FOREWORD: ON MAY 23, THE OLYMPIC COUNCIL OF ASIA (OCA) AND THE ASIAN ESPORTS FEDERATION (AESF) HELD A KICK-OFF CEREMONY TO OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCE THAT THE ROAD TO ASIAN GAMES, THE OFFICIAL ASIAN ESPORTS EVENT JOINTLY SPONSORED BY BOTH PARTIES, WILL OFFICIALLY LAND IN MACAO ON JUNE 15. Teams from 29 countries and regions in five regions across Asia will participate in exactly the same competition as the official competition of the Hangzhou Asian Games, competing fiercely in 7 sports: League of Legends, Peace Elite Asian Games Version, King of Glory Asian Games Version, DOTA 2, Dream Three Kingdoms 2, Street Fighter V, FIFA Online 4, and resulting in the official ranking of e-sports Asia in each event.
Just listening to this name, the vast majority of readers are afraid that they are a little unfamiliar, let's interpret this news in detail, so that everyone can understand the origin of this RTAG and what is worth paying attention to.
The first official independent esports event within the framework of sports discourse
First, let's take a look at what the official presentation of the event is.
ON 23 MAY, THE AONING COUNCIL OF ASIA (OCA) AND THE ASIAN E-SPORTS FEDERATION (AESF) HELD A KICK-OFF CEREMONY – OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCING THAT THE ROAD TO ASIAN GAMES, THE OFFICIAL ASIAN ESPORTS EVENT JOINTLY INITIATED BY BOTH PARTIES, WILL OFFICIALLY LAND IN MACAU ON JUNE 15. Teams from 29 countries and regions in five regions across Asia will participate in exactly the same competition as the official competition of the Hangzhou Asian Games, competing fiercely in 7 sports: League of Legends, Peace Elite Asian Games Version, King of Glory Asian Games Version, DOTA 2, Dream Three Kingdoms 2, Street Fighter V, FIFA Online 4, and resulting in the official ranking of e-sports Asia in each event.
At the launch ceremony of the Asian Games Journey Series, Huo Qigang, President of the Asian Electronic Sports Federation, said that the "2022 Asian Games Journey" enjoys the same reputation and uniqueness as the Asian Games, and is an event that can represent the highest level of electronic sports in Asian countries and regions, and its results will directly affect the seeding teams and groupings of the Asian Games. The "Asian Games Journey" is not only an outpost of the electronic sports events of the Asian Games, but also a stage for the teams to show their strength and popularity. We plan to make the Asian Games a long-term continental event, provide solutions for the selection of Asian esports teams from various countries and regions, and promote the sustainable development of esports in Asia.
From the above two official news, it is not difficult to find that the so-called "Asian Games Journey" is a comprehensive e-sports event jointly organized by OCA and AESF.
The most important thing is that unlike the common multi-purpose events (such as WCG) in the past, the organizer of this tournament is no longer an unknown third party without official endorsement. The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF) are both sports organizations with official backgrounds.
In particular, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), established in 1987, is the organization that oversees the Olympic Movement in Asia and is the plenipotentiary representative representing Asia in liaison with the IOC and other continental sports organizations. In the discourse framework of traditional sports, it is a solid Asian official sports organization.
OCA monogram
This is the first time that an independent esports event organized by such an official sports organization is the first in Asia. This undoubtedly symbolizes the closer relationship between e-sports and sports, and how e-sports can be incorporated into the sports event system in the subsequent hosting process will also be a continuous testing ground.
Outpost battle of the Asian Games
Aside from the long-term planning in the future, looking at the present, the most important role of the "Asian Games Journey" series at present is to exist as a precursor to the Hangzhou Asian Games. (Similar to the esports qualifiers at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta), which is why this event is closely related to the main group of the Asian Games.
In fact, as early as the end of 2021, the "Asian Games Journey" held an opening ceremony in Seoul, South Korea, when it was announced that this is mainly divided into three stages, namely domestic selection, regional competition, and the final decisive Asian Games.
Subsequently, Malaysia, Hong Kong, India and other countries and regions have actively participated in the first phase of the "Asian Games Journey", the main purpose of which is to select their respective team members.
Members of the Malaysian team were elected
However, due to the epidemic, the Hangzhou Asian Games were postponed for a year, and the series of events of the Asian Games Journey was also suspended, and it was only now that the second phase of the Asian Games Journey Series was officially announced to start in June.
Asian Games Journey English Official Website: Timetable
Divided into national team selection regional confrontation Asian Games stage
The upcoming competition in Macao is the second phase of the Asian Games Journey Series, where teams from 29 countries and regions in five regions across Asia will compete in exactly the same competition as the official competition of the Hangzhou Asian Games, competing in seven sports: League of Legends, Peace Elite Asian Games Edition, Glory of Kings Asian Games Edition, DOTA 2, Dream Three Kingdoms 2, Street Fighter V and FIFA Online 4, resulting in the official e-sports Asian rankings of each event.
It is worth noting that the events and standards of the Asian Games will be at the same frequency as the Asian Games, and when you watch the competition, it is equivalent to "previewing" the version of the competition that the Asian Games will use in advance.
According to the current news, the biggest difference from the original game is the Asian Games version of Peace Elite, the original battle royale mode has been completely replaced, similar to the way Fortnite was previously selected for Olympic Esports Week, Peace Elite's Asian Games version is based on real sports as a reference, in the e-sports scene to restore the competition confrontation of skydiving, cross-country racing, shooting a variety of competitive events, each game is participated by 4 teams, each team of 4 athletes, athletes need to drive vehicles for racing shooting competitions, The drive will pass through several guide points and urban areas, and the team that reaches the finish line first will win the race.
epilogue
From the perspective of esports development, the Asian Games Journey Series means that the official sports framework in Asia is constantly trying to embrace esports in the long run. If this event brand can develop in the long run, more countries will communicate with this new platform in the future, which will surely help Asia's traditional sports and e-sports industry to a more prosperous future.
For the participating team members and our audience, this event is more like a preview of the Hangzhou Asian Games, if you can't wait for the Asian Games in September and want to see if the Chinese athletes can win glory for the country in Hangzhou, it is better to take a look at the Asian Games competition and study the Asian Games version.
The specific schedule of the event is as follows
1. A certain salary and manuscript fee;
2. Opportunities to contact and interview big coffee and stars in the industry;
3. Opportunities to participate in and visit large-scale events at home and abroad;
4. Professional editing and journalist guidance, and priority recruitment as a formal editor under suitable conditions;
5. Flexible working hours and relaxed working atmosphere. Choose to work from home or come to the office together.