Bloomberg Best of the Year 2017: Attendees play Activision Blizzard Inc.'s Overwatch computer game at the AOC Open e-Sports event in Tokyo, Japan, on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Photographer: Akio Kon/Bloomberg
Forget swimming goggles and running cleats. As athletes gather for Asia’s biggest sporting event in Jakarta this week, much of the attention will be on computer mice and chunky headphones.
For the first time, the Asian Games – the Olympics equivalent for the world’s most populous continent – will include computer game competitions alongside swimming and track-and-field. Contestants from Saudi Arabia to Japan will battle for national pride and bragging rights across six titles, including League of Legends and StarCraft II in a huge marketing coup for publishers like Tencent Holdings Ltd and Activision Blizzard Inc.
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