29
Fri, Nov
0 New Articles

Olympic Video Games

Commentary
Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times

The Olympic motto is "Citius, Altius, Fortius," which translates to faster, higher, stronger. Will somebody please tell me how any rational person on this planet can argue that video gaming squares with that motto? OK, maybe someone could make the case, but I don't see how he or she could do so without giggling hysterically. Apparently, somebody disagrees with me. He probably deserves a gold medal in honor of the extreme physical control that he exhibited by stifling his laughter. A lesser person would get a hernia trying to hold something like that in.

According to a May 31, 2006, article on CNNMoney.com, the Global Gaming League (GGL), a media company that operates in the gaming arena, is trying to convince the Chinese government to include competitive video gaming as a demonstration "sport" (obviously, the quotation marks are mine, not the GGL's) in the 2008 Olympic Summer Games in Beijing. My understanding is that this is just a first step because the International Olympic Committee (IOC) would have to agree before it could become an official part of the games, even as only a demonstration "sport." Hopefully, the proposal will provide a good laugh and nothing else for the Chinese government, so as to nip this thing in the bud before it gets anywhere close to the IOC.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not suggesting that video gaming requires no skill. Quite the contrary. I have no doubt that even a mediocre video game player could beat me, a non-player, 100 times out of 100 on just about any video game. Nonetheless, I think that, to make it into the Olympics, a sport should be sufficiently physically demanding such that every athlete who qualifies for the games, regardless of his or her sport, should be able to thoroughly wallop me in any athletic challenge whatsoever. That's true of most (but not all, more on that later) of today's Olympic athletes, but it's certainly not a minimum requirement for video game players. Because I'm an athletic misfit, most gamers could, in fact, beat me in an athletic competition, but my point is that it's not a prerequisite.

To play the devil's advocate, I must admit it's true that Olympic sports don't always adhere to my rule. I've watched some of the curling matches in the Olympic Winter Games. Seeing the physique of a few of those curlers has convinced me that, despite my being 53 and not very athletic, while I couldn't hold a candle to them in curling (for one thing, a candle would melt the ice), I would have absolutely no problem winning a 100-meter dash or a weightlifting competition against one or two of the more unfit of them. But at least curlers have to get up off their butts, throw a heavy rock down a sheet of ice, and practice their household skills by running down and sweeping said sheet of ice vigorously. And the skip has to exercise his or her vocal cords by shouting inspiring words such as, "Hurry! Hurry hard!" (I haven't seen many curling matches, but for the benefit of those of you who haven't seen any, no, I'm not making that up.) Video game players, on the other hand, never have to get up out of their chairs. True, they have to manipulate a joystick and click a few buttons, but faster, higher, stronger? I'm sorry, but I don't think so.

The chairman of GGL, Ted Owen, argues that there is a precedent for the IOC introducing a non-traditional sport in order to attract younger viewers. He points out that the IOC brought in snowboarding as a winter sport for that very reason. That may be true, but it's unlikely that you're going to win a snowboarding competition if your pre-game meal is a family-size bag of potato chips and a large bottle of Coke and your idea of limbering up is twiddling your thumbs. Then again, snowboarders have a reputation for marijuana use, so, if it's a justified stereotype, they're probably not immune to the munchies, but at least they tend to work it off. I don't think pushing around a joystick and punching some buttons burns off all that many calories, no matter how vigorously you may do it.

Owen contends that Beijing would be the perfect place to introduce video gaming as an Olympic demonstration sport because, according to him, "Gaming is elevated to a pastime in Asia." Call me old-fashioned if you must, but I don't think that merely being a major pastime should be sufficient to qualify as an Olympic sport.

The first three sentences of the next paragraph are going to seem like an irrelevant, prurient non sequitur, but please bear with me. They're not irrelevant, and one out of three's not bad.

A recent article on TechWeb News reported on a Nielsen NetRatings survey done for The Independent on Sunday. According to the survey, the UK is the country where Internet pornography viewing is growing the fastest. More than 9 million men and 1.4 million women in Great Britain visited porn sites in the 12 months prior to the survey. London will be hosting the 2012 Olympic Summer Games, so if the IOC accepts the GGL chairman's argument about pastimes of the host country becoming Olympic sports, what suggestion might he have for the London games? Talk about wardrobe malfunctions! Now that's a sport that the North American television networks won't be allowed to broadcast in prime time, but it would certainly boost their ratings if they did.

Owen has, so far, only presented his idea to the Chinese government. He has not yet talked to the IOC, so it's possible he'll get laughed out of its offices if he tries. However, I'm not as confident of that as I'd like to be. The IOC's Web site includes a list of recognized sports. Getting on the list is the first step to becoming an Olympic sport, although being on it is not enough to guarantee a spot in the competitions. The list includes a couple of "sports" that require only marginal athletic prowess—billiards and bowling—and a couple that require even less physical activity than playing video games—bridge and chess. What's next? Trivial Pursuit?

If you're a regular reader, you were probably thoroughly convinced that there was absolutely no way I would able to get through an entire tirade about video games and the Olympics without ever once mentioning the violence inherent in most video games. I guess you were right.

Joel Klebanoff is a consultant, a writer, and president of Klebanoff Associates, Inc., a Toronto, Canada-based marketing communications firm. He is also the author of BYTE-ing Satire, a compilation of a year's worth of his columns. Joel has 25 years experience working in IT, first as a programmer/analyst and then as a marketer. He holds a Bachelor of Science in computer science and an MBA, both from the University of Toronto. Contact Joel at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. To paraphrase an old Groucho Marx joke, he would never want to participate in an Olympics that would have him as a competitor.

Joel Klebanoff

Joel Klebanoff is a consultant, writer, and formerly president of Klebanoff Associates, Inc., a Toronto-based marketing communications firm. He has 30 years' experience in various IT capacities and now specializes in writing articles, white papers, and case studies for IT vendors and publications across North America. Joel is also the author of BYTE-ing Satire, a compilation of a year's worth of his columns. He holds a BS in computer science and an MBA, both from the University of Toronto.


MC Press books written by Joel Klebanoff available now on the MC Press Bookstore.

BYTE-ing Satire BYTE-ing Satire
Find out the hilarious answer to the eternal question: "Is technology more hindrance than help?"
List Price $14.95

Now On Sale

BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS

LATEST COMMENTS

Support MC Press Online

$

Book Reviews

Resource Center

  • SB Profound WC 5536 Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application. You can find Part 1 here. In Part 2 of our free Node.js Webinar Series, Brian May teaches you the different tooling options available for writing code, debugging, and using Git for version control. Brian will briefly discuss the different tools available, and demonstrate his preferred setup for Node development on IBM i or any platform. Attend this webinar to learn:

  • SB Profound WP 5539More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT Generic IBM announced the E1080 servers using the latest Power10 processor in September 2021. The most powerful processor from IBM to date, Power10 is designed to handle the demands of doing business in today’s high-tech atmosphere, including running cloud applications, supporting big data, and managing AI workloads. But what does Power10 mean for your data center? In this recorded webinar, IBMers Dan Sundt and Dylan Boday join IBM Power Champion Tom Huntington for a discussion on why Power10 technology is the right strategic investment if you run IBM i, AIX, or Linux. In this action-packed hour, Tom will share trends from the IBM i and AIX user communities while Dan and Dylan dive into the tech specs for key hardware, including:

  • Magic MarkTRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now!  Request Now.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericForms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericIT security is a top priority for businesses around the world, but most IBM i pros don’t know where to begin—and most cybersecurity experts don’t know IBM i. In this session, Robin Tatam explores the business impact of lax IBM i security, the top vulnerabilities putting IBM i at risk, and the steps you can take to protect your organization. If you’re looking to avoid unexpected downtime or corrupted data, you don’t want to miss this session.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericCan you trust all of your users all of the time? A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six months later. A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:

  • FORTRA Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAManaging messages on your IBM i can be more than a full-time job if you have to do it manually. Messages need a response and resources must be monitored—often over multiple systems and across platforms. How can you be sure you won’t miss important system events? Automate your message center with the Robot Message Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAThe thought of printing, distributing, and storing iSeries reports manually may reduce you to tears. Paper and labor costs associated with report generation can spiral out of control. Mountains of paper threaten to swamp your files. Robot automates report bursting, distribution, bundling, and archiving, and offers secure, selective online report viewing. Manage your reports with the Robot Report Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAFor over 30 years, Robot has been a leader in systems management for IBM i. With batch job creation and scheduling at its core, the Robot Job Scheduling Solution reduces the opportunity for human error and helps you maintain service levels, automating even the biggest, most complex runbooks. Manage your job schedule with the Robot Job Scheduling Solution. Key features include:

  • LANSA Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.

  • LANSAWhen it comes to creating your business applications, there are hundreds of coding platforms and programming languages to choose from. These options range from very complex traditional programming languages to Low-Code platforms where sometimes no traditional coding experience is needed. Download our whitepaper, The Power of Writing Code in a Low-Code Solution, and:

  • LANSASupply Chain is becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. From raw materials for manufacturing to food supply chains, the journey from source to production to delivery to consumers is marred with inefficiencies, manual processes, shortages, recalls, counterfeits, and scandals. In this webinar, we discuss how:

  • The MC Resource Centers bring you the widest selection of white papers, trial software, and on-demand webcasts for you to choose from. >> Review the list of White Papers, Trial Software or On-Demand Webcast at the MC Press Resource Center. >> Add the items to yru Cart and complet he checkout process and submit

  • Profound Logic Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.

  • SB Profound WC 5536Join us for this hour-long webcast that will explore:

  • Fortra IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn: