E-sports were first introduced to the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou. They had already been adopted as a pilot event for the Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games in 2018, attracting young people's attention. Of course, it was enough to attract attention even if winners did not receive medal benefits because it was a pilot event. Originally, the World Cup, the Olympics, and the Asian Games were three major international festivals, but compared to the World Cup and the Olympics, the Asian Games gradually attracted more attention due to the introduction of e-sports. Therefore, Pharos wants to find out about the newly introduced e-sports.

 E-Sports, Which Were Officially Selected in 2022 

 E-sports were adopted as a pilot event for the first time at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games. This was like welcome rain to the Asian Games, which many had lost interest in. The Asian Games are world-class festivals such as the Olympics and the World Cup, but interest was significantly lower than that of the World Cup and the Olympics. The reason is that there are several unpopular events that people are not interested in. The Korean people are very interested in sports using balls. They attend ball games such as soccer, baseball, and volleyball with interest in the game schedule. Despite the Korean national team's participation in speculative events such as boxing and wrestling, including track and field, these are not very noticeable in Korea. Most people pass them by without even knowing when they get a medal. Of course, it is a difference in taste and it must be admitted that attention is focused only on star players and popular sports, but I feel a little disappointed. In a way, there is a media problem that is interested in as many sports as possible and is responsible for informing more people and the public, but it is also a problem that the sports community should collaborate to solve. Even as an international festival, the host country of the Asian Games returned its right to host the event because it was not seeing the light. As interest in the Asian Games is gradually decreasing, the introduction of e-sports, which has attracted young people and public attention, is a new attempt and should see a successful influx of viewers if it is conducted properly.

E-Sports Captivates the Public with the Influx of Young People 

 E-sports, which were adopted as an official event at the 2022 Asian Games, is already highly anticipated. It is a good way to attract public attention and attention to the Asian Games, which had originally garnered less interest. In the past, the perception of games was not so good because very few people succeeded in games, many believed that they could not succeed, and adults were reluctant to interfere with their children’s studies. However, in recent years, the perception of professional gamers has changed rapidly. The main reason for this is the emergence of world-class players and the emergence of the "League of Legends" game, which received attention from people around the world. This is also an important reason why it is currently attracting young people's attention to the Asian Games. "League of Legends" has been loved by people around the world and they have been playing for 10 years as a game version of the World Cup called "LOL World Cup." As such, the national competition has been held worldwide since 10 years ago, and star players have been loved by many. Therefore, players are gaining popularity among teenagers and some youth think of it as the most popular future job. And another interesting thing is that in e-sports, which were introduced on a trial basis in 2018, the players did not receive medal benefits or military exemptions even if they won, but most people expect the game to become more interesting as it was adopted as an official event in 2022. Accordingly, the newly introduced e-sports in 2022 became a welcome rain for the Asian Games, which had been losing its light. 

Pros and Cons of Introducing E-Sports at the Asian Games 

 Since e-sports were adopted as an official sport in 2022, many people have been positively watching the event, but some do not. As a clear effect, it is a good opportunity to attract young people's attention, raise the status of professional gamers, which is the current youth's dream, and change adults' perception of games. However, there are clearly disadvantages. 

 First, the continuity of the event is not guaranteed. There are many online games in the world, and there is a question of which games are adopted as official events. And games are also divided into contents and run in different ways, and it is not fair to select a specific game and adopt it as an official Asian Games event. And the game industry has changed rapidly to suit the atmosphere of the times. Every year, the ranking of the game changes and the trend quickly cools down. However, the Asian Games should usually be adopted as an official event two years before the event, but no one can predict how the game industry will change in two years. In other words, E-Sports must appear in a completely different form every four years when the competition is held, which is also a big problem. 

 Second, e-sports are not free public activities. Track and field, swimming, and gymnastics can be revised and supplemented by the International Federation, but e-sports is entirely determined by the method set by the game maker. It is against fairness to determine the presence or absence of medals based on rules set by game producers, not rules set by the International Federation for global competitions. In addition, soccer, basketball, and baseball are all free public activities. In other words, it is not a problem for these events to become events at the Asian Games or the Olympics. People who create e-sports events have to pay royalties because they are games provided by private companies. The biggest problem is paying private companies to adopt sports in international competitions. 

 A new event has been adopted for the 2022 Asian Games, drawing attention from many. Although it has the advantage of causing an influx of young people at a time when they are gradually losing interest in the Asian Games, some oppose it because it was adopted for continuity of events and financial reasons. The pros and cons of anything clearly exist. It is necessary to watch the Asian Games with a lot of interest as it tries new things. 

75th Reporter • KANG ROCK GI • krk1754@naver.com