The New Olympic Sport - Video Games?
Ted Owens wants to bring video games and the Olympics together, and this gamer says why not. Look at some of these "sports" that are already part of the Olympics:
• Air sports
• Netball
• Bandy
• Orienteering
• Billiard sports
• Pelote Basque
• Boule
• Polo
• Bowling
• Powerboating
• Bridge
• Racquetball
• Chess
• Roller sports
• Dance sport
• Rugby
• Golf
• Squash
• Karate
• Surfing
• Korfball
• Sumo
• Life saving
• Tug-of-war
• Motorcycle racing
• Underwater sports
• Mountaineering and climbing
• Water skiing
• Wushu
Source: International Olympic Committee
Korfball? WTF is that? If Korfball can make it into the Olympics why not video games too?
Owens heads the Global Gaming League, a gaming culture and media company that has proposed including video-game playing, or "gaming," in the next summer Olympics as a demonstration sport. Demonstration sports have been presented in the past to promote sports native to the host country.
"The computer has penetrated our world so much, across every aspect," Owen said. "Why is it that people have real trouble seeing it as a 21st century tennis racket?"
It's not a guarantee that video games will ever make it to the Olympics though - as a matter of fact I would call it more of a longshot than anything else.
Ed Hula, editor of the Olympic business trade Web site AroundtheRings.com, said gaming has no chance at becoming a demonstration sport.
"There's an element of physicality that (the IOC has) said in the past is needed to be considered as an Olympic sport. That would make it tough for games, computer gaming to get far with the IOC today," Hula said.
Owen argued that the top gamers need excellent physical hand-eye coordination, and he noted that the Olympics already includes curling, which requires less physical stress than some other sports.
• Air sports
• Netball
• Bandy
• Orienteering
• Billiard sports
• Pelote Basque
• Boule
• Polo
• Bowling
• Powerboating
• Bridge
• Racquetball
• Chess
• Roller sports
• Dance sport
• Rugby
• Golf
• Squash
• Karate
• Surfing
• Korfball
• Sumo
• Life saving
• Tug-of-war
• Motorcycle racing
• Underwater sports
• Mountaineering and climbing
• Water skiing
• Wushu
Source: International Olympic Committee
Korfball? WTF is that? If Korfball can make it into the Olympics why not video games too?
Owens heads the Global Gaming League, a gaming culture and media company that has proposed including video-game playing, or "gaming," in the next summer Olympics as a demonstration sport. Demonstration sports have been presented in the past to promote sports native to the host country.
"The computer has penetrated our world so much, across every aspect," Owen said. "Why is it that people have real trouble seeing it as a 21st century tennis racket?"
It's not a guarantee that video games will ever make it to the Olympics though - as a matter of fact I would call it more of a longshot than anything else.
Ed Hula, editor of the Olympic business trade Web site AroundtheRings.com, said gaming has no chance at becoming a demonstration sport.
"There's an element of physicality that (the IOC has) said in the past is needed to be considered as an Olympic sport. That would make it tough for games, computer gaming to get far with the IOC today," Hula said.
Owen argued that the top gamers need excellent physical hand-eye coordination, and he noted that the Olympics already includes curling, which requires less physical stress than some other sports.
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