Did you know that chess and bridge are being considered for inclusion in the 2020 Olympic Games? This came up again today as lawyers for the English Bridge Union made the next step in their ongoing argument with Sports England as to whether Bridge is a sport or not.
Frankly, it’s all a daft piece of semantics that seems to be inspired wholly by the extra funding that is available to sports and not games. Want some free money? You can see the attraction in the right term applying.
However, greed aside, it made me think. If I could pick one game to be added to the Olympics, what would it be? Naturally here, when I talk of games, I don’t mean sports 😉
To my mind chess and bridge are both rather uninspired options, but that’s just me. To avoid prejudicing your ideas any more I’ll bite my tongue on my thoughts on the matter, and listen to what you think first. So, ignoring practicalities, popularity or other considerations for a moment, what game would you choose to feature in the Olympics if you could choose one? Would it be a wargame, a board game, a computer game?
Which single game represents the best in gaming?
Quirkworthy 
Blood Bowl.
+1 for Blood Bowl. Considering over 900 coaches will participate in this year’s World Cup and the game has a ranking system similar to that of chess or golf, it’s a no-brainier imho.
Whilst it’s definitely popular, as a sports sim I think it’s just repeating what we’ve already got, which I think would be a missed opportunity.
Chess and Bridge are balanced… Bloodbowl is a very good game but not balanced.
definitly not in Olympic games or with only one team for everybody. 🙂
Wargame…a balanced one (which rules out quite a few!), equal points size although contestants get to pick their army.
If a sport is a combination of skill, physical effort and luck then wargaming matches – skill is obvious, luck from the dice / cards, and physical effort in the painting and basing!
So how about Olympic 36 point God of Battles? I’ll bring my Sea Elves!
Warhammer 40,000. A ruthless machine who’s only goal is making money. A perfect fit with the Olympics…
I see what you did there 🙂
Starcraft or Street Fighter, I guess. The Olympics is more about individual sports than team sports, and those two games might be the most competitive 1v1 computer games.
But I’m not sure that needs to happen, to be honest. Extreme sports pretty much decided to do their own thing (X-Games etc) instead of invading the Olympics, and they’re probably better of with it. I see it much more likely that e-sports also will do something similar to that instead of applying for the Olympics.
If we’re talking board games, chess is the obvious choice in my opinion!
Wargames are a hobby. No current wargames are fit for the Olympics. Except chess. (But that’s not the kind of wargame we’re talking about, I think 😉
If chess is viable, then why not go or shogi? And while we’re on old games, what about a mancala? I strongly disagree that chess is our only option.
This is an interesting question! I have several games that I love and or grew up with so it would be hard to narrow it down. I would almost want to make it an open event where each country gets to choose from a selection and challenge their opponent and then vice-a-versa. And also have a singles and team match with the same perimeters.
For example, Italy’s team competition against Argentina, Italy chooses Ticket to Ride and Argentina chooses a 40k Armageddon match.
For the singles, Italy’s captain chooses Dreadball and Argentina’s chooses Magic the Gathering.
Too broad? Maybe. But these are the Olympics we are talking about so these had better be some serious contenders.
It is a tricky choice.
I’m thinking not a sports game, because the Olympics has that, not a war game or something about killing as it’s not very Olympic spirit. I think guitar hero. It’s a test of physical skill, reflexes and rewards practice, it could be solo or team game (full band), objective scoring, language is no barrier to participating, and will be entertaining for spectators.
I like your thinking. Not the one I would choose, but a well argued contender.
Clearly it has to be Dreadball, although MTG or Dice Masters would be fun.
Somewhere a thousand meeples cry out in agony. Catan.
The Olympics is for sports.. so, none of them. The day chess and drafts makes it so should drinking and possibly, fornication. Both (can) make you sweat and some even have team games..
Synchronised swimming.
I rest my case.
Pass the Pigs.
😛
Sim city- a game version of what the IOC does when it chooses your city, so why not?
Monopoly. Any variation. It fits with the neoliberal, cutthroat capitalist vibe of the modern Olympics.
Risk because it recalls the imperialist/colonialist past of the titled eurotrash that form the IOC.
Hungry Hungry Hippos… cause it is the IOC (can u tell that I am no fan of the IOC?) 😉
Oooo…. politics 🙂
All forms of E-sports.