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Is video gaming a real sport? 17% of respondents in our multi-market poll say yes, 75% do not agree
The International Olympics Committee’s decision to explore Olympic Esports Games, which could launch as early as next year, provoked concern, confusion and cheer. While some called the move a ‘game-changer’, some expressed confusion over the esports titles included in the Olympics Esports Series last year and others simply didn’t deem esports ‘traditional’ enough to claim a spot at the Games.
In this piece, we gauge perceptions towards video gaming at large and see whether people from across 17 international markets see video gaming as a real sport.
Findings from the survey reveal that 17% respondents across markets say they view video gaming as a real sport, with men far more likely than women to say so (21% vs. 12%).
A majority (75%) disagree, and don’t see video gaming as a real sport.
By country
Respondents in India (30%) and the UAE (30%) are the most likely across markets to say they see video gaming as a real sport, followed by those in Singapore (23%), Hong Kong (23%) and Australia (21%). In Europe, Danes (17%) are the most likely to share this opinion about video gaming. Spain (9%) and Canada (9%) are right at the bottom of our list of markets where consumers are most likely to say video gaming is a real sport.
Respondents in Spain (86%) are the most likely across markets to say they do not view video gaming as a real sport, followed by those in Great Britain (83%) and Canada (82%).
Zeroing in on Great Britain, a piece we published on esports listed factors Britons consider essential to award the tag of a ‘real sport’ - physical skills, physical exertion, scoring system and strategic elements topped the list.
Similar proportions of Italians (81%) and French (81%) and Germans (80%) are of the same opinion. In Asia, nearly three fourths of Indonesians (74%) don’t see video gaming as a real sport - the most likely in this region to say so.
Americans account for the largest proportion of fence-sitters on the topic of video gaming being a real sport of not - 13% of them don’t know. A majority of them (75%) don’t view it as a real sport, while 12% of them do.
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Methodology: YouGov Surveys: Serviced provide quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. The data is based on surveys of adults aged 18+ years in 17 markets with sample sizes varying between 500 and 2040 for each market. All surveys were conducted online in January 2024. Data from each market uses a nationally representative sample apart from Mexico and India, which use urban representative samples, and Indonesia and Hong Kong, which use online representative samples. Learn more about YouGov Surveys: Serviced.