Today it was announced that the great City of Chicago has been announced as the US candidate for the 2016 Olympics and Paralympics. It is a proud day for my hometown, as it is long past time that Chicago gained the recognition that it deserves on the world stage. As we look forwards to the International Olympic Committee’s final decision in two years; I’m already looking a just bit further to the world of 2016.

Two Thousand and Sixteen! That’s a year that sounds more like “The Future” then just a point of time that’s yet to happen. Kinda like how out-there the year 2000 sounded back in 1982, It didn’t turn out all that special, for instance we don’t all have jetcars, but at least now according to what was written then, we’re not all dead from some terrible catastrophe that hadn’t happen. Of course, and the movie Ghostbusters 2 has a line describing the end of the world on Valentines Day of that year, which only goes to show the lengths that some people will go win the ultimate pyrrhic victory. (Note, while Ghostbusters 2 was not Godfather 2 by any means, points go to it for the use of an NES Advantage, the best controller ever, to operate the Statue of Liberty).

But back on topic, I’m a big fan of the Games, as it runs in my family (which contains both spectators and competitors) and I have seen the event change in many ways. From the proud ascendance of the noble sport of Curling, to the shocking fall of Baseball, to the baffling inclusion of the Trampoline, it’s the combination of tradition and change that makes the Olympics so fascinating. So is it that far out to think (or hope) that our noble hobby would be one day included as well? Therefore, I propose this: Gaming as an Olympic sport.

Now this is not a new idea, in fact for years it’s been a bad one. While professional gaming has grown as a sport in breadth and popularity, it still is fatally flawed at its core. For current competitions are waged using the games of today, games that in just eighteen months will be up on the wall at Funcoland (yes, I said Funcoland, I’m that old) and replaced with next outer-space FPS that comes along. The great Olympic sports, on the other hand, are timeless (the Shot Put has been done the same way for thousands of years) so the Olympic video game should be so as well. Therefore, it could only be PONG.

It’s the universal game. PONG is accessible, simple and possesses the kind of suspenseful action ending with a definitive resolution that is the hallmark of great sport. Therefore, I think it would be a worthy cause for gamers to lobby the international sporting community for the inclusion of PONG in the Olympics. It will be an excellent way to gain acclaim and legitimacy for our hobby, and escape the kind of hypocritical scorn that’s been foisted on us for years. And if we get PONG we’re one step closer to the real goal…the 2020 games in SimCity

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Back of the Bus is © 2007 by Seth “4:10” Robison, used with exclusive permission by gamertransit.com. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.