'eSports should be an Olympic event' - WOW creator

Rob Pardo, former chief creative officer at Blizzard and lead designer on World of Warcraft, has said there's 'a good argument' for eSports to be included as an Olympic event.

He also argued that eSports were set aside from something like chess - a 'mind sport' that has never been allowed in the Olympics - owing to its need for quick reactions as well as strategic thinking.

"I think the way that you look at e-sports is that it's a very competitive skillset," Pardo said, "You look at these professional gamers and the reflexes are lightning quick and their having to make very quick decisions on the fly.

"When you look at their 'actions per minute', they're clearing over 300."

There was the obvious acknowledgement of eSports facing an uphill battle to be recognised - even defined as a sport - but it's something Pardo said is open to discussion: "If you want to define sport as something that takes a lot of physical exertion, then it's hard to argue that videogames should be a sport.

"But at the same time, when I'm looking at things that are already in the Olympics, I start questioning the definition."

Though it being an Olympic sport would mean eSports players wouldn't be able to take home the huge paycheques the pros do...