The 19th Asian Games 2022, set to be held in Hangzhou in China was postponed earlier this year due to a COVID-19 scare in China at the time. But as of reports from yesterday, the new dates for Asian Games 2022 have been announced and it looks like the event is finally set to kick off.
Asian Games 2022 will feature esports for the first time in history
According to Chinese sources from Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of the popular app Twitter, it has been revealed that the Asian Games 2022 will be held from September 23 to October 8, 2022. What makes this year’s 19th Asian Games unique is that for the first time in history, esports will be included as an official medal event in a major international sports competition. The Games at Hangzhou will include 8 esteemed and popular esports games. Countries will contest for 3 medals, first place, second place, and third place.
Popular esports games including Arena Of Valor, DOTA 2, and PUBG Mobile will be featured
The games included are Arena Of Valor, DOTA 2, Dream Three Kingdom 2, FIFA, Hearthstone, League Of Legends, PUBG Mobile, and Street Fighter 5. It is pertinent to mention that contrary to people’s expectations, the PUBG Mobile event will not feature the trademark battle royale of PUBG. Instead, the game will be played in a specially designed PUBG Mobile Asian Games version, where players will compete in a triathlon in the game.
This decision has met with opposition from the fans, stating that the battle royale mode is the core game mode. They also stated that excluding it removes any sign of the game being included in the Games whatsoever.
As for the reason behind it, many reports say that the battle royale format is excluded because it involves killing other players. This is contrary to the idea of the Asian Games, that is, uniting the people of different countries and cultures.
Final Thoughts
The upcoming Asian Games 2022 is going to be an extremely important event for the gaming industry and esports. It will showcase the progress made in that field by proving that they can compete on par with physical and real-world sports. It will also provide an exciting new viewing experience for the audience. And if all goes well, there are rumors that esports might be included in the next Olympic Games as well.
What are your thoughts as new dates for Asian Games 2022 are announced? Let us know in the comments below!
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