Recommendation Report: Gaming as an Olympic E-Sport

Final Report

Talal Ahmed: 60102018

Abdelrahman Khalid: 60103256

Sayed Ali: 60301812

University of Doha for Science and Technology

EFFL-1002-9

Instructor: Ridha Ben Rejeb

November – 13 - 2023
 E-sports is a competition between teams at the worldwide title
for a game and every company does a yearly tournament on their
own game and usually, the players are proficient at the game. There
are ample Esports tournaments organized yearly in various countries.
Qatar will select the best representative in the next e-sports
tournament. The following report will discuss 3 criteria of selection
to represent it criteria that we have to choose the players to
represent the national team and what the conditions and rules we
had.

The QESF was established in 2022 with the goal of promoting esports and

representing Qatar in international gaming competitions. Video gaming will be included as an

official event in the Summer Olympic Games for the first time in 2024. As a result, the QESF

must determine eligibility criteria for gamers wishing to try out for Qatar's national Olympic

gaming team. Esports refers to organized, competitive video gaming events and leagues

(Thiel & John, 2019). It has grown into a major industry and professional sport worldwide.

The International Olympic Committee voted to add esports to the 2024 Paris Olympics based

on gaming's popularity among youth, its development of physical and cognitive skills, and

the inclusiveness of its coed teams. A key consideration is how team eligibility standards can

align with the QESF mission of furthering inclusivity, gender equality, and non-violence.

This report will analyze different eligibility criteria to recommend the best approach. Figure 1

below shows how the QESF looks like.

 Solutions and criteria

This section will discuss each solution and evaluate it based on each criteria. Three

potential solutions for determining eligibility for Qatar's Olympic gaming team were identified:

basing eligibility on gaming expertise, intellectual ability, or age. To evaluate these options,

three key criteria were established: feasibility, objectivity, and accessibility. This section will

analyze how well each proposed solution meets the criteria to determine the optimal

approach for player selection.

Gaming Expertise

Basing eligibility on gaming expertise is highly feasible. There are established metrics

for assessing expertise such as rankings on leaderboards, tournament results, and hours

played. Data on players' expertise is readily available through tracking leaderboards and

competition records. Gaming expertise provides an objective measure of eligibility (Darvin et

al., 2020). Metrics like tournament placements reflect demonstrated skill levels. However,

bias could arise in selecting which tournaments and games to prioritize (Darvin et al., 2020).

Setting clear, predefined standards for evaluating expertise would promote objectivity.

Focusing on gaming expertise alone may limit accessibility. Factors like gender,

socioeconomic status, and geography can impact opportunities to gain expertise. Women and

minority gamers face additional barriers. Explicitly considering expertise across multiple

games and platforms could improve accessibility.

 Intellectual Ability

Using intellectual ability such as GPA or IQ scores would be feasible to implement.

Academic records or standardized test results could be submitted during the application

process. However, this information may not be available for all applicants. GPA and test

scores are considered objective measures of intellectual performance. Nonetheless, they have

biases regarding gender, race, disability status and access to education (Funk et al., 2018).

Weighing them too heavily could undermine objectivity. Over-prioritizing intellectual ability

would limit accessibility. Many strong gamers may not excel academically or have the

opportunity to take standardized tests. Access to education varies greatly. Relying heavily on

GPA or IQ would restrict applicant diversity.

Age

Setting age requirements for applicants would be very straightforward to implement.

Proof of age could be verified easily. Age ranges could be set based on categories used in

other Olympic sports. Age is a fully objective criterion for eligibility. There is no subjective

judgment or bias in determining an applicant's age (Thiel & John, 2019). Age limits would

significantly reduce accessibility. Many expert gamers are young. Excluding them would

prevent Qatar from fielding the most competitive team possible. Strict age requirements

exclude otherwise worthy applicants.

Analysis

To determine the best eligibility criteria for Qatar's Olympic gaming team, the

strengths and weaknesses of each potential solution will be evaluated against the

key criteria of feasibility, objectivity, and accessibility. This analysis will evaluate the
pros and cons of basing eligibility on gaming expertise, intellectual ability, and age.

Detailed discussion about the comparison of the solutions will come after Table 1.

Table 1: Selection Matrix

Solution Feasibility Fairness Accessibility

Gaming Does not necessarily limit

Easy to implement Fair
Expertise accessibility though it

Significantly reduces
Intellectua
using GPAs Fair accessibility
l Ability

Very easy to Greatly reduces accessibility

Age Fair
identify

Based on the analysis in the selection matrix, basing eligibility on gaming expertise

emerges as the strongest solution. While no approach is perfect across all criteria, gaming

expertise has high feasibility and the potential for objectivity while maintaining reasonable

accessibility. Standardized, unbiased means of evaluating expertise can be established to

further improve objectivity. Considering expertise across multiple platforms and games can

also enhance accessibility. Age and academic ability are more limiting. Therefore, basing

eligibility primarily on gaming expertise aligns most closely with QESF's mission of

inclusivity and gender equality while fielding Qatar's strongest possible Olympic gaming

team.
 Recommendation

Based on the criteria of feasibility, objectivity, and accessibility, it is recommended that

the Qatar Esports Federation base eligibility for its Olympic gaming team primarily on

applicants' gaming expertise. Basing eligibility on gaming expertise emerged as superior to

the alternatives of prioritizing intellectual ability or age. In comparison to focusing on

academic metrics like GPA, gaming expertise is a more direct measure of a competitor's

qualification in the relevant skills needed for esports. High GPAs do not necessarily correlate

with gaming talent. Furthermore, compared to age cutoffs, gaming expertise is a more

inclusive, equitable standard that provides opportunities based on demonstrated ability rather

than an arbitrary factor like age. Younger gamers who have developed expertise through

practice should not be excluded based solely on age. Because gaming expertise reflects the

specific abilities needed for excellence in esports, while avoiding biases that can arise from

academic or age criteria, it is the fairest and most effective way to determine which gamers

are most qualified to represent Qatar. This solution optimizes both gaming performance and

the Olympic values of merit-based competition and inclusivity.

 References

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An analysis of treatment discrimination and hostility in esport environments. Journal

of Athlete Development and Experience, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.25035/jade.02.01.03

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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smr.2017.07.008

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https://doi.org/10.1080/16138171.2018.1559019