“Computer sports” is included in the register of officially recognized sports. After the decree comes into force, e-sportsmen will have the opportunity to receive the titles “Master of Sports of Russia”, “Master of Sports of International Class” and “Honored Master of Sports of Russia”.
Recognition of eSports in Russia
In 2001, Russia became one of the first countries to recognize computer game competitions as an official sports discipline. In 2006, eSports was excluded from the register: for the final recognition of the discipline as official, it was necessary that it actively develop in more than half of the Russian regions.
In addition, over the five years of existence in the registry, e-sportsmen have not managed to acquire a registered all-Russian physical culture and sports association.
This year, competitions in computer games have clearly reached a professional level: the Computer Sports Federation (FKS) of Russia, for the first time in a long time, announced open competitions in 2016 as part of the country's eSports Cup.
The winners of the tournament, the final of which will be held in October, will be able to receive a prize fund of 5 million rubles.
In addition to Russia, eSports is also popular in the USA, India, Mexico and Italy.
What is eSports
Typically esports teams consist of five to six people, but there are tournaments where players compete one-on-one.
The main requirement of any eSports game is the absence of randomness, since the team’s victory should depend solely on the skills of the athlete.
Nowadays, the list of e-sports disciplines is constantly updated with new games, including MOBA (“multiplayer online battle arena”), shooters, RTS (“real-time strategy”), sports simulations and other popular projects.
The history of esports dates back to 1997, when the first esports league, the CPL, was founded. At first, the disciplines of “computer sports” included exclusively shooters such as Quake and Counter-Strike, but later this list expanded to include fighting games and sports simulators.
What games are popular among eSports players?
DotA 2, LoL, HotS
Well-known MOBA games have the required qualities of an eSports discipline. The success of a team depends solely on the skills of all players, and the factor of luck and chance is kept to a minimum. In addition, these games are spectacular, thanks to which MOBA attracts an incredible number of spectators during the main championship.
At the same time, the prize pools of these games reach several million dollars, which contributes to the constant influx of new players into the camp of e-sportsmen.
Hearthstone
Blizzard's trading card game seemingly fails to satisfy the main requirement of esports games - the player receives cards from a deck in a random order.
But all this does not prevent the game from being an extremely popular eSports discipline, because the success of the match depends on the skills of the player himself, his ability to calculate the game several moves ahead. Additionally, Hearthstone is easy to learn, so even a beginner can enjoy following a match and understanding what's going on.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Esports began with Counter-Strike, and Valve has worked hard to ensure that even a decade later the game continues to exist as the best esports shooter. This game needs no introduction, even with the onslaught of other genres, CS:GO tournaments remain one of the most popular eSports events.
Mortal Kombat X
MKX championships can rightfully be called the most spectacular of all. There are many local and global competitions taking place around the world, which attract a large number of spectators precisely because the games are interesting to watch. In addition, the outcome of the fight always depends solely on the player’s skill and his ability to assess the battlefield.
It would be strange if the computer implementation of football did not become as popular as its real counterpart. At the same time, FIFA, like CS, became an e-sports discipline at the beginning of the 21st century. The FIFA organization itself hosts the FIFA Interactive World Cup championship, which has been running since 2004 to this day.
Investing in eSports
In October 2015, it became known that the holding of a Russian entrepreneur, USM Holdings, would invest about $100 million in the development of e-sports.
The funds were sent to ESforce Holding (then still called Virtus.pro Group), which is considered the largest Russian eSports community.
The company was born from the Virtus.pro team, which played the shooter Counter-Strike. Then players began to take part in competitions in Dota 2, Heroes of the Stor, World of Tanks, etc. USM explained that the goals of the funding are to popularize e-sports in Russia, launch new tournaments and build e-sports arenas. If last year Usmanov’s decision might have surprised, now it is becoming clear that the entrepreneur was the first to discover a new trend that could bring profit.
In March, the largest Chinese online retailer also bet on esports - together with the Singaporean company YuuZoo, the giant launched a series of esports tournaments with a prize fund of several billion dollars (for example, in CS:GO the prize fund was $1.5 billion).
One of the world's largest cyberstadiums is already being built in Moscow: in addition to halls for tournaments, training and communication with fans, there will also be a restaurant and a computer club with 180 seats. It is expected that the arena with an area of more than 5 thousand square meters. m will open in October near the Timiryazevskaya station.
Myths about esports athletes
One of the biggest misconceptions about esports athletes is that many people imagine them as weak, sickly young people who sit at the computer all day and do not communicate with the outside world.
In fact, a professional eSports player must also have decent physical fitness: together with the team, eSports players, along with training in computer games, go to the gym.
In addition, many athletes who become interested in computer games often play football or engage in other traditional sports disciplines at the same time.
It is also worth distinguishing between gamers and e-sportsmen - if gamers play games for entertainment and spend real money on their hobby, then for e-sportsmen games are more likely a source of income. Professionals constantly train, develop teamwork skills and often perceive the gameplay as something routine.
Official press release:
On June 7, 2016, an order of the Ministry of Sports was published on the inclusion of Computer Sports in the register of official sports of the Russian Federation. This is a long-awaited event for all fans of Computer Sports, which opens up the following opportunities:
- Holding official competitions
- Possibility of assigning sports categories based on sports rating
- Development of educational programs for the preparation of referee and coaching staff
Thus, computer sports are on a par with traditional sports such as football, hockey or basketball. This became possible thanks to the many years of activity of the Russian Computer Sports Federation in studying, popularizing, organizing and holding competitions in computer sports, as well as as a result of research activities on training athletes. The President of the Federation, Alexander Gorbachenko, comments on the recognition of computer sports:
Undoubtedly, today is a great holiday for all eSports fans. The status of an official sport places new demands on the activities of our Federation in terms of the quality of organization and conduct of competitions and increased social responsibility. First of all, we plan to focus our efforts on the development of computer sports in the regions of Russia - the Russian Cup in eSports will be the largest competition of the Federation in 2016.
Disciplines into which official eSports will be divided:
- three-dimensional shooters (3D shooter), simulation of combat between groups (teams) of players
- tactical-strategic game - in the game battles take place between armies of game units of players while simultaneously developing the parties
- team role-playing games with elements of tactical and strategic games. The player controls his individual model, developing it through interaction with the game space and models of other players
- technical simulators - automotive and aviation
- simulators of sports games (football, hockey, basketball)
Let us remind you that eSports was already recognized as an official sport in Russia on June 25, 2001. Then Russia became the first country to take this step. However, in July 2006, eSports was removed from this list because it did not meet the criteria necessary for inclusion in it.
We can only hope that this step will help the development of e-sports in Russia, and thanks to this we will reach a new level in which student leagues will develop and we will host more major tournaments.
: first-person shooters, real-time strategies, auto and flight simulators, team role-playing games with elements of tactical and strategic games, etc.
The prize pools up for grabs can reach several million US dollars. The Dota 2 tournament “The International” broke records for payouts several times: in 2016, $20.77 million was played out, in 2017 - $24.79.
Tournament games are broadcast live on the Internet, attracting an audience of millions. For example, the finals of The International 2015, according to data from TrackDota.com, were watched by more than 4.6 million viewers. In 2017, the esports audience will reach a total of approximately 385 million people worldwide.
The history of e-sports began with the game Doom 2, which had an online game mode via a local area network. Thanks to the popularity of the game Quake, the first cybersports league appeared in the United States in 1997, the Cyberathlete Professional League.
Story
The history of e-sports begins in 1997, when the CPL was founded, which made the first tournament in the Quake discipline. But the first game to feature co-op combat was Doom 2.
Recognition in Russia
Russia became the first country in the world to recognize eSports as an official sport. This happened on July 25, 2001 by order of the previous head of the State Sports Committee of Russia, Pavel Alekseevich Rozhkov.
After the change of leadership and renaming of the State Committee for Sports of Russia into the Federal Agency for Physical Culture and Sports, as well as in connection with the subsequent introduction of the All-Russian Register of Sports (VRVS), it was necessary to repeat the procedure for recognizing computer sports on March 12 by order of the head of the State Committee for Sports of Russia Vyacheslav Fetisov .
In July 2006, e-sports was excluded from the All-Russian Register of Sports due to the fact that it did not meet the criteria necessary for inclusion in this register: development in more than half of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and the presence of a duly registered all-Russian physical culture and sports association.
On April 13, 2017, Order of the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation dated March 16, 2017 No. 183 “On the recognition and inclusion of sports disciplines, types of sports in the All-Russian Register of Sports and amendments to the All-Russian Register of Sports” was registered with the Ministry of Justice of Russia. In accordance with this order, computer sports were transferred to the second section - “sports developed at the all-Russian level.” This means that it is possible to hold an official national championship in Russia, and the emergence of categories and titles in computer sports. This section also contains all the “traditional” sports - football, hockey, basketball, etc.
Since July 5, 2017, in accordance with the order of the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation No. 618, the accredited sports federation for the sport “computer sports” is the Computer Sports Federation of Russia.
Video on the topic
Competitions
E-sports competitions are held all over the world, including international ones. The most significant and analogous to the Olympic Games was the international tournament World Cyber Games (WCG), which was held in various countries from 2000 to 2013. In addition to the WCG, the Cyberathlete Professional League and Electronic Sports League are regularly held.
Today, the largest and most prestigious competitions are those held by game manufacturers themselves: for example, The International Dota 2 tournament or the League of Legends World Championship.
Semi-professional online leagues
In addition to competitions with a prize fund, there are a number of semi-professional leagues that organize competitions in the form of online cups and ladders. The most famous and widespread include ClanBase, ESL, etc.
Competition requirements
In accordance with the order of the Ministry of Sports of Russia No. 618 dated July 5, 2017, the right and responsibility to develop rules for the sport and submit them for approval to the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation are assigned to the Russian Computer Sports Federation.
In addition to the protocol, which confirms the fact of the tournament, there must be a team of referees, which consists of the chief referee and game referees (if there are several of them), linesmen, observers and technical referees.
It is necessary to create regulations regulating the activities of the athlete, coach and judge when implementing the process of sports training and conducting competitions remotely.
Rules
General
The winner of an eSports competition is the player or team that shows the best result in the final battle.
Disciplines
Any games cannot be used in eSports. For example, games that contain an element of chance that prevails over the factor of skill in the game are not suitable for competitions. Thus, games in the MOBA or RTS genres often fall into the category of eSports disciplines.
eSports in countries around the world
USA
In 2013, the League of Legends esports discipline was recognized as a real sport, and its participants as real athletes. This makes it easier for players from other countries to enter the United States through a simplified visa system.
CIS
Computer sports in Uzbekistan is officially recognized as a sport. As part of the recently concluded Asian Games 2018, Indonesia hosted an eSports tournament as a demonstration sport. The tournament was organized by the Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF), which includes federations from 45 Asian countries, including the Computer Sports Federation of Uzbekistan.
One of the largest eSports organizations in Russia was the National Professional eSports League (NPCL), which was created in 2004 and was engaged in organizing eSports competitions among professional gamers. For the first time in Russia, the NPCL used the show format for holding eSports matches, created one professional eSports club (already closed) and launched a regular championship, organized according to the principle of the largest sports leagues and associations. The league has now ceased to exist. [ ]
Esports organizations exist in several CIS countries, including Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine.
One of the largest tournaments in the CIS countries was ASUS Open [ ], held quarterly since 2003. Prize funds are among the largest among the CIS championships - up to 1 million rubles. The WCG qualifying games, the winners of which go to the World Cyber Games championship, are also one of the prestigious competitions of the CIS countries. At the moment, WCG has ceased its activities. TechLabs cup has taken a stable position among CIS cyber festivals since 2012 [ ] . Moscow, Minsk, Kyiv and Almaty are the four cities that have hosted the TechLabs team for the festival since 2010.
There are also various non-commercial tournaments, for example, RDL (Russian Duel League for Quake II). The largest individual StarCraft II league in Europe is the Russian project RSL - Russian Starcraft 2 League, organized by sc2tv.ru. The largest league in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, as well as Dota 2 for 2014 is the CSPL league. The main League of Legends competition in the CIS is the LCL.
The most influential people in the CIS
- Victor Kisly, founder of Wargaming Public Co Ltd
- Vladimir Nikolsky, Operations Director of Mail.Ru Group
- Dmitry Martynov, director of 1C-SoftClub
- Gevork Sargsyan, General Director of "Innova"
- Igor Matsanyuk, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Game Insight
- Sergey Orlovsky, founder and CEO of Nival
- Nikolay Katselapov, co-founder and co-owner of Wargaming Public Co Ltd
- Sergey Klish, general manager of Playstation for Russia
- And others.
However, it is worth noting that eSports is an independent part of the gaming industry, so this list does not mean that the individuals listed on it are also influential in eSports. In addition, the list is currently out of date as it does not include, e.g. Anton Cherepennikov- head of the largest e-sports holding in the CIS ESforce (which grew out of the Virtus.pro team), and Dmitry Smith- President of the Russian Computer Sports Federation.
India
In remote cities of India there is no Internet and computers, but at the same time in large cities there is no problem with this. For over a decade, Counter-Strike 1.6 was the dominant discipline and Indian teams regularly participated in the World Cyber Games Grand Final and Electronic Sports World Cup. The debut performance on the world stage was WCG 2002, where the TUI team lost all matches. The two most famous teams are ACID (participants in WCG 2003, WCG 2004, WCG 2005) and Team ATE. The most famous players: “r4iD” and “RiTz”.
Mexico
Due to Mexico's proximity to the United States, most gamers use consoles rather than computers. But among PC gamers, the most popular discipline is StarCraft II, which is supported by three organizations: Team Quetzal, Team Neo Forze and xGamers. Their success in the League of Legends discipline; 4th place at WCG 2013.
Italy
Team disciplines in Italy are weak, for example, in the WCG Counter-Strike and Dota 2 disciplines, Italian teams do not leave the group. But in individual disciplines they earned one medal at ESWC and ten at WCG.
The StarCraft II discipline is popular in Italy, dominated by three organizations: Old School Clan, InFerno eSports and Team Redbyte Italia.
Spain
Valencia became the first football club in Spain to create its own esports team. The management of the Spanish club spoke about this at a press conference that took place on June 7th. The club is going to open e-sports divisions in the following disciplines: Hearthstone, FIFA and Rocket League. They will soon be joined by a League of Legends roster.
Broadcast on television
E-sports are actively broadcast on sports channels. In 2007, on the sports channel 7TV, at the instigation of the National Professional E-Sports League, a broadcast of the Counter-Strike: Source season of the Russian Championship was broadcast, where 32 matches of Division A were shown once a week, each game.
eSports as one of the sports
An article about the formation of e-sports on the pages of the official website of the e-sports organization Team Empire proves that e-sports has achieved recognition as one of the sports disciplines, since the disciplines have long-established rules, the intellectual abilities of the participants are used, mandatory training is carried out, and, finally, interpersonal relationships are also well-established fact .
On January 27, at a special conference in Seoul, the Korea Electronic Sports Association (KeSPA) successfully promoted eSports to the ranks of second-tier sports disciplines. So far we are talking about the recognition of e-sports only by the Korean committee; to qualify for something serious, you need recognition from the IOC itself
Criticism
Electronic championships do not have a clear organization: one world tournament can be held monthly, therefore, more than one world champion can appear in each discipline per year.
Even major championships can delay payment of prize money to winners. For example, ACON5 2005 did not pay $5,000 to the German Counter-Strike team defusekids, which finished third. In response, one of the team members, Yannik Bindo, wrote an open letter describing the situation.
Esports betting
As a sport, bets are placed on eSports. To do this, there are many sites that allow you to bet both real money and in-game items.
E-sports is already surpassing some of the traditional sports in popularity. Competitions in CS:GO, Dota 2, League of Legends, Overwatch, Hearthstone and other disciplines attract millions of fans near the monitors. And the number of fans of computer battles is only growing.
Almost all bookmaker companies already offer their clients bets on eSports. They cover both large local events and semi-professional competitions.
It is suggested to place it on:
- main outcomes (1X2);
- results of rounds (maps);
- totals and handicaps on cards and frags;
- statistics of cards, players, long-term bets.
The odds are already comparable to classical sports. Leading bookmakers offer odds. in the region of 1.85-1.9 for equivalent outcomes of the event. All cash games are available in Live mode, that is, the bettor can bet while simultaneously watching the game.
Many bookmakers offer bonuses for betting on eSports, and are also constantly improving conditions for fans of computer games. Having deep knowledge of one of the disciplines, you can make good money on e-sports betting. This has already been proven by many experienced players.
Conducting competitions
Large competitions are held in special places where the public can watch the players sitting at the computers, and the progress of the match is monitored on a large screen where images from the players’ screens are broadcast. In South Korea, due to the large number of spectators, such competitions are held in stadiums. Smaller competitions are held in computer clubs and Internet cafes. In addition, there are online competitions that are held via the Internet.
Prize amounts
At major competitions, the prize fund reaches $1,000,000 or more. The largest win by 2005 was $150,000 - it was received by Jonathan Wendell, playing under the nickname “Fatal1ty” in competitions for the game Painkiller. Korean StarCraft players' salaries range from $20,000 to $600,000 per year.
In 2011, the Ukrainian team Na`Vi won the prize at The International Dota 2 tournament. They received $1,000,000 for the team (5 people).
In 2013, SK Telecom1 won approximately $1,000,000 in the RiotGames World Championship Season 3 League of Legends tournament. The season's prize fund was $2,050,000 per season divided among 14 teams.
There is also a prize fund for participating in a cosplay competition. For example, for Dota 2 fans it was $15,000.
Teams
Some types of computer games, such as Counter-Strike, are created only for team competition, while others allow you to play in both 1v1 and team-versus-team mode.
Federations and associations
There are several major eSports associations and federations in the world. If associations are called upon to improve and protect e-sports from the position of players, trying to increase salaries and establish some guarantees, then federations, on the contrary, are interested in the interests of spectators and the competitive part. It is the latter who set the rules and entertainment of the match.
Russian Computer Sports Federation
In accordance with Order of the Ministry of Sports of Russia No. 618 dated July 05, 2017, the FCC of Russia has the following rights and responsibilities:
In addition to other regulations and provisions, the FCC has issued methodological recommendations for teaching computer sports. It is recommended that you first master basic computer management skills. Afterwards, with the help of a trainer, the player learns how to control the game. It also regulates setting up a computer, watching games, developing tactics, improving playing techniques and special preparation for important competitions.
G7
WESA
On May 13, 2016, the World Esports Association (WESA) was created.
The association includes esports organizations Fnatic, Natus Vincere, EnVyUs, Virtus.Pro, G2 Esports, Faze, mousesports, Ninjas in Pajamas, Renegades, SK Gaming, Optic Gaming, Road To Success, Splyce and North, as well as the organizer of esports tournaments ESL
National Electronic Sports Commission (NeSC)
On March 23, 2013, the first meeting of the National Electronic Sports Commission was held, the purpose of which was to create a professional gaming environment with appropriate rules and responsibilities that are fair for both large organizations and newer and younger ones.
International e-Sports Federation
Notes
- Is eSports the sport of the future or entertainment? (Russian) . Retrieved June 6, 2018.
- Juho Hamari, Max Sjöblom. What is eSports and why do people watch it? (English) . Internet research, 27(2). Issue: 2, pp.211-232. Internet Research (2017). doi:10.1108/IntR-04-2016-0085.
- Official Internet portal of legal information. publication.pravo.gov.ru. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
- Esports as a profession. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
- E-sports is officially recognized as a sport in Russia. Match TV (June 8, 2016). Retrieved October 19, 2016.
- The Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation has recognized Computer Sports as an official sport in the Russian Federation. resp.su. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
- eSports: The Future of Video Game CompetitionsLA Local Business Blog. LA Local Business Blog. Retrieved October 19, 2016. (unavailable link)
- The International 2016. Valve Corporation DOTA2 Blog.
- The final prize pool for TI7 has become known. cybersport.ru. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
- Household-name ball sports athletes investing in eSports video game teams . Calistoga Sports. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
- Vladimir Chaika Everything you need to know about the Dota 2 World Championship // championat.com, archived copy
- Esports: A Guide to Competitive Video Gaming. Toptal.
- E-Sports: is it a sport? . Retrieved February 28, 2014.
- How Russia was the first in the world to recognize e-sports (Russian). Retrieved October 23, 2017.
- Order of the State Sports Committee of the Russian Federation dated July 25, 2001 No. 449 “On the introduction of sports into state physical education programs”
- Approved by order of the State Sports Committee of the Russian Federation dated April 14, 2003 No. 225 “On the list of sports recognized by the federal executive body in the field of physical culture and sports” with subsequent amendments.
- Order of the Federal Agency for Physical Culture and Sports dated July 4, 2006 No. 414 “On computer sports”
- Regulations “On the All-Russian Register of Sports (VRVS)” (approved by Order of the Federal Agency for Physical Culture, Sports and Tourism dated September 28, 2004 No. 273)
Esports should be considered a full-fledged sport, Estanguette believes: this is necessary so that the Olympic Games remain relevant for new generations. “We can’t say no right away,” he says. “Young people are interested in esports and things like that.” In 2024, the Games will be held in France, their program will begin to take shape in 2019.
E-sports are open competitions between users of such well-known computer games as Counter-Strike, StarCraft, Dota 2, League of Legends, Heroes of the Storm, World of Tanks, etc. The phenomenon is relatively new: although the first StarCraft competitions took place at the end of 1990 ies, such tournaments began to attract a large audience only in recent years. Organizers of sports competitions and players make money from sponsorship contracts, advertising, sales of broadcast rights, etc. According to Newzoo, in 2017, global eSports revenues will grow by 41% to $696 million, of which $517 million will come from advertising and sales of rights, the rest is revenue from the sale of tickets and branded products. Superdata estimates the market even higher, at about $1 billion (see chart).
In Russia, eSports is recognized as an official sports discipline this spring, meaning athletes will be able to receive sports titles and categories. This will make it possible to hold competitions and national championships in the future. It was in Russia that two e-sports transactions, among the largest in the world, took place: in 2015, Alisher Usmanov’s USM Holdings invested more than $100 million in e-sports tournament organizer Virtus.pro, and his partner Yuri Milner invested $26 million in Super Evil Megacorp. This company created Vainglory, a platform for eSports competitions from around the world.
E-sports is also gaining popularity among traditional media: competitions in this sport are broadcast on cable channels - American, Russian, etc. Last year, computer game competitions were shown by the 2x2 TV channel, last week Match TV announced the showing of the Dota 2 championship. The International 2017.
Ticket to the Games
According to the Olympic Charter, the program for each specific Games is approved by the IOC. Only those sports that accept and comply with the World Anti-Doping Code are allowed into the program. The IOC session selects sports, determines the criteria and conditions for inclusion in the program no later than the selection of the city that organizes these Games. The decision to include a discipline or type of competition in the program is made by the IOC Executive Committee no later than three years before the Olympic Games. The IOC Executive Committee consists of 16 people and is headed by IOC President Thomas Bach. There are no delegates from Russia in it.
“We expect that Match TV will be watched by more and more young people, so we continue to increase the volume of broadcasts of world-class cyber tournaments,” explained Match TV general producer Tina Kandelaki. By 2019, the global audience of eSports competitions will reach 303 million people, Superdata analysts predict. The majority of spectators of such competitions are men (85% of the audience), more than half of them are 18–25 years old.
World sports organizations are increasingly saying that e-sports should be equated with traditional sports. In 2018, e-sports will be included in the program of sports competitions of the Asian Olympic Games (held only in Asian countries by sport, like the main Olympic Games, competitions are supervised by the IOC). Here, companies will test eSports as a sport, and from 2022 it will be included in the main program. This means that Olympic medals will be awarded for victories in eSports. The organizers of the Asian Games explained their decision by the rapid growth and development of e-sports disciplines.
Adding e-sports to the program of the Olympic Games will not be easy due to the large number of technical nuances and the diversified development of e-sports, says Roman Chernyavsky, editor-in-chief of the e-sports broadcast channel Game Show TV. As a rule, championships are held under the auspices of one of the computer game developers or large e-sports organizations. For example, the publisher of Dota 2 is holding a tournament with the largest prize fund in the industry - more than $24 million. It is not known whether the IOC will choose one, two or more games to host the competition. Some games can be difficult for an unprepared viewer to understand, warns Chernyavsky, perhaps the only exception is Counter-Strike, the rules of which will be clear to many.
There are also difficulties with selecting teams from different countries - for example, in the Russian project Virtus.pro, the Counter-Strike team consists entirely of Polish athletes, and the Virtus.pro Dota 2 team consists of Russian and Ukrainian players. But there is also a good Russian Counter-Strike team – Gambit, which won the world championship this year, says Chernyavsky.
It is also not clear what requirements the IOC will impose on esports athletes. Now the team managers themselves make sure that e-sports players lead a healthy lifestyle and stay in shape - this is necessary to create the image of e-sports and break the stereotype that computer games are only interesting to people who do not take care of themselves, he says. But giving up doping, which means giving up the usual foods and drinks, could discourage esports athletes from participating in the Olympic Games. On the other hand, there is already experience when sports organizations hold e-sports tournaments, he says. For example, FIFA holds a world championship based on the computer game of the same name.
In the next 20 years, adding e-sports to the Olympic sports is almost impossible, says the founder of the gaming portal Kanobu, Gadzhi Makhtiev. The Olympic Committee is a fairly conservative body and will need to be convinced that this sport will be relevant for many years and will be able to generate stable income from advertising, he notes: “The e-sports industry is very young and dynamically developing, but this may not be enough for the IOC . They will carefully study how many athletes are involved in the sport, how many countries are involved, etc.”
site - about what will change in domestic computer competitions.
On June 7, an order was published on the legal information Internet portal to include “computer sports” in the register of official sports of the Russian Federation. It will come into force 10 days after publication, that is, June 17. However, the media learned about this only on the 8th.
“Computer sports” was included in the first section of the All-Russian Register of Sports. It includes those sports that are not national or “developed at the all-Russian level.”
“Undoubtedly, today is a great holiday for all eSports fans,” said Alexander Gorbachenko, President of the Computer Sports Federation. - The status of an official sport places new demands on the activities of our Federation in terms of the quality of organization and conduct of competitions and increased social responsibility. “First of all, we plan to focus our efforts on the development of computer sports in the regions of Russia - the Russian Cup in eSports will be the Federation’s largest competition in 2016.”
Computer Sports Federation - what is it?
The FCC has existed since 2001. In general, Russia was the first country to officially recognize eSports as a sport. However, in July 2006 he was excluded from the register due to non-compliance with the criteria. The FCC considers its goal to be the popularization of eSports competitions and the systematization of everything connected with it.
In addition, the Federation will hold amateur and semi-professional tournaments in the regions. It has no goal to compete with companies like Riot Games, Valve or Blizzard. The Russian eSports Cup is already taking place with the support of Yota in the disciplines Dota 2, CS:GO and Hearthstone. The total prize fund is 5 million rubles. 8 regions participate in it: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Mineralnye Vody, Vladivostok, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk and Krasnodar.
The main office of the FCC is located in the Victoria Plaza business center. Their door is adjacent to the ESforce holding, in which Alisher Usmanov invested. The final of the Russian Cup in eSports will be held in the fall at the Moscow arena, also built with money from ESforce.
What does recognition give?
The following points are mentioned on the FCC website: holding official competitions, the possibility of assigning sports categories based on sports ratings, as well as the development of educational programs for the preparation of referee and coaching staff.
That is, now e-sportsmen can receive the titles “Master of Sports of Russia”, “Master of Sports of International Class” and “Honored Master of Sports of Russia”. To do this, you must participate in FCS tournaments. At the moment, the complete list of requirements necessary to obtain a sports category is unknown. It is possible that professional gamers will have to pass GTO standards (note: Ready for work and defense - physical education program in Russia).
It is believed that after e-sports is recognized, money will be immediately allocated from the budget. This option is not excluded, but it is unlikely. In Russia, the state financially supports and develops only those sports that are considered Olympic. E-sports is not one of these, as it is a first category sport.
Nevertheless, the FCC can probably count on administrative and other assistance. For example, regional branches of the Federation may make requests to the Ministry of Sports with requests to update/supplement the material and technical base for computer sports. Thus, they can be allocated preferential premises (or assistance in finding) plus a budget for its repair, the purchase of equipment (in our case, computers) and be assigned preferential living conditions.
So, what about doping?
Nothing is clear about him yet. It is also not yet clear how mandatory the verification procedure will become for all professional gamers. Despite this, there are already active jokes on social networks about meldonium in the blood.
In the history of computer sports, only one case of doping use is widely known, or more precisely, Adderall (a drug that increases mental endurance, reaction and concentration). And then Corey “SEMPHIS” Friesen was smart enough to admit everything in an interview, and at the same time set him up. As a result, ESL promised to randomly check e-sportsmen.
Since then, the topic of doping has not been raised in the esports media.
We have a lot of competitive disciplines here, which of them are relevant?
Five categories are mentioned as disciplines:
- three-dimensional shooters (3D shooter), simulation of combat between groups (teams) of players;
- tactical-strategic game - in the game battles take place between armies of player units while simultaneously developing the parties;
- team role-playing games with elements of tactical and strategic games. The player controls his individual model, developing it through interaction with the game space and models of other players;
- technical simulators - automobile and aviation;
- simulators of sports games (football, hockey, basketball).
Currently, the site does not specify the names of the games. There is a possibility that there will only be one game in each category, since by law there must be one winner in the discipline. Thus, League of Legends and Dota 2, identical in genre, within the MOBA discipline, will not be able to simultaneously be recognized as sports.
The same goes for 3D shooters, which include a large number of games, but the choice will be made in favor of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive rather than Call of Duty or Battlefield. In the fifth category you have to choose between the FIFA or Pro Evoludtion Soccer series of football simulators. As a result, a conflict of interests may arise in the region, primarily among developers.
The card game Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft from Blizzard, which is one of the disciplines of the Russian Cup, does not fall into any of the five categories. It can be assumed that the game will not be included in the register, since the principle of equality of conditions is not observed, because the game has an element of chance. This means that Hearthstone players will not be considered athletes at the legislative level in accordance with Order No. 702 of September 2, 2013 “The procedure for recognizing sports, sports disciplines and including them in the All-Russian Register of Sports and the procedure for its maintenance.”
In addition, fighting games like Mortal Kombat X or Street Fighter 5 are left without attention.
What about transfers?
Regulation of transfers at a professional level is excluded. In esports, development companies independently control the situation in their disciplines. Intervention in this area will cause another conflict of interest. First of all, the owners of e-sports organizations will begin to be indignant.
What do all these confessions of yours really mean?
The most popular joke on the Internet was the phrase that “my mother’s I’m a cyber/athlete.” In fact, the recognition of eSports will allow young players to finally explain to their parents what they do. It will become easier for both of them psychologically. You can start talking about e-sports not as a child’s play, but as a serious activity, where there is a place for physical exercise, proper nutrition and many other things that are now ignored and simply not touched upon.
Ultimately, there is hope that the media will stop demonizing modern gamers: both those who play seriously and those who do it for fun. “Education” of parents should also become one of the goals of the Federation.
In addition, new sponsors from outside the IT sector will be attracted to esports, who are ready to invest in the industry, but do not yet fully understand how to approach it. It should be easier for both the teams and the competition organizers. The arrival of sponsors will not happen overnight, but now computer competitions in the eyes of the local market do not look like a gamble.
“Recognition of e-sports at the official level is an important step for both the state and the industry,” comments Yurko Banzai, PR Director of StarLadder, the largest organizer of e-competitions. - World practice shows that such a step can provide favorable conditions for the economic development of the sector. As a socially responsible company, we also hope that the recognition of eSports as a sports discipline will help parents of players better understand the characteristics of this culture. In addition, thanks to the legalization of e-sports, players, for example, will be able to protect their rights by uniting in trade unions.”
Over time, it will become easier for professional players too. The main problem in global esports is visas and the process of obtaining them. Russia is no exception in this regard. Before traveling to America for the Dota 2 World Championship, players constantly have difficulties obtaining documents.
“I think that it will be much easier to obtain visas and there will be fewer problems with the university at a minimum,” eSports player Ilya “Illidan” Pivtsaev expressed hope.
We also contacted the head of eSports at Riot Games in Russia and the CIS, Andrey Korshunov, to find out how the international corporation views the latest news.
- What will change for you, as a publisher and tournament organizer, after eSports is recognized as a sport?
This is very good news, first of all there is a legal status for professional e-sportsmen, similar to the status of professional athletes. In addition, support for this direction at the state level opens up new horizons and will help more confidently involve many important parties - sponsors, venues and other industry participants.
-Have the FCC contacted you before? What initiatives should we expect from them in the future?
We have a good level of cooperation with the FCC; once again we congratulate the organization on a very serious step in the development of the industry. From my point of view, the Federation is now at a very interesting and busy stage of development and projects. We hope to promote the legal status of e-sportsmen and the development of regional tournaments with the participation of League of Legends.
Is it necessary to specify at the legislative level what disciplines should be considered sports or can we do without it?
We believe that the current wording of the order and the voiced recognition are adequate and sufficient for the development of e-sports in Russia. The main questions now will not be in the area of disciplines, but in the general status of eSports events, tournaments, clubs, athletes and the associated ecosystem.
- Will this act of recognition be able to increase the popularity of e-sports in the country?
Of course, computer games are becoming part of a lifestyle, and official recognition of your hobby as a competitive sports discipline will increase interest in this topic.
Will there be a conflict of interest if the FCC decides to approve some initiative that will concern League of Legends, but you as a publisher are not happy with this?
I don’t think we have very similar fundamental tasks. The goal of the federation is to promote the development of eSports as a new type of competitive sports activity, and we see League of Legends as a sports discipline for decades to come!
Despite this, not everyone considers the recognition of eSports something outstanding. Team Empire management did not comment on the latest news, since “the topic requires additional study.”
Alexey Kondakov, owner of Vega Squadron, believes that nothing good should be expected for eSports now.
“Unfortunately, there is a whole gulf between the Federation and real professional athletes and organizations; neither one nor the other understands what each side represents. We don’t understand what the Federation is doing, they don’t understand what real professional e-sports is. So far these are two completely unrelated concepts. Let’s see how events develop,” Kondakov said.
