Video games ready for the Olympic stage says Laurentian U. professor

Although Laurentian University professor Aaron Langille calls it a "mind stretcher," the Olympics could be seeing the addition of video games in time for its 2024 games.

But Langille, who teaches computer science and video game design at Laurentian, told CBC's Morning North there are more parallels between gamers and athletes than people realize.

"These athletes, they do train physically and mentally like traditional athletes would," Langille said.  "When e-sports athletes train, they will put in 40, 60 hours a week training."

If 40 hours a week sounds like a job, consider that many e-sport athletes earn a salary from sponsors, Langille said.

"A lot of e-sports players when they start professionally, they'll have small contracts," he said. "$12,000 for a three months contract isn't terrible. Some will make up to $50,000 a year as a base salary."

"There are also incentives for winning. The top players are making $2-3 million a year."

And the big salaries shouldn't come as any surprise to people who watch e-sport athletes compete online. Event organizers have been able to pack stadiums with fans who will watch players — or their avatars —  course through the game on a big screen.

"It's like a rock concert," Langille said. "It's a similar vibe, and it's very much like traditional sports. If you think about a basketball game, when a good shot is made or when a pass is intercepted, the crowd goes wild."

"You see the same effects when someone performs a good maneuver in [first person shooter game] Overwatch."

"This is the social part. Now, the social part is being moved into the virtual realm, where you can get 50,000 viewers watching you on screens sending avatars or emojis saying 'oops, you didn't make that jump.'"

"I think part of this is translatable to the larger stage of what's happening at the Olympics."