Gaming as an Olympic event? Hold your horses (and lizard-tongued dino steeds)

No, the Digital Games are not an official Olympic event. However, the Global Gaming League, an online-based social networking and tournament-hosting firm for gamers, actually purchased the rights to using the ring brand for this event. The next step, according to GGL CEO Ted Owen, is to one-up this accomplishment and actually become part of the Olympics.

Owen is not alone in advocating for this. World-wide gaming competitions are, after all, extremely popular, as well as very lucrative for some. For example, the world's top-ranked video gamer, a young man by the name of Jonathan Wendell, 27, has been earning a six-figure income annually out of what started off as a hobby for the last eight years. Wendell is another advocate for video games to join the world of competitive sports at the Olympics.

Wendell certainly does not come off as arrogant or immature. On radio the other day, I heard him eloquently and passionately argue his case, and I'm glad to see there are people out there who take our hobby this seriously.

I just don't buy it though. "Fatal1ty," as the champion gamer is known online, spoke of the fact that professionally competitive video gaming requires as much training and dedication as any currently recognized Olympic sport. He pointed out that most of the top-ranked gamers in the world are very athletic people who just happen to also be gamers, placing himself in this category.

I'm not sure exactly how he defines athletes. I'm not a sporty person, but I'd like to think of myself as fairly fit. I work out and/or go for a jog at least five times a week. However there's no way on earth I'd call myself an athlete based on that. Heck, even if I keep up with the schedule for the rest of my life (which is statistically unlikely), I still would not label myself as such.

I can certainly agree that competitve gaming requires excellent hand-eye co-ordination, good reflexes, the ability to think like your opponents and outsmart them, and even mental stamina.

No matter how you slice it, though, you can't deny the fact gamers do their thing while sitting down., frequently on a plush, comfortable couch or office chair. At best, they might be standing on their two feet, I suppose, immobile before their flickering screens.

Perhaps Wendell and Owen would be more convincing if they actually had back-up in the form of scientific data, or at least one or two renowned, independent exercise scientists comparing stress and duress from physical activities to playing games. After all, as earnest as the two sound, one can't help but think they both have an agenda, given their backgrounds. And no, M. Owen, telling me that playing 4 minutes of Wii Sports boxing burns more calories than a 20-minute jog is not "hard, scientific data." In fact, given your emphasis on strictly computer gaming for your Olympic bid, I'm not sure why you even think that tidbit of trivia would help you out anyway.



It would certainly be great to have competitive gamers and their hobby recognized. These are extremely hard-working people who take their business very seriously. I congratulate Wendell for coming along as far as he has, and hope he and others continue to show people exactly what competitive gaming is all about.



But they should do it on their own, not with the backing of the Olympic rings.