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Esports Face Uncertain Olympic Future Due to In-Game Violence

Esports encompass a massive array of online and console-based games, but the proliferation and popularity of first-person shooter titles could bar the modern sports genre from being included at future Olympic or Paralympic Games.

At the Asian Games in Indonesia last week, IOC President Thomas Bach said that “violent” esports do not fall in line with Olympic values, according to the AP, jeopardizing esports’ bid to be part of the world’s largest sporting event. Bach’s statement came while he was at a pan-Asian tournament where esports was making its debut as a “demonstration sport.”

Mashable argued that Bach’s statement glossed over esports as a broad category without regard for a more detailed look at what games are played.