The United Kingdom Is Looking to Make an Olympics for ESports
On Wednesday, the International eGames Committee and the British government announced the eGames: an international gaming tournament, “where national pride is the prize.”
According to the announcement at the London Games Festival made over Twitch, the eGames will invite players from all over the world to represent their home countries and compete for various challenges. The event will be sponsored by the United Kingdom.
The eGames will run alongside the Olympic games, starting with Rio 2016. eAthletes will compete for gold, silver and bronze medals.
The pinnacle of competitive gaming is here.. Launched today @londongamesfest #eGames pic.twitter.com/9SRgvx7MDU
FEATURED STORIES— eGames (@eGames_Official) April 6, 2016
While the eSports games and individual players lists have not been revealed, the eGames Committee said that teams from Britain, Canada, Brazil and USA will participate.
Other countries are welcome to form their own “eTeams” to join to the competition. Male and female gamers aged 18 and over may participate in team and individual games.
The first foray of the eSports-as-olympic-event will be a two-day exhibition in Rio. It is the hope of the UK Government that the showcase will encourage teams and players from other countries to participate in future events.
The idea of an eSports event that mirrors the Olympics is nothing new in the industry. The International eSports Federation (IeSF), based in Korea, is now on its 8th World eSports Championship tournament. The mechanics are roughly similar to that of the eGames, with teams and players representing their home countries.
Esports’ meteoric rise as of late has been dominated by million-dollar prize purses, with teams of players banding together from different countries. Through the eGames, the British government looks to provide more national pride over monetary returns as incentive to compete.
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