E-sports: Olympics ‘focus too much on violence rather than strategic skills’ as SEA Games 2019 confirms five titles

The five shortlisted titles so far announced for the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines are sending waves of excitement among regional gamers but are unlikely to bring e-sports closer to its Olympic ambitions because of their violent themes.

The five games to be contested as official medal sports are Dota 2 and StarCraft II for PC and Arena of Valor, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and Tekken 7, for consoles. All are likely considered to feature the kind of violence that IOC president Thomas Bach says needs to be eliminated if e-sports is to ever become part of the Olympic fold.

However, Malaysia e-sports player and commentator Aaron Chan, who goes by the handle Qontra, said too much emphasis was placed on the violence and not enough on the strategic skills required.

“I feel that non-gamers overly emphasise the violent aspect of it, while true players would prioritise the amount of skill it takes to pull off the magnificent moves displayed by some of these athletes,” said Chan.

“To players it is akin to the game of chess with a different visualisation. Certain titles may not be approved by the IOC but it does nothing to remove the competitive integrity of the game.”