14 DAY TRIAL // Video games are getting larger and larger every day, slowly evolving and becoming a part of our daily lives. This doesn't end with normal people, as even celebrities and athletes have admitted that they like to unwind by playing a game.
Given the fact that gaming is a worldwide hobby and that a lot of people are doing it at a competitive level, should games be considered an Olympic activity? Wired posed this question to four athletes who are currently preparing for the 2010 Winter Olympics, and who posed for Sega's upcoming video game based on the competition.
While some of them even admitted to being gamers, others were quite hesitant in looking at video games in a realistic way. Kristina Groves, a Canadian speed skater, revealed that gaming couldn't be considered actually playing said sport, even though you mimic the moves. “I would say that I don't agree with gaming being included in the Olympics just because sport is a very physical domain. You can't just imitate the sport; the whole idea of sport is doing it.”
But US downhill skier Lindsey Vonn, pictured above, had this to say about games and Olympics: “"I think gaming should definitely be considered a competitive sport. It's like anything else. If there are people that want to compete, there should be a sport. Whether it should be in the Olympics or not, I don't know. [...] Maybe they can have their own Olympics; I'm sure they have their own world championships and stuff like that. Each sport has their own elite level of competition. [...] If gaming was an Olympic sport and a skiing game was one of the events, I would definitely try to win an Olympic medal in virtual skiing.”
Overall, the whole article is quite nice and is great to see just how Olympic athletes think about video games and how some of them even consider that competitive events are a great thing for the whole entertainment industry.