The Italian gaming news website GiocoNews held a discussion panel on esports recently as part of Social Media Week in Rome on the possibility of the activitiy's inclusion in the Olympics.
Angelo Cito, Fita president, which organises the Olympic Taekwondo preparations, said: "The idea of seeing esports at the Olympic Games is not a dream, but an achievable goal. But to do it, we need to create a culture of this sector with safe and appropriate rules that put the player at the centre."
Laura D'Angeli, head of the gamification business at Mag Consulenti e Associati, said: "If we look at the numbers, the esports phenomenon at a global level we realise that we are dealing with a huge phenomenon, with over 500 million virtual players, playing to a competitive level and among them, more than 220 million do it at least once a month."
The lawyer Chiara Sambaldi, director of the Eurispes' Osservatorio sul gioco, spoke about the legal aspect of the phenomenon and stressed: "The right place for esports could be within a national federation, given the competitive rate.” She warned that its inclusion would blur the lines as to what is considered a sport.
In response, Mattia Guarracino, a member of the Sampdoria's esports team, said: “Actually, competitive players train at least three or four hours per day, in some cases even five or more compared to the type of game they play. Although the physical effort is certainly lower than that of a traditional sportsman, it is nevertheless true that there is a real and intense training from a technical and tactical point of view that should not be underestimated."
Although it is certainly a fragmented industry, there are discussions on-going about it being a viable sport in time for Paris 2024. Watch this space.
