Golf has the Ryder Cup, tennis the Davis Cup and now the fast growing ESports will have the EGames in Pyeongchang in 2018, the main mover behind it, Chester King, said. The 44-year-old Englishman -- chief executive of the International EGames Group -- said his wish was for national pride to be at stake rather than it being based around prize money, as is the case with most ESports events.
ESports, in which sedentary competitors play video games, would not be a winner with former International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge, who introduced the Youth Olympic Games primarily because he wanted to get young people enthused about taking exercise. King comes from a sports background and his family-owned golf club Stoke Park has been the setting for several films, including the iconic golf scene in James Bond film Goldfinger. He insists ESports players possess a lot of skill and there is no shortage of dedication with the professionals training for three to four hours a day. It is certainly a money-spinning industry, and its revenue last year was over $700 million, $320 million of that in Asia.
Money, though, is not what is driving King. "I come from this world of traditional sport," King said. "What I saw in ESports was it has been all about prize money and I was concerned it would end up like poker. That's where we came up with the concept of the EGames." King put on a demonstration event at British House during the Rio Olympics which was supported by the British Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Karen Bradley.
He insists the aim is not for inclusion in the Olympics and selecting Pyeongchang in 2018 and Tokyo in 2020 for their host cities is purely for practical reasons. "We're not part of the IOC and don't want to be part of it," he said. "They are aware of us and the only thing they made clear is we can't do it at the same time as their Games, which we wouldn't do anyway. "The reason we like it is you need a city to accomodate the athletes and the arena space. "These are stepping stones we are taking. In South Korea there will be 16 countries competing for five titles and Tokyo there will be 32 countries for which there will be national qualifiers in 2017 and 2019."
King, whose father Roger made a fortune in the worldwide distribution of uncut diamonds from the Soviet Union, said the audience potential for the EGames was enormous both in filling the arena and those watching on line. However, King added there is no question of under-age children, such as his games-mad 16-year-old son Latimer, competing in those titles. "They're age rated so you don't have kids playing at professional level. It is like watching an 18 certificate film, there's a regulation for that. Although don't forget online you can watch what you like."
King also insists the violence of the games do not inspire real life acts of violence. "There is no co-relation between these games and aggressive behaviour," he says. "Its a classic, whenever there is a rampage in America they blame it on video games. However, unfortunately if someone is going to kill 50 homosexuals in a nightclub I don't think you can blame it on the games.
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This story in 30 seconds
• The eGames will be set up with each country having a national squad of gamers, who must be at least 18 years old and can play on both team and individual games
• During non-Olympic years, National Qualifiers will be held in each country to determine the representatives. Teams have been specified to include males and females.
• Events for the eGames will begin at the conclusion of the Olympics, and will take place in the Olympic arenas
• By promoting an international competition for nationwide pride, the eGames adds legitimacy to eSports
• Players in the egames will also not earn anything for virtual victories, only medals
