This includes Overwatch and League of Legends where the actual blood violence is minimum to non-existant, but does show people and creatures attacking one another. Announced a few months ago, eSports will make it's debut in the 2022 Asian Games, and possibly the 2024 main games. The International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach has already made it clear that any video games that showcase violence will not be included.

Speaking to the South China Morning Post, Bach commented that he would prefer the games be centered on existing sports such as football (soccer for us U.S. peeps) and hockey. Because there's no friendly competition then seeing men and women knock the hell out of their opponents on the football field.

"We want to promote non-discrimination, non-violence, and peace among people. This doesn't match with video games, which are about violence, explosions, and killing,” said Bach. “And there were have to draw a clear line."

Now understandably, the landscape of the Olympics does promote non-violence. Counter-Strike would be instantly off the table and that should be expected. The problem is so many of today's video games contain some form of violence, cartoonish or other. And that includes the video games devoted to real world sports. The only exception I can think of is MLB. Knocking into people is a rare site and I don't think I've seen it happen in one of those games. Even basketball you have checking and can knock into opponents - which some may view as violent.

So where is the line to be drawn? What video games would be acceptable outside of the Mario and Sonic Olympic tie-in?

What games would you like to see at the Olympics that could fit the committee's vision?

Casinos Attempt to Woo eSports Gamers

As with anything in life, if something is big enough, casino's will find a way to incorporate it into their field to turn a profit. There are themed slot machines (Dolly Parton has her own series of slot machines), miniature Nascar and horse racing tables, eBay chance games: you name it. So it shouldn't be a shock to anyone that casino's want to capture some of the hype behind eSports. But unlike traditional gambling, where hotels will comp rooms, food, and drinks to keep people sitting at a table, eSports gamers are willing to pay for those amenities to get the best seats at a tournament.

Gamers are a difficult market to capture. We see through the bunk of casinos, so we're less likely to pony up money to spend it at a poker table. But it won't stop them from trying! Some venues, such as Caesars Entertainment in Atlantic City, hosted a small tournament in March that drew 900 people. The results were instantaneous. While the gambling side didn't see a bump, the growth in room reservations and the sale of food and drink were worth the investment. And if attending a casino to go to a video game tournament turns them into gamblers, then that's a plus for the hotel.

eSports is a growing industry, expected to hit $1 billion by 2019. Casino's know that their target audience of 20-30 year olds are not their traditional customer. They don't have the disposable income to gamble. But they are willing to travel for tournaments - which means they need lodging and food. It's a fairly straight-forward concept that more casinos could try to embrace. Does it mean changing their marketing tactics to woo these customers? Absolutely. But that's the case with every demographic. What gets a 30-40 year old into a retail location requires a different approach then a 50-60 year old.

Is it underhanded? Yeah. I'm not going to sugar-coat it and say that the casino's alternate motive isn't the best. Getting younger people in to try and start gambling. But it is their business model and that's what they do. As long as addiction doesn't grow from it, and one is responsible with their finances, gambling is fine in small quantities. We'll just leave it at that.