Olympics Planning for Esports Competitions, Rainbow 6 Caster Quits R6 Over Toxicity, Nintendo Direct
Esports has been included in the next Olympic Agenda according to the IOC, and what that could mean when it comes to how soon until it means that you can see an Olympic esports competition at the next Olympic games. Plus, a Rainbow Six caster quits streaming because of the constant toxicity and threats of assault that were given to her just because she was a woman playing a video game. And, Nintendo announces a surprise Direct for the 17th of February, and what it could be discussing.
Esports Included in Next Olympics Agenda
Esports are moving closer and closer to being on a level playing field with traditional sports when it comes to inclusion after it was announced that the Olympics have included esports in their agenda for the next Olympics. While the move is pretty exciting, it isn’t a guarantee that you will see people with controllers wearing a gold medal at the next Olympics. The announcement was light on details, as it was buried underneath the roadmap for the 2025 Olympics, something that is still up in the air thanks to COVID and the possible delay of the Tokyo Olympics.
Rainbow Six Caster Quits Over Toxicity and Threats
The world of video games is still not ready to embrace women, a very depressing situation when you talk about the story of Jessica ‘Jess’ Bolden, a Rainbow Six caster who recently quit streaming the game after being inundated by harassment and even threats of violence just for playing a game most would consider her a professional at. A professional Siege caster, Jess has been in the R6 community for a long time, so it came as a shock when she announced that she would be taking a step back from streaming the game in a personal capacity due to the abuse she was enduring. She announced it in a video posted to her Twitter this week.
Nintendo Announces Surprise Direct About Smash Bros and More
The next Nintendo Direct has been announced and Nintendo may have revealed future plans just by scheduling it when they did. The Direct, which will be around 50 minutes long, is set to focus on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as well as quote “upcoming games” in the first half of 2021.
While that may have been light on the details, it coincides with the usual front half of the year dump that Nintendo is notorious for. It could include games like Bravely Default 2, New Pokemon Snap, Monster Hunter: Rise (all of which are scheduled for the first half of 2021 already), and even possibly announcing a new Zelda game, since the 35th anniversary of the franchise happens this year.