The Future of eSports

2020/01/20

In 2020, Japan will be in the global spotlight through the Olympics and Paralympics, making it a year defined by sports and culture. In addition to advanced technology, Japan is known for its traditional and pop culture, with pop culture such as manga, anime, games, music, and cosplay attracting young people worldwide. eSports is a type of pop culture game that Japan excels at, while also being viewed as a sport, and is a new field that has recently been expanding globally. Competitive games are projected onto large screens, and spectators watch the matches. Large-scale eSports events are held in sports stadiums and concert venues, with some tournaments drawing crowds of over 40,000 people. eSports tournaments are being held with the same level of excitement as a sports World Cup or a live concert.

Amidst this rapid growth, many challenges have been pointed out regarding current eSports, and this article will explain two points that need to be overcome. First, current eSports are competitions operated via game controllers. Because they compete on finger speed and accuracy, they are perceived more as games than as sports. The second challenge is the importance of an eSports perspective where anyone can participate as a sport that supports health. Currently, the relationship is one where the general public watches and cheers for matches between skilled players, and it cannot be said that it is a situation where anyone can participate. How eSports can evolve into a sport that everyone can participate in and enjoy in the future requires a perspective of inclusive design that realizes participation for all.

In considering the future of eSports, I would like to introduce research from the Graduate School of Media Design (KMD) aimed at realizing physicality and participation. The Graduate School of Media Design (KMD) collaborates with domestic and international universities and companies to develop new sports using advanced technology, naming this activity "Super Human Sports." In the Harry Potter novels, a sport called Quidditch appears, where teams compete while flying through the air on magic brooms. Like Quidditch, Super Human Sports proposes sports that use future advanced technology, showing the future of eSports.

A characteristic of Super Human Sports is that it involves actually moving the body. While current eSports, like many games, involve competing with hand and finger movements, Super Human Sports involves competing by moving the entire body. In starting research and development, the project team investigated various sports and Paralympic events, as well as new competitions and games, and held "Super Human Sports Hackathons" to work on developing Super Human Sports that make full use of advanced technology.

Hackathon participants went beyond research project members, with many participants gathering to form teams, generate ideas, and create prototypes. Competition proposals were made through the process of experiencing new sports. To date, numerous ideas have been born, and 22 new sports from among them have been introduced as certified competitions.

When viewing Super Human Sports from an inclusive design perspective, is it a sport that anyone can participate in and enjoy? The Super Human Sports project participates in related events and receives valuable feedback from event participants. For example, the Graduate School of Media Design (KMD) has co-hosted the "Super Welfare Expo," held annually in Shibuya since 2014, and has introduced research results from Super Human Sports. For instance, "Slide Rift" is a wheelchair competition where participants use power-assisted omnidirectional wheelchairs to compete using techniques such as drifting. Wheelchair users utilize their entire bodies to operate and express themselves through the wheelchair with great flair.

In the future, if advanced technology can supplement player skills and adjust difficulty levels, beginners and professional players will be able to compete against each other in Super Human Sports. Currently, competitions are divided into those for the Paralympics and those for the Olympics, but in the future, Paralympians and Olympians might be able to compete in the same event. I hope to see the emergence of participatory sports where anyone can enjoy sports regardless of their skill level.

On the day before this year's Paralympic opening ceremony, the Disability Innovation Summit 2020 Tokyo, an international conference co-hosted by the Global Disability Innovation Hub (GDI Hub) led by University College London, the Graduate School of Media Design (KMD), and the British Council, is scheduled to be held in Tokyo.

I hope that this research and practice will contribute to the future of eSports.