- Over a month ago, the Commonwealth Games Federation opted to include esports in the 2022 Commonwealth Games
- It has now been announced that the three titles it will include are Rocket League, Dota 2 and eFootball
- The federation is bullish on appealing to younger audiences and plans to add esports as medal sports in the future
Rocket League, Dota 2, and eFootball are the three titles that will be included in the inaugural Commonwealth Esports Championships.
The Commonwealth Games Add Esports
Back in early February, the Commonwealth Games Federation announced its plans to include esports in the 2022 Commonwealth Games. While this decision was besmirched by some fans of traditional sports, the organization was firm that it wants to appeal to the younger generations.
The federation has now announced some of the video games that will be featured in the Commonwealth Games. Fans can expect to see competitions in Rocket League, Dota 2, and eFootball. There Commonwealth Games Federation has planned two categories for each game – women can opt to either join the female-exclusive category or participate in the open category which allows players of all genders and backgrounds.
The inaugural Commonwealth Esports Championships are scheduled for August 6 to 7 and will take place at the International Convention Center in Birmingham. Sadly, the Commonwealth Games Federation will not provide the winners with medals as the inclusion of esports is still experimental. If esports stick, the federation envisions including them as medal sports in the 2026 iteration of the event.
The Federation Acknowledges the Benefits of Esports
Katie Sadlier, the chief executive officer of the Commonwealth Games Federation, solemnly announced the addition of Rocket League, Dota 2, and eFootball as the first titles in the Commonwealth Esports Championships. She has huge expectations for the success of those events:
“There is no doubt this innovative and exciting event will create new learnings and opportunities for us to further explore esports,” Sadlier said.
Nigel Huddleston, the minister of the Commonwealth Games, added that the addition of esports is crucial as the federation seeks to attract more young people. He lauded esports for connecting the youth and providing them with entertainment and a “vital sense of community.”
It is good to see that more professional sporting leagues have started taking esports seriously. What is even more interesting is that the Commonwealth Games Federation does not express disapproval towards games depicting violence as it chose to include Dota 2. On the contrary, the first Olympic-licensed esports event, the Olympic Virtual Series, preferred to focus on titles that emulate real-life sports.
