Two grown men are sitting in their living rooms staring intently at their computer screens, while clicking their mouse and tapping away on their keyboards. 

It looks like an afternoon work video call – but this is in fact TV coverage of the chess qualifying rounds for the 2023 Olympic E-sports Series. 

The two men are battling it out for a place at the event, which will take place in Singapore between June 22-25. It's the first time the International Olympic Committee – the body which decides which sports are contested at the Olympics – has incorporated gaming into its Olympic calendar. 

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The decision to include esports has attracted criticism from traditionalists who don't view gaming as legitimate athletic disciplines and hardcore esports fans who are unhappy with the 10 virtual games the IOC has opted for. We take a closer look at the event and its significance for the gaming and sporting community.

What is the Olympic E-sports Series?

The Olympics E-sports Series is a landmark global gaming sports competition. It has been created by the IOC in collaboration with international sports federations in different countries and gaming publishers.

The series officially began on March 1, when both professional and amateur players from around the world were invited to take part in qualification rounds across 10 featured sports. Nine of the 10 events are open to amateur and pro players, but takewondo is invitation only and only open to 16 of the best upcoming talents.

The Olympic E-sports Series 2023 will culminate in live, in-person finals for the first time, taking place at Singapore's Suntec Centre on June 22–25.

Why are E-sports fans unhappy?

E-sports have a global audience of millions of fans and that popularity has turned some of the world's best players into highly-paid superstars who often compete in sold-out stadiums for prize money that can reach several million dollars for a single event.

But the Olympic E-sports Series won't feature many of the most popular titles. Aside from the famous Fortnite, other shooters such as Counter Strike and Overwatch have been excluded because of the violent nature of the games, meaning some of E-sports' biggest stars won't participate at the Olympics. 

Instead, the IOC has opted to choose the following sports: archery (Tic Tac Bow), baseball (WBSC eBaseball: Power Pros), chess (Chess.com), cycling (Zwift), dance (Just Dance), motor sport (Gran Turismo), sailing (Virtual Regatta), shooting (ISSF Challenge featuring Fortnite), tennis (Tennis Clash), and taekwondo (Virtual Taekwondo).

Why has the IOC ignored E-sports' biggest games?

Some of the virtual sports the IOC has chosen are loosely based on their physical counterparts, which provides a neat link to the traditional athletic events promoted by the games, but there are several other reasons why the organization has opted for niche sports.

The IOC recently stated that its aim is to include E-sports whose competitors do not normally benefit from the same platform afforded to other high-profile competitions. This means that amateur players will have the chance to enjoy the same exposure afforded to esports' biggest names in other competitions.

The Olympic values, which promote inclusivity and a low technical barrier to entry, mean that games that require computers with high processing speeds have also been avoided to allow as many people to enter the qualification rounds as possible. 

Violence is also in opposition to the Olympics' value set, meaning shooting games, which are among the most popular with esports fans, have been excluded.

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