Digital Gaming to be at the Olympics

Traxata

Junior Administrator
Source = Clanbase.com

Digital Games Tournament to be Welcome Event at the Olympic Games
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by: KincaidThe full press release for the Digital Games is out:

"In a move that will start a new chapter in video game history, GGL Global Gaming today announced that it has signed an agreement with the China Internet Gaming Organizing Committee (CIG) to launch The Digital Games."

Under the Our Olympic Series of Large Scale Cultural Activities, GGL has been appointed the official partner and co-producer for making video games an official “Welcome Event” of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. The appointment was made by the 8 branches of the China Government that comprise the Beijing Olympic Welcome Events committee; known as “Our Olympic Organizing Committee” (OOOC) which is supervised by The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG).
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Gamers of all skill levels will compete for the opportunity to represent their country in a global tournament celebrating video games, the “2008 Digital Games”. The tournament will culminate with a Grand Finals event held in Shanghai (Home of Olympic Soccer).

GGL, the leading media company dedicated to expanding and delivering the culture of videogames to a worldwide audience, will host a series of official amateur online qualifying tournaments around the globe, across multiple gaming genres and platforms. GGL will also hold invitational competitions for professional and celebrity gamers – who will also face off at the welcome events hosted by the China Government leading into the Digital Games Shanghai finals.

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“The China Internet Gaming Organizing Committee is proud to be the first in digital sports history to recognize videogames as a competitive sport, and we are pleased to be working with GGL to elevate videogames – the 99th Official Sport of China – to the world stage,” said Fong Hong, Honorary General Secretary of the China Internet Gaming Organizing Committee. “Because of GGL’s global reach, content and community, brand recognition, technical capabilities, tournament expertise, strong ties with the gamer community and a rapidly growing Chinese presence, it was a natural fit when deciding who would be the perfect partner for this event.”

GGL is thrilled to partner with CIG and host a first-of-its-kind videogame tournament to elevate the culture of gaming to a world stage around the 2008 Summer Olympics in China,” said Ted Owen, Founder and Chairman, GGL Global Gaming. “The Golden Age of video games is here, and the ‘2008 Digital Games’ are the galvanizing moment that will both celebrate and legitimize the culture. Not only are video games the fastest growing mainstream form of entertainment in the world, they are quickly becoming a part of our culture and this is a natural way to embrace and celebrate this among this hard to reach younger demographic.”

Gamers who would like to compete for a chance to represent their country can register at www.ggl.com. Qualifying tournaments will continue through the summer and take place across a variety of gaming genres – such as first-person shooters, sports, real-time strategy, action-adventure and puzzle games. Top players will compete in a series of matches where the winner will earn a seat on their country’s first Digital Games team.

At the end of the qualifying tournaments, the top players from each country will face off in Shanghai. GGL, CIG and OOOC selected Shanghai as the host city for the video game tournament to take advantage of the large expected media and spectator turnout for the Olympic soccer matches and other medal events to be held there at the same time.

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“Video games have become an incredibly popular form of mainstream entertainment throughout the Asia-Pacific region and the rest of the world. They are an established and accepted part of the region’s culture, and in many cases the top players enjoy the same recognition and status as today’s top sports athletes,” said Fong Hong. “For this reason, it was appropriate that the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing embrace the idea of making videogames an official Welcome Event, with the hope that our vision will set the stage for similar events at future Olympic Games.”

GGL is the world’s leading social networking destination for the global community of video game enthusiasts, and is filling a much-needed void in the industry through its unique brand of gaming focused programming and sports and celebrity leagues. GGL’s unique social networking platform caters to players’ varied competition needs, bringing together enthusiasts from all walks of life including amateurs, professionals, celebrities and sports stars.

About GGL Global Gaming
About GGL Global Gaming
GGL is a worldwide leader in videogame competition, community and coverage. With 10 million unique visits per month, GGL is the top destination for the global community of videogame enthusiasts and its culture. Via the company's unique social gaming network platform, GGL caters to gaming’s varied competition needs, and broad array of video content that fills a much-needed void in the entertainment space. Through these offerings, GGL creates an immersive entertainment experience for a rapidly growing community of connected gamers. For more information, visit www.ggl.com.


About China Internet Gaming Organizing Committee (CIG)
About China Internet Gaming Organizing Committee (CIG)
CIG is a comprehensive activity launched by the Ministry of Information Industry, supported by all telecommunication operators, and organized by PPTNA (group) under the MII and China Internet Association and its content includes online games, exhibition, forum, and summit meetings. CIG is launched in a style popular in communities and provides an open, interactive, promotional, cooperative and win-win platform for governmental departments and industry associations as well as operators and mass consumers. CIG is a national Internet gaming with the highest level, most famous participators and widest range in China. It, serving the electronic gaming concepts, healthy and intellectual spirits, Internet gaming alliance co-construction as the tenet, endeavors to standardize the online games market, build the “state” Internet gaming trademarks, establish the “Oscar Award” in Chinese Internet gaming industry—Golden Finger Award, and then facilitate the prosperity and development in Internet gaming industry climate. Due to the successful holding of CIG 2002, CIG 2003, CIG 2004, CIG 2006 and CIG 2006, GIG will be opened regularly each year. CIG, continuing to persist in the tenet of “open, cooperative, mutual beneficial and double win” and the digital entertainment concepts of “green games and healthy life”, will contribute to the healthy and harmonious development of the digital entertainment industry in China which takes the net games as the core. CIG also concerns the public welfare and would like to contribute to propagandize the hi-tech Olympics, people's Olympics on the basis of the expertise in the digital entertainment field and the wide influence in the youth and by means of the digital Olympics.


About OOOC
 

VibroAxe

Junior Administrator
its kinda cool that digital gaming is getting recognition. Can't see me entering this but it'd be real good t see it at the olympics. Intruiged to see how this plays out!
 

Traxata

Junior Administrator
I thought I'd bump this up again to re-spark some more comments because it sort of stopped dead before :p

I think that China's probably a good place to start this off to see how it goes because they already have Digital Gaming on TV as it is, this is just another step to show the world that its becoming an actual sport. We know that its a sort of sport because we play it, most people are like thats not a sport etc etc, but how can you say that when shooting clay pidgeons is considered an olympic sport?
 

Nanor

Well-Known Member
Korea seems like a more reasonable place.

To be honest this in an amazing idea. I yearn for the day when I can say in public "I AM IN A GAMING CLAN!".
 

waterproofbob

Junior Administrator
It's not a sport and never will be. Well I guess DDR could be a sport but sport is defined

Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.

Clay pigeon shooting is considerably more exerting than PC gaming. I personally don't like the idea of gaming being in the olympics. In some ways sure it elevates the ideal of a pro gamer and what have you but I think it takes away from the event. I'm more than happy for there to be a massive gaming championship there but I don't think it should be an olympic event.
 

Tetsuo_Shima

In Cryo Sleep
this is just another step to show the world that its becoming an actual sport. We know that its a sort of sport because we play it, most people are like thats not a sport etc etc

Technically, going by the dictionary sense of the word, videogaming is entitled to share the tag of 'sport' as much as football, boxing or running. However, Dairylea slices can also technically be considered as 'cheese' even though they are manky filth ridden pieces of barely chewable plastic.

Personally, I think the idea of referring to videogames as 'sport', in an attempt to take the geeky, unhealthy antisocial edge off of it, is just plain sad. For me, videogaming falls under the same bracket as snooker, darts or poker - it's a pastime and not a sport. How can anyone call slouching in a chair tapping buttons all day, in the dark with the curtains closed, eating packets of crisps and Mars bars and making your eyes go skewiff a sport? Come on to grippers now, people.

waterproofbob said:
I'm more than happy for there to be a massive gaming championship there but I don't think it should be an olympic event.

Tru dat negro.
 

Traxata

Junior Administrator
I dont think its an Olympic event in its own right, I think its just jumping on the band wagon after reading through that block of text, which would indicate that it is somewhat flawed
 
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