League of Legends Takes Center Stage at Asian Games 2018
By Zac Cameron ·
The recent Asian Games featured videogames for the first time, and League of Legends proved to be a major hit with viewers.
The Asian Games can be considered a mini-Olympics in terms of scope, with top athletes from the 45-member countries of the Olympic Council of Asia taking part in traditional competitions not out of place on the grand stage anywhere in the world. There was one small difference this year, with representatives from several esports also taking part in the event. One of the biggest draws ended up being the finals between South Korea and China, a showdown that highlighted the game to the region and the world.
The Grand Finals between China and South Korea were ultimately won by Chine, marking the second major international victory for the region over their South Korean rivals. But the truly astounding part of the story lies not in what happened on the stage, but what occurred off the stage. More than 1 Million viewers tuned in to watch the games on Twitch, easily surpassing other games at the time. Additionally, the matches also performed well on YouTube, and Korean streaming platform Afreeca TV.
Does this success mean that League of Legends is going to become an Olympic sport? Not right now, and possibly not ever, however this is a major step for esports in becoming a more widely recognized competition on par with other, more traditional sports.