AESF was invited to speak at the forum "Shaping Tomorrow: The Evolution of the Sport Industry in Hong Kong," organized by Hong Kong Baptist University on 5th July 2024. Mr. Steve Kim presented on the "Future of Esports," offering a comprehensive understanding of key stakeholders in the esports community and emphasizing the importance of university partnerships in creating career pathways and opportunities for students.
As a pioneer in integrating esports into the Olympic movement, Mr. Kim highlighted the significance of Member Associations (MAs), publishers, athletes, and partners in education as essential stakeholders, noting their critical role in the esports ecosystem. He provided a historical overview of esports, particularly its inclusion in the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games, where certain game titles were modified to align with Olympic values, as seen with Peace Elite (also known as PUBG Mobile) and Arena of Valor. He mentioned that esports at the Asian Games made history for the Korean teams, who received exemptions from military service for winning gold medals.
This alignment received recognition from Thomas Bach, IOC President, leading to a push for the expedited inclusion of esports in the Olympic Games. The discussion around esports in the Olympics began in 2017 with the creation of the Esports Liaison Group, a group to continue communication and engagement between the Olympic Movement and esports and gaming stakeholders to identify areas of potential collaboration. Esports and digital technology are also seen as part of the Olympic Agenda 2020+5. This initiative led to the Olympic Esports Week 2023 held in Singapore. The 142nd IOC Session will be held during the Paris Olympic Games 2024, and the IOC Members will vote on the proposal for the creation of the "Olympic Esports Games" and is expected to be approved.
Mr. Kim further shared AESF’s plans to launch competitions in collaboration with National Federations (NFs) such as the AESF ASEAN University Championships and AESF e-Masters, contributing to intellectual property development within the esports community.
Two game titles, such as VR and Robot, were introduced as demonstration games at the 19th Asian Games to explore beyond competitive gaming. The introduction of Tennis VR at the East Asia Youth Games 2023 aimed to expand the esports sectors. AESF also recently launched a task force to study para esports and is developing a technical handbook for the ASEAN Para Games. Mr. Kim emphasized the effectiveness of esports training for brain development and the benefits it offers to the community.
The esports landscape has seen significant changes over the past 5-10 years. While predictions are challenging, looking ahead to the next 2-3 years, he envisions more national teams in the Olympics, strengthened and electrified. The goal remains to provide balance and benefits to the community through these initiatives.
In a panel discussion on "Synergies Between Academia and Industry," Mr. Jeff Lam discussed using AI to assist referees in making accurate judgments during esports competitions. Addressing match-fixing and gambling in esports, Mr. Sebastian Lau stressed the need to distinguish these issues and how AI can counter them. Jeff added that esports' digital nature facilitates anti-edoping measures to prevent the misuse of micro devices and detect suspicious activity, helping to combat match manipulation. Jeff concluded by emphasizing the importance of continuously recognizing esports as an official Olympic sport.