DigitalBattle.com

There are some odd things that have been made Olympic sports; curling, powerwalking, biathalon (skiing and target shooting), but a group of successful gamers from the UK thinks that video games should be added to the list of events. Michael O’Dell, leader of the ‘The Birmingham Salvo’, the team that defeated the favored US team in the world championships of gaming went on to say that gaming requires ‘dedication and skills at the highest levels’ to a point that it should be recognized at events like the Olympics. He also said that he thinks there are tests going on to see if gaming should be made an Olympic event.

As a gamer, I even think this is a little ridiculous. The Olympics have always been a showcase of physical skills and prowess. Sure, you might not have to be in tip-top shape to win a gold medal in archery, but it’s still a physical event. The world of gaming is also so broad that there’d likely be a fair amount of complaints when a game was introduced to a cycle of events that a particular competitor had never played before. It’s not entirely impossible however as both Chess and Bridge are officially recognized by the International Olympic Committe. Neither however are featured at the Olympic games, probably in part because they’re not terribly interesting to watch. If gaming is made an Olympic event it’ll likely be relegated to the same level as sports like curling and handball: showed at some of the most unfortunate time slots possible.