1International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
International Esports
Referee AcademyIN
TERNATIONAL
ESPORTS
REFEREE
ACADEMY
Common Subjects
Play and GameHistory of GameMechanism of GameEsportsInternational Esports FederationTechnical Elements of Competition
006021058071 086094
01
CONTENTS
7International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Diversity on Definition of Play
Play is the aimless expenditure of exuberant energy.
- By Friedrich Schiller
Play is whatever is done spontaneously and for its own sake.
- By George Santayana
…play creates a zone of proximal development of the child. In play a child always
behaves beyond his average age.
- By Lev Vygotsky
Play is free movement within a more rigid structure.
- By Katie Salen & Eric Zimmerman
Sandplay
8
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Diversity on Definition of Game
A game is a closed, formal system that engages players in a structured conflict, and
resolves in an unequal outcome.
- By Tracy Fullerton, Chris Swain and Steven Hoffman
A game is a series of meaningful choices.
- By Sid Meier
A game is a … domain of contrived contingency that generates interpretable outcomes.
- By Thomas Mallaby
A game is a problem-solving activity, approached with a playful attitude.
- By Jesse Schell
Chess Game
Play and Game
9International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Diversity on Definition of Referee
In Esports competition, the significant importance lies on role of the referee, and
the position as well as the role is crucial in order for the games to run smoothly and
fairly.
The referee should be well aware of the schedule of the competition and arrive at
the right location beforehand to prepare for the games according to the directions of
the organization committee and the chief referee; after being informed of the game
method, the rules and safety guidelines to observe as the referee by the representative
of the game and techniques, the referee should wait as one check on the facilities,
and so on.
1. The referee with fairness and consistency
- The referee should apply the rules in the same manner regardless of the nationality
of the players and/or game events
- The referee should not infer or predict anything in regards of violations; one should
check directly with one’s own eyes
- The referee should make quick and firm judgements
- The referee should possess fairness and consistency
2. Acquirement of regulations and experience through participation in referee job
training
- The referee should participate in games after completing the referee yearly
supplement training held by the federation
- The supplement training includes the update training in accordance with the
changes of game event patches and regulations
3. The desirable attitude of the referee
- The referee should maintain strict relationships with the players and coaches
during games
- The referee should fulfill their roles with confidence and sense of duty
- The referee should admit their mistakes in case of any bad call
- The referee should refrain from coaching the players
- The referee should remain fair to all players
- The referee should retain the regulated attire
10
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Referee
Baseball and softball
A second base umpire at a baseball game.
In baseball and softball, there is commonly a head umpire (also known as a plate
umpire) who is in charge of calling balls and strikes from behind the plate, who is
assisted by one, two, three, or five field umpires who make calls on their specific
bases (or with five umpires the bases and the outfield). On any question, the head
umpire has the final call.
Basketball
A college basketball official making a call.
In international basketball and in college basketball, the referee is the lead official
in a game, and is assisted by either one or two umpires. In the National Basketball
Association, the lead official is referred to by the term crew chief and the two other
officials are referees. All of the officials in a basketball game are generally accepted
to have the same authority as the lead official and therefore they are collectively
known as the officials or referees.
Boxing
A boxing referee counting a boxer.
In boxing, a referee is the person who enforces the rules during the fight. He gives
instructions to the fighters, starts and stops the count when a competitor is down,
and makes the determination to stop a fight when a competitor cannot continue
without endangering one’s health.
Source: Sports referee by Wikipedia
Play and Game
11International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Definition of Play
Psychology and physiology both observe, describe, and explain the act of playing in
animals, children, and adults. These studies determine the essence and definition
of play, and the position of play in daily life. This position, definition, and utility are
considered a significant function of play, and thus is the starting point of scientific
research. There have been various attempts to define the biological function of play.
While some define the origin and fundamentality of play as an eruption of left-over
life energy, some translate ‘the instinct of imitation’ as “satisfaction” or “releasing
of tension”. Some explain play as a method of training for children to prepare them
for serious tasks they would encounter in adulthood, and others argue that play is an
innate impulse which commands to perform a distinct feature, or desire to command
or compete with others. Some studies define play as “release”, functioning as a
channel through which to emit harmful desires, and other theories also define play
as a revival of used-up energy, “satisfaction of wishes”, or a fabricated concept which
sustains the sense of personal value.
These hypotheses all have one idea in common: play provides service to something
other than itself, and serves biological purposes. These theories question the reason
and objectives of play, and the various explanations of these theories overlap, rather
than being clearly distinguished. Although all these definitions do not contradict
with each other, they do not lead to a practical understanding of the concept of play.
These explanations are only a partial solution to the issue.
Should a single explanation among this pool of theories be actually decisive, other
definitions should all be eliminated, or if not, collected in a higher degree of unity.
The existing explanations deal with the definition of play ‘itself’ or what it means to
those involved in play, only in a superficial manner. These theories only deal with
the issues of play in quantitative methods of empirical science, rather than focusing
on the aesthetic characteristics, thus leaving out the primary characteristics of play.
Some questions that counter-argue such various ‘explanations’ are: ‘what is the ‘fun’
in playing?’, ‘Why does a child scream in joy?’, ‘Why does a gambler gamble?’,
‘Why do fans go fanatic at soccer games?’. Biological analyses cannot explain the
human enthusiasm and absorption in playing, although the very basic and instinctive
characteristics lie in this enthusiasm, absorption, and frenzy. Nature could have
provided us with mechanical activity for relieving stress after hard work, training for
12
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
preparation of future, or compensation of unfulfilled fantasy. Rather, it provided us
with play, equipped with tension, entertainment, and fun.
The element of ‘fun’ in play, mentioned later on, refuses to be analyzed or logically
translated, and when seen as a single concept, cannot be explained as a psychological
category. There are no other words which are identical in meaning to the English
word for fun. ‘Aardigkeit’, a Dutch word, is considered the most similar, and ‘aard’
has the same meaning as the German word for Art(nature) or Wesen (noumenon),
which proves that this issue cannot be explained through categorization.
The word ‘fun’ is a rather recent word. There are no words which correspond to it in
French, and the most similar word would be the combination of German words Spass
and Witz. In any case, the component of ‘fun’ is what defines the essence of play.
Here we encounter the first category of life, which is familiar to anyone, and can even
be found in animals. In the modern sense, ‘play’ is a general phenomenon, and so it
is important to understand and evaluate the totality of play.
The reality where play occurs exceeds the boundary of human life, and so it is
difficult to find its basis under rationality, as doing so can confine play within
human boundaries. The phenomenon of play is not linked with a particular stage
of civilization or world view. Any man of intelligence can discover that play itself is
independent, although one’s mother tongue does not have the word for such general
concept. The phenomenon of play cannot be objected, unlike the serious but abstract
concepts of justice, beauty, goodness, or mind.
Acknowledging the presence of play means to acknowledge the presence of mind
(spirit). Play is not an object, regardless of how it is defined. Play exceeds the
boundary of matter, even in the world of animals. Play is a superficial activity when
seen through a perspective where absolute power determines consequences. Play is
valid, imaginable and understandable, when the ‘mind’ flows in and breaks apart
the absolute determinism of the universe. The presence of play endlessly proves the
meta logic characteristics of humane situations.
Animals are more than a mechanical object because they can engage in play. We
humans play, and we know it. This irrational characteristics of play is what makes us
more than a rational being.
Play and Game
13International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
General Characteristics of Play
Playing is always a voluntary activity. Playing under command is no longer true play,
but merely an imitation. This voluntary (free) quality alone sets play apart from
natural processes. By adding to the natural process, play blooms, embellishes and
manifests itself. The “freedom” referred hereto should be interpreted in the broad
sense of freedom that excludes the problem of philosophical determinism. Children
and animals engage in play because it is fun, and their freedom is inherent in such
activities.
Even so, for adults or those with responsibility, play is a function that they can
cease at any time. Play is a superficial activity, and the necessity thereof is directly
proportional to the desire to enjoy play. Play can be delayed or suspended at any
time. It is not something required for physical necessity or moral obligation. In other
words, play is an activity of freedom, and freedom itself.
The second characteristic of play is that it falls outside the boundaries of “ordinary”
or “actual” life. As an activity beyond the “actual” life, play falls into the area of
transient activity that has its own set of tendencies. All children are aware that to play
something (e.g. play house) means “only pretending” and that it is “only for fun.”
All scholars point to “disinterestedness” as a morphological characteristic of play.
As play is not part of “ordinary” life, it falls beyond the scope of the proposition of
the satisfaction of necessity and desire, and therefore disrupts the process of desire
in everyday life. Play is a transient activity that provides satisfaction through the
activity itself, which is the full extent of the purpose that play serves. Play primarily
manifests itself to people in such a way.
Once play begins, it stops at an appropriate moment. Play unfolds for a certain amount
of time and then ends on its own. While play is taking place, everything takes the
form of movement, change, alternation, connection, fusion, and separation. However,
when it comes to the constraint of time, play takes on an even more uncanny trait.
Once a certain amount of time has surpassed, play takes on a fixed form as a cultural
phenomenon. Once play has taken place, it is retained and treasured in memory as a
new creation discovered by the mind. Further down the line, this play can become a
tradition. Whether it is “child’s play,” chess, or regularly performed mystic religious
rites, play can be repeated at any time. This function of repetition is one of the
fundamental characteristics of play. It applies not only to play overall, but also within
14
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
the internal structure thereof. Repetition and alternation (like a “chorus” of a song)
crisscross to form the fabric of high forms of play.
What is more astounding than the limitation of time is the limitation of space. All
play involves movement, and prepares the space for the play beforehand. Just as there
is no morphological difference between play and rituals, it is difficult to differentiate
between a “sacred place” and a play area. In terms of form and function, an arena,
card table, magic circle, shrine, stage, screen, tennis court, and even judicial courts
are playgrounds. In other words, they are all forbidden and restricted space, a sacred
ground fenced in by special set of rules. Such playground is a transient world that
finds its place in the ordinary; it is a space in which the participants commit their
utmost to act out a specific set of behaviors.
Within the playground, a specific yet absolute order rules over the space. Here, we
can discover another characteristic of play. Play first creates an order, then becomes
an order of its own. This brings tentative and limited perfection to the instable
world and chaotic quotidian life. Play is in itself elevated and requires absolute order.
Straying from this order even a little can “ruin the game,” dispel the characteristic of
the play and render the endeavor valueless. As play is so deeply related with order,
it becomes a part of an aesthetic. Play has a tendency to try to become beautiful.
Such aesthetic element is identical to the impulse to create an orderly form, which is
imbued in every aspect of play. Many of the terms used to describe elements of play
are also used to describe elements of beauty.
Tension takes an important role in play. Tension indicates uncertainty contingency.
It elicits the effort to determine and solve the problem. The player wants something
to happen and to be carried out. Players also want their efforts to bring successful
results. Players wish to end the tension by engaging in and succeeding at some
difficult tasks. Thus, “Play is tension.” Such elements of tension and release are
included not only in single player games but also in applied games such as puzzles,
jigsaw puzzles, mosaic matching, and target practice. Things become even more
intense when play becomes competitive in nature. Such intensity reaches its peak in
gambling and sports matches. While play itself transcends good and evil, the element
of tension inherent in play can serve as the means of testing the heart of people,
such as their courage, tenacity, intelligence, mental strength, and fairness, and thus
imbues certain moral values.
Play and Game
15International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
There are rules to all play
In play, rules are a very important element. Every play has rules, and it is those rules
that determine what is “permissible” in the space and time in which the play takes
place. Game rules have absolute binding power and do not allow any doubt. If the
rules are broken, the world of that play implodes. The game will end.
Those who violate or disregard the rules are “play destroyers.” The crime of play
destroyers is much more vile compared to those who simply do not follow the
rules properly or cheat. Cheaters at least pretend to play along with the game, and
ostensibly still recognize the magic circle. Society is much more lenient towards
cheaters than game breakers. Game breakers completely destroy the world of play.
By stepping outside the boundary of the game, they expose the relativity and
vulnerability of the world of play that they and other players created temporarily.
In this world, the play destroyer is branded as an apostate, heretic, innovator,
prophet, or conscientious objector. However, sometimes play destroyers create
their own community under the rules of their own. All members of cults, such as
outlaws, revolutionaries, Kabbalists, members of secret societies, and other groups
bond strongly together, although sociable might not be the most appropriate way to
describe them. The behavior is clearly marked with certain elements of play.
Source: Homo Ludens (the playing human) by Johan Huizinga
16
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Play and Sports
Starting in the late 19th century, the game of sports began to take on a more serious
tone. Match rules became increasingly strict and complex. Sports records were
broken, as athletes ran faster, jumped higher, and moved more nimbly. An engraving
from the early 19th century shows many scenes of cricket players wearing bowler
hats. This in itself displays the propagation of sports.
As sports became more organized and institutionalized, the pure play-like
characteristics gradually disappeared. We can examine this trend in the phenomenon
of clearly differentiating amateur and professional leagues. The play group has
distinguished the players who no longer approach play as playing, and recognized
their superior capacity for play, although their playful spirit may be lacking. The spirit
of a professional athlete could no longer constitute that of pure play. Professional
players do not have the sense of voluntarism and self-disinterestedness found in play.
The advent of professional players also affected amateur players, making them feel
inferior. Professional sports pushed the genre increasingly further from the area of
play, and sports became a special field of its own. Professional sports is neither play
nor serious. In modern society, sports is seated right next to literary procedures, but
in actuality is disparate from that process. Sports became a secular thing, something
that is not holy. It has become irrelevant to the social organization, particularly
the sports events hosted under the order of the government. Thanks to modern
socio-technical development, large-scale athletic events can now take place in huge
stadiums.
Source: Homo Ludens (the playing human) by Johan Huizinga
Play and Game
17International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Play and Game
Ordinarily, the word “game” is a term people often have continued to use. This
displays the comprehensive reach of cultural industry including sports in daily lives
of people. However, there is not much interest in defining what a “game” is and how
that is related to play. General perception treats games as “just games” and virtually
as the same as play. However, this kind of attitude offers little help in determining
the nature of computer games as play or game, and identifying the differentiation or
characteristics that sets them apart from other types of play.
To a more general public, the word “game” refers to the advanced play culture such
as “duck duck goose” played to break the ice in mass blind dates in high school, or
spectators’ cheerleading activities during sports matches at school athletic events.
The word “game” began to be used fully with today’s definition starting in the 18th
century, with the onset of capitalistic modernization.
A game is a form of pay practiced in accordance with a set of rules to achieve the best
outcome. However, game rules can include elements such as mimicking, adapting,
probability, competition, growth, achievement, decision making, and response time.
Furthermore, computer games are manifested as the integration with hardware
known as computers.
According to Akao Kouichi, the author of Game University, a game is “a program
with the purpose of play.” To Kouichi, a program is a collection of rules, materials,
and theme. Although it appears simple, “rock, paper, scissors” is one example of
an outstanding game with its tight-knit rules and material. It is also thematically
excellent, as there is no ultimate “winning hand”.
Actually, “rock, paper, scissors” can be seen along with dice games as a fundamental
theory and archetype of what constitutes game rules. While history of computer
games highlight the expansion of narrative and spectacle over the years, what truly
makes a game “game-like” is the program itself, i.e., the rules of the game. Computer
games that have rules and various win or lose conditions include games like PacMan,
Doom, Super Mario Brothers, Myst, and Tekken. However, there are pioneering games
such as SimCity or Lineage with open-ended endings that do not have an ultimate
“victory” condition. The most distinctive aspect of computer games is agon, the
competitive aspect of playing. The form of play in which all participants, humans
and AI alike, compete against each other to secure victory while abiding by a certain
18
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
set of rules has been the most conventional type of games since the earliest games.
Preparing a “well-crafted” set of game rules that inspires desire to play while also
providing tension and desire to compete would be the “agonic” element of computer
games.
Mimicry-What role does it make
the user experience?
Alea-Where is the competitiveness
where the user feels a sense of
fairness in competition?
The 4 divisions of play in Roger Cailois’s “Play and Human”
Agon-
What are the key rules that
operate the game world?
Ilinx-
What emotions make the user
immerse in the game?
Elements ofGame design
<Game Studies of Sympathy and Communication / Kim Gyeom-seop / Open Road Publishing / 2009>
Play and Game
19International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
<http://www.emotionalcircle.com/archives/303>
Difference between Play and Game
The most noticeable difference in play and games is in the “how.” In play, there are
no particularly established set of rules. Children playing with toy blocks are seen as
“playing,” not “playing a game.” The children build with the blocks as they please.
Meanwhile, Zenga would be referred to as a game, while it appears similar to toy
blocks. The presence of various rules to abide by that restricts participants from
unbound freedom is the first defining element that separates games from play. In
play, there are no (or may not be) set goals other than self-satisfaction. In contrast,
games have a definite set of goals. Although the player may or may not achieve
such goals, there are definitely a pre-defined set of objectives, or goal, in a game.
Both play and games involve some kind of activity, and are voluntary. A variety
of problems or conflicts may occur, each requiring rational or emotional decision-
making. The results of play and games do not offer material benefits on their own,
and have uncertainty in the outcome.
21International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
History of Game
Com
mon
Sub
ject
s
02
22
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Etymology of Game
There are various opinions on the etymology of ‘game’. Many see the origin of game
as ‘gamen’, an old English word meaning joy, fun, or amusement. (www.etymonline.
com/index.php?ter=game)
There also exist similar words in the same language stock of Germanic, such as
‘Gaman’, ‘Gamen’, or ‘gamman’, which means joy, glee, sport, pleasure, amusement,
or merriment.
While some argue that the words derive from ancient Greek/Roman times, from the
word meaning ‘match’, ‘lecture’, or ‘fight’, some also argue that it originated from
the Indo-European word of ‘Ghem’, which means ‘to frisk merrily’. This word is a
composition of ‘merrily’ which means to have fun or be entertained emotionally and
‘frisk’ which has the verbal meaning to ‘run around’.
GhemMerry + run around
Party Prey
Lecture Match
Game
<Understanding History of Games / Kim Jung-tae / Hongrung Publishing Co. / 2015>
History of Game
23International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
<Google Image>
The Very First Computer Game
The very first computer game is known to be ‘Tennis for Two’ released in 1958 by
Willy Higgingbotham. Willy Higgingbotham participated in the “Manhattan Project”
as a renowned physicist, which is a project for the development of atom bomb.
He was also the person who moved the Brookhaven National Laboratory when the
laboratory was established in 1947. He designed an interactive game for the people
visiting the laboratory, and the result was a game combining an oscilloscope, an
analogue computer and a few buttons. This primitive form of tennis game may be
considered as a crude game in current viewpoint, but the game had gathered numerous
number of visitors and achieved a great success. However, Willy Higgingbotham
never thought about making a profit through this idea.
24
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
The Very First Interactive Computer Game
The very first “Interactive” computer game, “Space War”, was an outcome derived
from the joyous adventure of Steve Russel and his colleagues at MIT in 1961. Steve
Russel and his colleagues are actually the first ‘Hackers’ in the field of computer
science. Their small group named “Tech Model Railroad Club” came up with this
game when the members were thinking about a way to effectively demonstrate the
features of PDP-1 computer installed within the campus which was worth $120,000
at the time. The computers released at the time usually conducted input/output
works by using punch cards or paper tapes. However, Steve Russel and his colleagues
were stimulated by this special machinery as PDP-1 computer had a monitor. Russel
spent 6 months to come up with the final version of “Space War.”
<Google Image>
History of Game
25International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
<Google Image>
The Very First Video Game Console
The world’s first video gaming console was developed by Ralph Bear who was an
engineer at Sanders which was a company in the field of defense industry. However,
the company opposed Ralph Bear’s plan and he had to promote this project in secret.
Ralph Bear and Bill Rush came up with a 2-Player video games where a player has
to chase the other player in a maze setting. Afterwards, a game named “Fox and
Hounds” was released based on the previous game. The significance of the game
is on its role as a foundation for tennis or ping-pong games which were released
afterwards. Rush Bear suggested using a ball instead of a dot, and the result of his
idea was a system named “Brown Box” which is a 2-person table tennis game. This
game was released in the market in the name of “Odyssey” after being sold to a
company named “Magnavox.”
26
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
The Game Market in 1970s
In 1974, Atari started a project to move the impact of “Pong” on the arcade sector
into the domestic sector. This project was developed from a plan to design a chip just
for Atari for the purpose of cracking down the attempts to reproduce Atari’s products.
Atari believed that putting all types of “Pong” into a single chip and connecting a
system using that chip to a television was possible. The outcome of such idea was
“Sears Tele-Games.”
The domestic video game market was expanded afterwards, and cartridge-type
consoles allowing the exchange of games started to come out.
Atari brought an innovative shift to the video game industry with its future-generation
console, and released “VCS Video Computer System” (Also known as “Atari 2600”).
VCS was something more than a console. It was a computer with 8-bit processor. The
advent of this console opened a new chapter in the game industry with the sales of
software goods besides hardware devices.
<Google Image – Sears Tele-Games>
History of Game
27International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
A vast number of Americans started to admit the potential of game industry after
“Space War’ but the ones who realized the potential were the Japanese people, not
the Americans. Especially, Japan’s Taito company dominated the American market
with an arcade game named “Space Invader” which was released in 1978.
This game was developed by Tomohiro Nishikado who was an engineer at Taito after
being stimulated by the success of Atari’s “Breakout.” The game was the world’s very
first two-sided battle game where the players and the in-game units shoot at each
other.
There is a famous episode about the success of “Space Invader.” About 100,000
arcade consoles were sold in Japan only, and the success of the business even led to
the lack of 100 yen coins in the market. The Japan’s currency authority had to triple
the production of 100yen coins as the coins were stuck in the console machines.
“Space Invader” was also popular in the United States of America. Thus, the class
action filed by the residents in Mesquite, Texas against Space Invader is a story often
talked on the history of games.
<Google Image – Sears Tele-Games>
28
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
The Game Market in 1980s
Mattel which was the biggest toy company in the world in the late 1970s known for its
Barbie dolls released “Intelivision” in 1980 by using the success of portable console
machine as a footstep. The release of the game led the company to advance into the
domestic console market.
The growth of domestic console machine did not mean the collapse of ‘arcade’
games. Rather, immortal works were being released to the arcade game sector and
the game market was divided into two sectors. The arcade game sector even survived
after the collapse of domestic console market in the US. More than 100 arcade games
were released in the year 1980 alone, and a vast number of games released in 1980
suggested the standard of game genre.
Thus, the concept of ‘game genre’ became familiar to people. The formation of
‘genre’ in the game sector meant the stabilization and the expansion of the game
market and industry. Furthermore, the formation was a sign showing the completion
of the production system in the game industry. Monumental arcade games include
Atari’s “Battlezone” and “Missile Command” and Namco’s legendary “Pacman.”
“Battlezone” is known to be the world’s very first 3D game providing a whole new
viewpoint though sharing a theme similar to Atari’s “Tank” game. This game allowed
the player to move freely within the game setting in first person viewpoint though
the function was not perfect. In that sense, this game is considered to be the ancestor
of First Person Shooting Games (FPS) including “Doom” and “Quake.”
<Atari’s Battlezone>
History of Game
29International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
In 1984, Apple came up with a whole new machine named Macintosh computer just
5 years after the release of Apple II forming a competitive structure with IBM-PC in
the personal computer market. The Macintosh computer attracted public awareness
with outstanding design. Macintosh, which integrated monitor and mainframe,
distinguished itself in the computer music, graphics and electronic publishing sector.
In particular, Macintosh allowed an easy approach for beginners unlike previous
computers which required prior knowledge of computer technology. The advent
of this new computer signaled the popularization of computers as the computer
demonstrated a unique simulation effect as if a desk was situated in the screen,
while allowing the users to use programs or data easily with an icon. Furthermore,
Macintosh established the foundation for PC users to use their personal computers
as gaming consoles.
In 1985, “NES” filled up the blank in the domestic console market after the
disappearance of Atari’s “VCS” as the next-generation console machine after Famicom
(Family Computer Disk System). In 1986, “Super Mario Bros.” which remains the
classic masterpiece of Nintendo in the history of games was released for Famicom
contributing to the huge success of the sales of this console machine.
In “Super Mario Bros,” Mario became a plumber and not a carpenter. Also, the
game allowed the player to enjoy various settings including cave, castle, mountains
and fields full of mushrooms with Mario. Shigeru Miyamoto chose to use “Side
Scrolling” method as the vast space could not be displayed on a small screen.
The most popular game in mid-1980s was “Tetris”, which was available in both arcade
machines and domestic console machines. The software soon became available
on PC and portable console machines. “Tetris” is a game developed by a Russian
Namco’s Toru Iwatani came up with an idea after seeing
a slice of pizza during lunch hours just after graduating
from university. The idea soon became a game named
“Pacman” recording mega-hit sales in the game industry
in 1980s. The important thing about “Pacman” is that
the game was designed for female gamers. The game
was intentionally designed to attract female gamers
with its non-violent features and that non-violence
brought huge success.
<Namco Pacman>
30
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
mathematician named Alexey Pajitmov who majored in Applied Mathematics. The
game modified the traditional pentominoes puzzle game into a quadrilateral puzzle
game.
The Game Market in 1990s
In 1990, Microsoft declared the beginning of a new era of PC games by releasing
‘Window 3.0” in the market. The size of the game industry grew larger with the
growth of 16-bit video games and the production of PC games.
In 1991, gaming console companies started the so-called “CD Rom War” as PC
platform began to receive spotlight as a new game platform. SEGA and Nintendo
announced the release of CD rom consoles almost simultaneously. However, Nintendo
broke the verbal promise made with SONY and made an official agreement with
Philips, slowing down the development of “Playstation”. The SEGA CD was released
in 1992 as expected, but Nintendo failed to release the product on time. Nintendo
was the only company without CD rom console among major video gaming console
companies, and this was regarded as the disgrace of “Nintendo empire.”
PC was the arch enemy of SEGA and Nintendo who were the two major players in the
gaming console market in the early 1990s. The addition of sound card on personal
computer platform meant the first phase of the era of multimedia, and the addition
of CD rom on the personal computer platform brought new ideas of “Interactive
Cinema” and “Interactive Comics”, leading to the advent of numerous works related
with the new ideas. “Killer Software” which came out early in the multimedia era
included games like “Myst”, “Doom” and “Wolfenstein 3D.”
In 1992, John Carmack of “ID Software” also referred to as the Mozart in the
computer world, realized the 3D world with “Wolfenstein 3D.”
“Real 3DO Multiplayer” released by Matsushita in 1993 is a multi-media domestic
console machine which realized 3D graphics. The machine announced the birth of
next-generation hardware.
In 1994, SEGA released 32-bit next-generation console machine named ‘Saturn.” A
game named “Virtual Fighter” became a trend with the release of “Saturn,” and this
History of Game
31International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
game was the upgraded version of the world’s very first arcade 3D fighting game into
a Saturn version.
In 1994, ID Software came up with “DOOM” which was far better than the company’s
previous “Wolfenstein 3D,” and implemented a unique marketing method called
“Shareware.” Through the method, players play the game for free after receiving
the first section via Internet or mail. The players can choose to purchase the rest of
the sections from the company. The strength of the method is that small companies
may sell their game software without competing with major companies for the
procurement of sales route.
Microsoft’s “Window 95” and “DirectX” were released in 1995 and warned the
shift in the computer game industry. Window 95 was the up-to-date version of the
Windows series and Window 95 brought fundamental improvement of the gaming
setting. Window 95 simplified the installation of game and the players were able to
play first person shooting games without leaving the window. DirectX solved the
hardware compatibility problem and contributed to the vitalization of game industry.
In 1996, SONY’s Playstation became the rising star in the video game sector, and
multi-play games began to account for the largest part of game market with the
beginning of internet era. Blizzard released Diablo by using Battlenet system and
established a foundation for the return of “RPG” genre which has been losing
popularity among game players.
PC-bang (PC Café) and Internet café culture started to form after 1997, and a new
concept and a new culture named Esports was created with the popularity of StarCraft.
Games Studies of Sympathy and Communication / Kim Gyeom-seop / Alternative Culture Series / 2008
32
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
The Game Market in 2000s
Play Station2(PS2) was released in 2000. The biggest key feature of PS2 is the emotion
engine processor, which enabled efficient graphic processing. The developers of PS2
came up with a groundbreaking method for enhancing the performance of the game
console, by selecting only the functions that give big influence to the game and
focusing on reinforcing them; the DVD player function became possible as they
added the DVD-ROM as well.
Despite all the efforts, the console game industry had been going through changes
since the 2000s – its sales performance had been on the decrease. The major cause
of the phenomenon can be seen as the paradigm shift of the game industry and the
players. The influx of the light users including females explosively expanded the
range of the gamer population and changed its characteristics significantly at the
same time. This led to the reduction of the hardcore user market, and it became
harder to come up with a successful product in the overall game business. As such,
with the expansion of the range of the users, the age of diversification started.
In addition, portable game machines and the sensational development of smartphone
games that has overtaken the industry since the late 2000s also gave direct influence
to the changes of game consoles.
The PC game market also went through rapid changes. The stand-alone package
games that are materialized in PCs are hard to be found nowadays. As multiple players
became able to play one game simultaneously with the emergence of MMO(Massively
Multi-player Online) games, which started from the late 1990s and began its rapid
expansion since the early 2000s, the communication methods of the players sharing
the game also evolved in high speed.
The online game revolution that exploded in the 2000s made all the communication
methods possible between the players, including one-for-one, many-for-one, and
many-for-many.
The communities that were created due to the needs of the players developed from
the communities made for temporary purposes such as conquering quests; then the
patterns of the players were variously divided into guilds or strong alliances, in which
the members could exchange their opinions for sufficient time.
Source : History and Understanding of Games / written by Kim Jeong-tae
History of Game
33International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Chronological History of Game
Year History
· Steve Russel creates <Spacewar!>, the first Game
· Ralph Baer creates ‘Magnavox Odyssey’, the first video gaming device
· Nolan Bushnell creates <Computer Space>, the first video arcade game
· Atari founded by Nolan Bushnell, who creates <Pong>
· Atari launches <Break Out>, which makes a big hit
· Nintendo releases the first TV tennis
· Will Crowther & Don Woods create <Adventure>, the first PDP-10 based
text adventure game
· Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak launch the first APPLE computer
· ‘VCS 2600’(Atari 2600), world’s first video game console is released
· APPLE II launched in market
· Taito launches <Space Invaders>
· <Adventure>, the first adventure game of Atari VCS 2600 created
· Richard Garriott launches <Akalabeth>, the first graphic-based role-
playing game
· Rechard Bartle & Roy Trubshaw, PDP10, the first on-line game in UK
· Namco’s arcade game <Pacman> makes a big hit
· Microsoft launches ‘MS-DOS’
· Nintendo launches <Donkey Kong>
· NEC launches ‘PC-9801’ which gains nationwide popularity in Japan
· Nintendo launches <Super Mario Bros.>·
· July : Nintendo launches ‘Famicom’
1962
1971
1972
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
34
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
2000
· June: <Tetris> is released
· September: Nintendo launches <Super Mario Bros>
· First MS-DOS virus ‘(C)BRAIN’ discovered
· February: Nintendo launches <Legend of Zelda>
· Capcom launches <Street Fighter>
· December: Square releases <Final Fantasy> on Famicom
· December: The world’s first CD-ROM gaming console, ‘CD-ROM 2’
launched
· October: Broderbund launches <Prince of Persia>
· 5/22: MS launches ‘Windows 3.0’
· 11/21: Nintendo launches ‘Super Famicom’
· March: Capcom launches <Street Fighter II>
· <Wolfenstein 3D> released
· Size of game market exceeds that of movie market in U.S. for the first
time
· <Doom> is released
· 12/3: Sony launches ‘Playstation’
· December: Sega launches ‘Sega Saturn’
· Sega launches <Virtual Fighter 2 >
· ‘Playstation’ released in U.S.
· 4/21: Nintendo launches ‘Nintendo 64’
· Blizzard launches <Diablo>
· AI ‘Deep Blue’ beats human in a chess competition
· March: Blizzard launches <StarCraft>
· November: Valve launches <Half-life>
· Blizzard launches <Diablo 2>
History of Game
35International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
· Maxis releases <Sims>
· Nintendo releases <6th Game Cube>
· Microsoft releases <X-Box>
· Nintendo release <Nintendo DS>
· Sonycomputer releases <Playstation Portable>
· Value releases <Half Life2>
· Blizzard releases <World of Warcraft>
· Microsoft releases <X-Box 360>
· Sonycomputer releases <Playstation3>
· Nintendo release <Nintendo Wii>
· Nintendo release <Wii Fit> Exergaming video game
· Rovio releases <Angry Birds>
· Blizzard releases <Starcraft2>
· Microsoft releases <X-Box Kinect>
· Sonycomputer release <PlayStation Move>
2000
2001
2004
2004
2005
2006
2007
2009
2010
2010
Source: Korean History of Games / Yoon Hyung-seop et al / Book Korea / 2012 / Naver encyclopedic knowledge
36
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Game Platforms
There have been many different names to call games, such as video games, computer
games, digital games, online games, etc. This is because many different platforms,
or the base on which the game is played, varies according to time period. The first
game having started from the arcade game transferred to the home video game
device, then moved to the PC, and currently it is actively played on a mobile platform.
It is the history of games that have been developed transferring a variety of media
platforms.
Arcade Platform
PC Platform
Console Platform
Mobile Platform
History of Game
37International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Arcade Platform
In the game world, ‘arcade’ has two definitions: one is a definition as a game platform,
and the other is definition of a genre established by the unique characteristic of this
game platform.
First of all, arcade game as a platform stems from how game room is referred to as
‘arcade’ in US. In other words, it’s a game with a big manipulator and a big video
screen. It has a particular spatial and economic nature not only as a display space in
a public place but as a system of profit with a coin slot.
Because arcade games involve playing games in public space, complex genre where
repeated saving over a long period of time is required, such as role playing games or
strategy simulation genres are inappropriate. Rather, genres that are simple yet offering
maximum experience of the game in short period of time, such as action games or
shooting games, are more appropriate. In other words, games that are appropriate
would be games that require players to be fast on their feet and judgement, such as
games which require simple operation of keys, or attack enemy or pass obstacles by
using given manipulator. Here, particular games include shooting, puzzle, action,
simulation and racing games. In sum, these games are less about narrative, and are
composed mainly of fragmentary episodes or stages.
These games include Galaga, Doom, Bubble Bubble, Summer Olympics, Donkey
Kong, Street Fighter, Initial D, DDR, Beat Mania, Pump, etc.
38
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Console Platform
Home video game device or video game, etc. are other names for the console
platforms. The platform has a feature which applies innovative technology, which is
not found in other platforms. It uses the same manipulator with that of the arcade
platform and has been expressed spectacularly through the elaborate graphics which
are the advantages and characteristics of the console platform.
Here, players do not need to operate specifically to see the spectacular action of the
characters. It means the automatic blow and automatic camera angle are prerequisite.
However, innovative technology is not the only feature of the console game. This
includes storytelling. Even the arcade game is often added with script mode, when
transplanted on the console platform.
The arcade platform also had sports games, and the sports games on the console
platforms were often added nurturing or story mode, and had very strong storytelling
of the play itself. There are many single-players for console platforms. Although
based on the network, it also supports the single-player mode. Having a strong story
mode or a single mode on a console platform even between the same games means
that it’s more immersive and demands higher level of concentration. The console
platform can take advantage of the immersive nature of the game played in a private
space as much as possible.
Devil May Cry, Pacman Adventure 2, FIFA, PES, Final Fantasy, Silent Hill, etc.
History of Game
39International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
PC Platform
While the arcade platform or console platform surprised us by showing the best
technology each time, the PC game platform is characteristic in its surprising growth.
The PC platform progressed gradually and then showed explosive growth when CD
package game markets transferred to the online game period, being different from
the console platform which developed step by step according to the new release
of each device. If one asks whether there was a unique genre in the PC platform
which hasn’t existed in the console platform, the answer would be “no.” Almost
every game genre, such as simulation, adventure, and FPS game, etc. has already
started and blossomed on the console game. The essence of the PC platform can
be found in its comprehensiveness embracing all the genres ever existed before. The
characteristics of the PC platform lie more on the emergence of hybrid genre and its
broad spectrum rather than on the platform itself. Also, PC platform allowed the
general public to pay attention to games either in terms of its positive industrial value
or its negative hyper-immersive aspect. Almost all the main genres in current games
have started from the PC platform, and even if it is based on the console game, it
prospered through the PC platform. Most of these mainstream genres share hybrid
genre characteristics.
Half-Life, Count Strike, StarCraft, League of Legends, SimCity, The SIMS, World of
Warcraft, etc.
40
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Mobile Platform
The mobile platform was recognized as a platform from the appearance of the
handheld game device. In other words, this includes the mobile device and tablet
PC in its broader sense as well as the portable consoles like Game Boy or PSP.
Today, people usually deal with the mobile device separately with the name of the
mobile platform. It may be impossible to discuss platforms without mentioning the
mobile platform when the ratio of mobile use is far ahead of the PC platform. Many
developers have begun to note the basic characteristics and new possibility of the
mobile platform after it’s been supported by the wireless network environment
alongside with the touch screen technology. The touch screen allows the player to
feel as if he can control the game screen without the need for additional description
or a controller with intuitive interface. In addition, the environmental shift to
wireless network involves breaking the conventional notion that a player must be
stationed in one place to go online. The mobile game is focusing on the technical
properties based on the mobility, and location-based games are the examples of this.
Although the mobile platform pursued its mobility, it didn’t see its potential until the
characteristics of social media became integrated into the mobile platform. The real
potential of the mobile platform may lie in that the users can escape the ‘prison of
the body’ which must be stationed in front of the screen in order for the players to
immerse themselves in the virtual space.
<Digital Games and Contemporary Society / Noh Gi-young et al / Communication Books / 2015>
History of Game
41International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Augmented Reality Platform
Augmented reality (AR) is an interactive experience of a real-world environment
where the objects that reside in the real-world are enhanced by computer-generated
perceptual information, sometimes across multiple sensory modalities, including
visual, auditory, haptic, somatosensory and olfactory. The overlaid sensory
information can be constructive (i.e. additive to the natural environment), or
destructive (i.e. masking of the natural environment). This experience is seamlessly
interwoven with the physical world such that it is perceived as an immersive aspect of
the real environment. In this way, augmented reality alters one’s ongoing perception
of a real-world environment, whereas virtual reality completely replaces the user’s
real-world environment with a simulated one. Augmented reality is related to two
largely synonymous terms: mixed reality and computer-mediated reality.
A future techno-sports game using the Augmented Reality(AR) technology has been
recently launched. HADO is a game in which the players attack the counterpart with
energy balls that appeared in animations and block the attacks by spreading out the
shield. In addition, HADO World Cup is to be held in Japan in December 2019, and
the prize money in total amounts to three million yen (over 28,000 USD).
Source: Wikipedia / www.pokemongolive.com / meleap.comwww.youtube.com/watch?v=TjbtH_MxDQIwww.youtu.be/REBPXwx24kA
Augmented Reality
42
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Virtual Reality Platforms
Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that can be similar to or completely
different from the real world. Applications of virtual reality can include entertainment
(i.e. gaming) and educational purposes (i.e. medical or military training). Other,
distinct types of VR style technology include augmented reality and mixed reality.
Currently standard virtual reality systems use either virtual reality headsets or multi-
projected environments to generate realistic images, sounds and other sensations
that simulate a user’s physical presence in a virtual environment. A person using
virtual reality equipment is able to look around the artificial world, move around in
it, and interact with virtual features or items. The effect is commonly created by VR
headsets consisting of a head-mounted display with a small screen in front of the
eyes, but can also be created through specially designed rooms with multiple large
screens. Virtual reality typically incorporates auditory and video feedback, but may
also allow other types of sensory and force feedback through haptic technology.
Virtual Reality
Source: Wikipedia
History of Game
43International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
ESL, the world’s largest Esports organizer, and Oculus announced that season three
of the VR League will kick off on March 24th. A prize pool, which is touted as the
league’s largest yet, tallies a total of $250,000.
VR League is bringing two new games to the competition this season: Ready At
Dawn’s Echo Combat and Ubisoft’s Space Junkies. Last year’s mainstays Echo Arena
and Downpour Interactive’s Onward are also returning, making for four total games
featured at this season’s tournaments.
Survios’ Sprint Vector and Insomniac Games’ The Unspoken have both been retired
from competition this year.
VR League: Season 3 will have weekly cups in both Europe and North America, and
terminate in an offline Grand Finals event at Haymarket Theatre in Leicester, UK.
Source: https://www.roadtovr.com/esl-oculus-announce-vr-leagues-season-3-biggest-prize-pool-yetSource: https://vr.eslgaming.com/photo-gallery
Virtual Reality
44
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Drone Racing Platform
Drone racing (where FPV stands for first-person view or first person video) is a sport
type where participants control “drones” (typically small radio-controlled aircraft or
quadcopters), equipped with cameras while wearing head-mounted displays showing
the live stream camera feed from the drones. Similar to full size air racing the goal
is to complete a set course as quickly as possible. Drone racing began in Australia in
late 2013 and early 2014 with a number of amateur pilots getting together for semi-
organized races in Brisbane and Melbourne
Source: WikipediaSource: www.engadget.com
Drone Racing
History of Game
45International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Robot Competition Platform
Robotic competitions have been organized since the 1970s and 1980s. In 1979 a
Micromouse competition was organized by the IEEE as shown in the Spectrum
magazine.
Although it is difficult to pinpoint the first robotic competition in history two events
are well known nowadays for their longevity: the All Japan Sumo from Japan, and
the Trinity College International Fire fighting Robot Contest.
Other competitions have grown in popularity with the pass of time, being the
Robocup and the Robo One two of the main singular events in current times. In
parallel companies like Lego and VEX have developed their own branded events and
called them leagues, although they function more like individual cups in regional
qualifiers with finals.
There is some controversy whether university specific challenges should be considered
competitions or more workshops, in general the trend is to open competitions to the
public in order to prevent nepotism and improve the quality of the robots competing
at the event.
Some organizations have been trying to standardize robotics competition through
the introduction of full-fledged leagues with a standard calendar, but the model as
been only working in specific countries like Spain where the National League was
founded in 2008 and is still functioning.
Source: WikipediaSource: www.guinnessworldrecords.com
Robot Competition
46
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
History of Esports
Following the worldwide success of ‘Space Invaders’,
developed by Tomohiro Nikikaro in the late 1970s, Atari,
the producer of the eponymous console that served as
the main platform for ‘Space Invaders’ held the “Space
Invaders Tournament” in 1990. The tournament drew over
10,000 participants and is regarded as the first large scale
event in competitive gaming. Other examples of such large
competitive gaming events include the ‘Nintendo World
Championship’ and ‘Nintendo Power Fest ’94’.
In the mid-1990s, competitions for first-person shooters
(FPS) like the ‘Doom’ series began taking place, as key
events in game shows held in Las Vegas or Atlanta (which
later became the E3 exhibition) in order to encourage
participation of gamers. In the U.S. and Europe, groups
of game enthusiasts gathered with their computers to play
together in the so-called “LAN Parties.” Based on this
gaming culture, the PGL (Professional Gamers League)
and CPL (Cyberathlete Professional League) were first
launched in 1997.
Launched shoulder-to-shoulder in 1997, PGL and CPL were similar in that they
both intended to create a league for professional gamers, just like the professional
sports leagues for baseball and football. However, these two leagues differed in the
operation. Headed by Noland Bushnell, a.k.a. ‘the father of gaming’, PGL carried out
The birth of game
tournaments
Birth of Esports (1980s to 1997)
Birth of Esports (1980s ~ 1997)
History of Game
47International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
most of its matches online and only hosted offline matches for the final playoffs. In
contrast, CPL held almost all of its matches offline, particularly due to the nature
of FPS games at the time. Due to such difference in tournament operations, PGL
withered while CPL continued to grow. This demonstrates how Esports cannot be
sustained as a professional sport without the fans, one of the three key elements of
the sports market, the other two being the medium (the game) and the star players.
Along with the rapid economic growth in the 1990s,
South Korea saw an exponential growth of its high speed
internet infrastructure. However, due to the financial
crisis of 1997, masses of Koreans were left unemployed.
The first StarCraft game by Blizzard was a huge hit in
1998, and the game catered to the masses of unemployed
people. Simultaneously, the number of PC Bangs (internet
PC cafes) also grew exponentially to meet this demand.
The number of PC Bangs grew from 3,000 in 1998 to 15,100
in 1999. Thanks to the affordability of PC Bang at merely
KRW 1,000 per hour (around USD $1.00), many could
enjoy games. Naturally, such popularity led to PC Bang
tournaments that offered prize money. These tournaments
eventually developed into offline tournaments, which gave
rise to celebrity players as well as teams based on regional
PC Bangs complete with practice rooms, team managers
and team players. Corporations signed sponsorship
contracts with these teams, giving birth to professional
StarCraft teams in Korea.
The advent of professional StarCraft teams and small-scale
offline tournaments inspired Hyung Jun Hwang, a producer
at the cartoon cable channel Tooniverse, to wonder what
it would be like to broadcast these matches. Hwang
managed to broadcast one of the offline tournaments.
The onset of
StarCraft and PC
Bang
Emergence of game
broadcast on TV
and cable channels
dedicated to games
Growth of Esports (History of Esports in Korea)
48
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Although there was no infrastructure whatsoever for
broadcasting games, and thus the broadcast took place
with two monitors on a table tennis table, the result was
successful. Having confirmed the potential for game
broadcasts, Tooniverse partnered with PKO, the company
responsible for hosting the tournaments to open the
’99 Progamer Korea Open (99 PKO). 99 PKO took place
with 16 teams, which included specially invited players.
Eight professional teams also participated, sponsored by
notable companies such as Samsung Electronics, Orion
Corporation, Ahn Lab, and Sports Chosun. This was in
fact the first regularly programmed pro-game league
TV broadcast in the history of Esports. The holding
company of Tooniverse at the time, ‘OnMedia’, founded
‘OnGameNet’ (currently OGN), a cable channel dedicated
to games, and launched the ‘OnGameNet Star League’ in
February 2000.
In 1999, the Korea Esports Association was established to
protect the rights of professional gamers and to support
the development of offline tournaments. The Federation
received an official authorization from the Ministry of
Culture and Tourism to launch the 21st Century Pro-Gamers
Association in February 2000, which was the precedent for
KeSPA. In 2003, the association was renamed to KeSPA.
Even unto this day, KeSPA has been leading the way for
the development and standardization of Esports in Korea
by selecting official competition categories, establishing
infrastructure, and organizing and dispatching national
teams. In 2003, a team-based league that went beyond
leagues of individual players was launched, with the name
of ‘ProLeague’. By then, Esports in Korea had taken form
similar to that of traditional professional sports, structured
into a ‘wide pool of amateur players, professional players,
corporate sponsored teams, regular league and association
based on PC Bangs’.
Establishment
of Korea Esports
Association (KeSPA)
History of Game
49International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
In 2000, under the sponsorship of Ministry of Culture,
Sports and Tourism and Samsung Electronics, the first
tournament of the World Cyber Games (WCG) was hosted
in Yongin, Korea, as the WCG Challenge. 174 players from
17 countries participated in the event. Starting in the 4th
WCG tournament in 2004, the event began touring around
the world each year to elevate the status and expand the
influence of Esports around the globe. These tournaments
also revealed the potential for Esports as a national-level
competition. In the last tournament, WCG 2013, 500
players from 40 countries participated.
Esports in Europe and North America is characterized by
the fact that it grew mostly based on FPS genre games,
such as Halo, Counter Strike and Quake franchises. The
three major Esports tournaments in Europe and North
America are ESL, MLG and DreamHack. ESWC also allows
national teams to compete.
ESL was launched in 2000. At first, it began as an online
league and a game magazine. It is currently headquartered
in Germany. It holds multiple tournaments for various
games including League of Legends, Counter Strike and
DOTA 2. It holds a variety of competitions including the ESL
Open, the ladder tournament open to amateurs and pros
alike, as well as the premier-class ESL One tournament.
MLG was launched in 2002 and is currently headquartered
in New York. It has been hosting tournaments in the
U.S. and Canada. In 2006, it broadcasted the Halo 2
tournament, Boost Mobile MLG Pro Circuit, for the first
time in America.
World Cyber Games
(WCG)
Esports in Europe
and North America
Electronic Sports
League (ESL)
Major League
Gaming (MLG)
Development of Esports (2000s – 2006)
50
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
The most defining characteristic of Esports events since
2007 is that the game studios themselves began hosting
the tournaments. While previous tournaments hosted by
the developers were mostly short-term publicity stunts,
game companies have now witnessed the growth of
Esports as a viable format that they now even take into
consideration during development. Now, the game
companies are hosting tournaments for their own games.
Key examples include Starcraft2 (Blizzard), League of
Legends (Riot Games), DOTA2, CSGO (Valve), World of
Series (Wargaming), and Cross Fire (Smile Gate). This led
to restructuring of Esports organization committees.
When the international Esports federation was established
with Korea at its center, many new Esports federations
were founded around the world soon thereafter. This trend
has gone beyond the previous efforts that were mostly
Based in Sweden, DreamHack is a LAN Party that began
in 1994. It has taken place once a year in LAN Party format
since its inception until 2002, when it started to host
two events each year, namely DreamHack Summer and
DreamHack Winter. With around 7,000 European visitors
in 2006, DreamHack has found its place as a major Esports
event in Northern Europe.
This began as a small LAN event called LAN Arena based
in France. It claims to be the Esports world cup of Europe,
with 358 players from 37 countries participating in the
first tournament held in 2003. It has grown to be one of
the top 3 Esports events in the world.
Success of developer-
hosted tournaments
Increased number of
Esports federations
and activity
DreamHack
Esports World Cup
(ESWC)
Transformative years in Esports (2007 – present)
History of Game
51International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
at individual or community levels to include national
or institutional scale initiatives. Currently, there are 56
member states in the International Esports Federation. As
the importance of the International Esports Federation as
the leader of Esports around the world continues to grow,
establishing Esports standards befitting of an international
sport and distribution thereof will provide an important
opportunity to lead the global Esports industry and policy.
With the last event in 2013, WCG would no longer hold any
more tournaments. This news was all the more shocking as
the tournament in 2013 was a tremendous success. Many
point towards the dissolution of Samsung’s PC platform
business as the biggest reason for this.
WCA is an annual Esports tournament that has been taking
place in Yinchuan, China since 2014. It offers various events
including DOTA 2, Warcraft 3 and Hearthstone, boasting
top notch prize money. In 2016, the scale of the event
was expanded even more compared to 2015, turning the
professional-level event into three seasons per year. Each
season will take place in Asia, Europe, and Americas in
addition to China, where the highest ranking players will
win the right to participate in the Grand Finals hosted in
Yinchuan.
Closing of WCG
China’s WCA
launches
52
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
The 2nd Asian Indoor Games were held in Macau, China from 26 October 2007 to
3 November 2007. Most events of the games took place at the Macao East Asian
Games Dome.
The Emblem of the 2nd Asian Indoor Games gives an overall impression of the sun
shining above the covered gymnasium.
This event was the first time that Esports has been included to Asian Indoor Games.
· List of Events
- FIFA 07
- NBA LIVE 07
- Need for Speed: Most Wanted
· Medal Table
Rank
1
2
3
4
Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
China (CHN)
Iran (IRI)
Mongolia (MGL)
Uzbekistan (UZB)
3
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
0
2
1
0
3
3
2
1
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esports_at_the_2007_Asian_Indoor_Games
The 2007 Asian Indoor Games
History of Esports: As Sports
History of Game
53International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
The 2013 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games
Esports for the 2013 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games was held at the Incheon
Samsan World Gymnasium. It took place from 29 June to 2 July 2013. Six video
games were chosen to be part of this Indoor and Martial Arts Games.
· List of Events
- FIFA 13
- Need for Speed: Shift 2 Unleashed
- StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm
- Tekken Tag Tournament 2
- League of Legends
- Special Force
· Medal Table
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
6
Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
South Korea (KOR)
Uzbekistan (UZB)
Kazakhstan (KAZ)
China (CHN)
Chinese Taipei (TPE)
Malaysia (MAS)
Vietnam (VIE)
4
1
1
0
0
0
0
2
1
0
2
1
0
0
0
0
1
1
2
1
1
6
2
2
3
3
1
1
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esports_at_the_2013_Asian_Indoor_and_Martial_Arts_Games
54
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
The 2018 Asian Games
Esports were featured at the 2018 Asian Games as a demonstration sport, meaning
medals won in this sport would not be counted in the official overall medal tally. It
was held from 26 August to 1 September 2018. Six video games were featured in the
demonstration event.
· List of Events
- Arena of Valor
- Clash Royale
- Hearthstone
- League of Legends
- Pro Evolution Soccer
- StarCraft II
· Medal Table
Rank
1
2
2
4
4
6
7
8
9
Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
China
Indonesia
South Korea
Hong Kong
Japan
Chinese Taipei
Iran
Vietnam
India
2
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
0
0
2
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
4
1
3
2
2
1
1
3
1
4
1
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esports_at_the_2018_Asian_Games / The Esports Observer
History of Game
55International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
The 2019 Southeast Asian Games
Esports will be featured as a medal sport at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in the
Philippines in at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan, Metro Manila from December
1 to 6, 2019. It will be the first time that Esports will be contested as a medal event in
a multi-sport competition sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee after
the discipline featured as a demonstration sport in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta,
Indonesia.
Six medals will be contested in Esports while a single demonstration event will also
be held.
Esports in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games is accredited by the Asian Electronic
Sports Federation
· Video Game Title Selection
Six medals are to be contested in Esports. The selected titles will have to conform
to the values of the International Olympic Committee and “should not promote the
culture of violence and gambling”. Also other factors such as the popularity and
competitiveness of the titles, the strategy and teamwork required in playing the
concerned titles, as well as the physical and mental intensity required in contesting
the titles in marathon matches were also considered in the selection process.
There will be three categories; PC, console, and mobile each featuring two video
game titles. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang was the first title to be confirmed in
November 2018. Four titles Arena of Valor, Dota 2, Starcraft II, Tekken 7 were later
announced in mid-December 2018 to be included with the sixth title confirmed at a
later date. The organizers attempted to secure the appropriate license to be able to
have NBA2k as the sixth title but was unable to do so.Hearthstone was announced
as the sixth title in June 2019.
In addition to the six medal events, a demonstration event will also be held in Esports.
There were also previous plans for the Esports tournament to feature separate
competitions for men and women where men would be competing in Dota 2,
Hearthstone, NBA 2K, and Tekken 7 while women would be contesting Dota 2 and
Hearthstone. The plan was reportedly the final but was later clarified to be otherwise.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esports_at_the_2019_Southeast_Asian_Games
56
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Esports today has become a new cultural code for the younger generation. Along with
nationally popular sports such as baseball, basketball and soccer, Esports has been
developing into a popular form of sports entertainment culture. Combining sports-
like elements and celebrity players similar to the entertainment industry, Esports can
be called a form of “sportstainment”. In terms of scope, games comprise a great
portion of Esports, but games themselves cannot become Esports, giving Esports its
own unique characteristics.
The core characteristic of Esports is the condition for fair competition. In Esports,
contents such as items or special characters that may affect the outcome are
excluded in order to even the playing field for everyone. For instance, in competitive
Hearthstone matches, the players begin with the same cards. In addition, gambling
games that depend largely on luck are left out from Esports. Lastly, Esports requires
quick decision making as well as dexterous physical response. It is an art form that
combines the mind and spirit. Another characteristic of Esports is that it not only
stimulates person-to-person competition and participation, but also allows the
spectators to have fun and leaves meaningful match records.
Through the vitalization of virtual reality technology, games that could replace
dangerous traditional sports such as racing could be hitting the Esports scene in the
future.
Characteristics of Esports
History of Game
59International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Characteristics of Game Production
There are games released in the market on which a high production cost of more
than 8.5 million dollars has been invested, which are more like movies using
spectacular graphics and special image techniques. But a game production cannot be
successful just by the implementation of large-scale production or high-technology
which don’t lead to the fun and excitement of the game users. They are neither
pleased nor satisfied with a game just because a large sum of money has been
invested on it. Game production is a creative activity which embraces logic, music,
math, art, planning, teamwork, and general game information technology. Game
production activities don’t apply passively a prefabricated production framework but
configure a variety of factors creatively, such as unique rules, rewards, challenges,
and competition. (Habgood, 2005). In particular, it should be considered that a game
has a different production process and characteristics from other media. Games are
similar to a software process in terms of programming, but in terms of planning
and script writing, it is more like a novel or a movie. Compared to movies or novels,
games have the sound, image, and basic story conveyed by texts like movies or
novels, but are different in that the story can be developed to the direction the user
desires. Along with the traditional features of other media, games have features to
select and control by collecting the responses from users. Also, a game media is
mainly dependent upon vision since it is expressed through graphics. In its initial
stage, it used to appear as a kind of programmatic lines too simple for graphics. With
the development of technology, games based on graphics started to emerge, and
currently virtual games using 3D images have become the main stream.
60
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Process of Game Planning and Development
With the increasing demand in game production, game planning has become more
important. Just a few years ago, only a few members were enough to produce a
game, but recently, the meaning of game planning extends to signify connecting
various job positions organically. Moreover, as the game industry grows, a huge
amount of planning is required today, according to the research data for production
and analysis related to users and the market. This change has become a big pressure
to the designers by demanding analysis in different fields and large amount of
planning, resulting in obscuring the meaning of planning. A game planning is to
design and inform what kind of game will be made, and the document called game
proposal helps it work. Generally, a game planning means the proposal which is the
most crucial part to make a game. In other words, game planning means to make
documents including a lot of information, such as what kind of game to create, and
this enables each team in a game company to perform its part intuitively. In a broader
sense, game planning involves activities of the planning team which bridge across
the graphic team, programming team, and sound team, and these activities can be
included in the proposal. Considering that proposal can be changed or modified at
the stage of the production, game planning is a very difficult work. The planning
work, as the preparation activities to present a reasonable way of action to achieve
the goal, should serve to prevent or adjust the unexpected situation or problems
happening.
The role of game design is to present the guidelines for developing a game, and
it is something like a blueprint to show what’s in the designer’s mind as well as
the document opening the door of a game production. Therefore a game designer
does more than write the script. Game designers should determine different kinds
of work required for the game production, including the selection of a scenario
writer, the purchase of a game script or the determination of the in-house writing,
composition of staff members required for the image design, and management of
the development schedule, etc. Also, they should be good at workforce management,
sales management, promotion, and marketing. Game design deals with such complex
and comprehensive work, and different constraints should be taken into account in
the process of planning and implementation. The first constraint to be mentioned
is the limitation of prediction. Planning is about what’s happening in the future
Mechanism of Game
61International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
and many different factors should be predicted. However, perfect prediction is not
humanly possible; therefore, it’s foremost important to raise the prediction capability
as much as possible by the scientific way of research in collecting and analyzing data.
Next, the lack and inaccuracy of data can be another constraint. At the planning
stage, information and data functions as the basic source to make a reasonable and
scientific decision. However, in reality it’s hard even to collect enough information
and data and thus the accuracy is also questionable. Lastly, modification is inevitable
in game development. A game is planned through an incomplete analysis on the
environment and inaccurate assumption accordingly, so it cannot be actually carried
out without modification. It is therefore necessary to design a game in a way which
doesn’t set rules or restrictions in detail but ensures flexibility.
Source: <Digital Games and Contemporary Society / Noh Gi-young et al / Communication Books / 2015>
62
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Divisions and Roles in Game Development
Source: Sumit Jain Project Lead and Game Programmer
* Divisions
*Publisher / Developer
1. Nintendo
· Headquarters: Kyoto, Japan
· Game Title: Mario, Pokémon, The legend of Zelda
This company is credited for the conception of handheld video games in 1979.
Nintendo was founded by Fusajiro Yamauchi in September 1889. It is headquartered
in Kyoto, Japan but has subsidiaries and offices in several other parts of the world.
Nintendo is the world’s largest video game company by revenue, with a net value of
over USD85 Billion.
Mechanism of Game
63International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
2. Valve Corporation
· Headquarters: Bellevue, WA
· Game Title: Counter-strike series, Dota 2, Day of defeat series, Half-life series
It’s headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and has a subsidiary in Luxembourg. It
was started in 1996 by former Microsoft employees Gabe Newell and Mike Harrington.
It has a total equity of over USD2.5 Billion. Some of the work produced by Valve
Corporation
3. Electronic Arts
· Headquarters: Redwood City
· Game Title: Army of Two series, Battlefield series, FIFA series, The Simpsons series
Star wars series
It’s also referred to as EA Games. It was started in May 1982 by Trip Hawkins.
The company’s revenue is over USD4.5 Billion
4. Activision Blizzard
· Headquarters: Santa Monica, California
· Game Title: Call of duty serie, Crash Bandicoot series, Spyro the dragon series,
Tony Hawks series
The company had revenue of over USD4.6 Billion in 2015 and is a listed company
whose shares trade on NASDAQ. Company president and CEO is Robert Kotick, while
the Chairman if the BOD is Brian Kelly.
64
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
5. Blizzard Entertainment Inc
· Headquarters: Irvine, California, US
· Game Title: Warcraft, Starcraft, Diablo, World of Warcraft, Overwatch
It was founded in 1991 by Michael Morhaime, Frank Peace and Allen Adham. It has
been a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard since 2008. As of 2012, the company had a
work force of 4,700.
6. Bandai Namco Entertainment
· Headquarters: Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan
· Game Title: Dragon Ball series, Naruto: Ultimate ninja series, Ace Combat Series,
Pac Man series, Katamari series
It was founded in 1955 by Masaya Nakamura. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of
Bandai Namco Holdings, with operations all over the world.
7. Epic Game
· Headquarters: Cary, North Carolina
· Game Title: Bullet storms, Castle of the winds, Kiloblaster, One must fall: 2097,
Fortnite
Epic games Inc was founded by Tim Sweeney in 1991. It is a private company that has
subsidiaries in China, Korea, UK and Japan and serves worldwide.
Mechanism of Game
65International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
8. Take-Two Interactive Software Inc
· Headquarters: New York City, USA and Windsor, UK
· Game Title: Grand theft Auto, Civilization, NBA 2K, Red Dead
This company was founded 23 years ago in 1993 by game developer Ryan Brant.
They have development studios in Toronto, Canada and in North America. It’s traded
publicly in NASDAQ.
Source: www.gamedesigning.org/game-development-studios
66
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Organization Chart in Game Development
Game Producer
Game Planner
Scenario Planner Graphic DesignerClient
Programmer
Game DirectorServer
Programmer
<Introduction to Game Producing / Lee Woo-jin / Korea Creative Content Agency / 2004>
Mechanism of Game
67International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Why Play Games?
One must first approach the ‘essence of games’ in order to find out why people are
crazy about games. Let’s begin by asking what it is about games that attract so many
people. Among the many opinions as to why people play games, the following are
the common reasons:
Game researchers use the word ‘flow’, or ‘engagement’, to best explain this question.
Just because
Just Fun
Killing Time
Make Friends
Earn Money
Share Information
Relationship
Escapism
Achievement
68
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Attraction factors of Game
Research in game media began much later than in other traditional mediums like art,
literature and film. The discourse on game criticism has just begun to form.
The acclaimed education game researcher Marc Prensky explained the following in
this book Digital Game-Based Learning (McGraw-Hill, 2001):
Fun : A form of fun, game gives us enjoyment and pleasure.
Play : A form of play, game draws us into intense
involvement.
Rules : Game has rules and gives us structure.
Goals : Game has goals, and gives us motivation.
Interactive : Designed to allow users to communicate with
each other, games help us to engage in a certain ‘doing’.
Outcomes and feedback : A media with outcomes and
feedback, game provides us a learning opportunity.
Adaptive : A media in which adjustments and adaptions
according to different situations are possible, game makes
us flow with it.
Win states : Game makes us feel ego-gratification as it
allows us to arrive at a win states.
Conflict/competition/challenge/opposition : Provoking
conflict, competition, challenge and opposition, game
makes us pump up adrenaline and excites us (or makes us
afraid/angry).
Problem solving : Games trains our problem solving skills
and presses our creativity.
Interaction : Game has elements of interaction, and allows
us to form social groups.
Representation and story : Game represents reality and
has a story, thus circulating our emotions.
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
Mechanism of Game
69International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
The pioneer researcher in internet addiction research, Young (1999) defined computer
addiction as obsessive computer game playing or programming. Kim Joo-hwan (1996/
Donga Science Sept.) refers to Young’s research and defines the following:
Play Instinct : Game gives us new joy unfound in reality.
Curiosity : Game provokes curiosity about things unknown.
Anonymity : Multiple behaviors are possible in anonymity,
especially in online games.
Desire for Power : It’s easy to oppress the opponent in
game, and feel a sense of conquest which cannot be
achieved in reality.
Tension : A game with exquisitely controlled balance has
tension and gives the players an adequate sense of tension.
Transforming : In games, transformation into a new entity
in a new world is possible.
Intimacy : Favorable exchanges with others are possible
through games.
Embrace : Players are hospitable to games or others to
which they feel a sense of kinship.
Rarity : People have rare experiences in the game world.
Corner Syndrome, What Happens Next : Players feel an
extreme sense of tension throughout the game world
(especially in genres like first-person actions games and
thriller adventures, etc. )
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
Source: Understanding History of Games / Kim Jung-tae / Hongrung Publishing Co. / 2015>
71International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Esports
Com
mon
Sub
ject
s
04
72
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Definition of Esports
Esports was called as various names including cyber athlete competition, digital
athlete competition, and pro-gaming competition until beginning and middle of
1990s. At the end of the 1990s as PGL and CPL were held, it was labeled as Electronic
Sports with a proper noun. The words pro-gamer and Esports used in the media from
time to time, started to become popular. The Esports section began to take over a
part in an electronic newspaper in Korea, in 1999. After Park Ji-won, the former
minister of the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, mentioned Esports
in the inaugural ceremony of the Korea Esports Association (KeSPA), major media
companies in Korea also began to use the word Esports. As game leagues settled
down and broadcasting companies specialized in games were founded in Korea, the
word Esports also began to take root in Korea. Until 2005, Esports was only used in
a narrow meaning referring to game contests or game leagues. Afterwards, the word
embraced not only the game matches but also pro-gamers, game commentators, and
broadcast companies. In particular, as Esports began to exert a massive effect on the
teenage culture and the game culture, Esports was redefined as a comprehensive
cultural and industrial activity. With the establishment of the International Esports
Federation (IESF), Esports also attracted the attention of the international sports
society as a kind of sports. After being chosen as an item of sports in the Olympic
Council of Asia in 2013, it clearly became known as a sports item. IESF defines
Esports as ‘the compound word from “Electronic” and “Sports”, and is a general
term to describe a competitive sport performed, by using IT & Communication
technologies such as PC, Display Equipment, Network and other electronic devices.’
This definition does not limit Esports in the concept of playing video games, but
defines the environment of platforms on which the activity is being performed.
Esports is a competitive sport performed in a virtual environment in which physical
and mental abilities are exercised to create victory conditions through generally
accepted rules.
IeSF
Esports
73International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
The Philosophical Basis of Esports
In the Esports and the traditional sports industry, there is currently a debate on
whether Esports fits the paradigm as a sport. Such debate has existed ever since the
term ‘Esports’ was coined. In order to provide the philosophical basis for Esports,
the intention is to examine Esports on the grounds of sports philosophy, evolution of
sports, and the concept of what defines a sport.
Philosophical concept of sports and Esports
The philosophical basis of Esports begins with the philosophical basis of sports.
Thus examining the basis of sports philosophy and its implications on Esports will
be essential in establishing the philosophical basis for Esports. Such basis for sports
philosophy can be largely categorized into sociocultural, materialistic, and aesthetic
perspectives.
01
Sociocultural
approach
The sociocultural perspective suggested in sports
philosophy is the oldest perspective of its kind in the
history of sports studies. The sociocultural perspective
sees sport as having evolved from a ‘systemization’ of
‘play.’ Since the ancient time, people enjoyed simple games
like ball games for the purpose of entertainment. When
industrialization brought much material wealth in the 18th
century, people could invest more time in such ‘play.’ As
an increasing number of people began to enjoy ‘playing,’
different enthusiast groups for those games sprung up in
each region, and rules for the games became necessary.
Feeling the need for a unified set of match rules, people
gathered together to create and disseminate a single set
of rules. This is what came to be known as ‘sports’ today.
‘Systemization’ had changed a simple game into a sport.
Esports went through the same process. On 31 March
1998, when StarCraft was launched in Korea and became a
74
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
02
Materialistic
approach
big hit, matches began to take place in PC bangs (Internet
Cafes). Soon, official rules were created, and furthermore,
the Korea Esports Association (KeSPA) was established
to regulate these activities. In 2008, the International
Esports Federation (IESF) was founded with nine member
countries, and continues to systematically hold Esports
competitions year after year. As of September 2019, IESF
currently has 56 member countries. Like traditional sports,
Esports has also matured enough so that amateurs and
professionals can engage in the game in the same manner
or rules around the world in both casual and competitive
matches.
From a materialistic approach, sports can be seen as
having developed to meet the ideal values of society
throughout history. Since the ancient times. when simple
survival was the foremost goal. until today, even past
the industrial age, humans have always valued physical
strength and prowess. The values for such physical strength
and prowess led to the formation of sports like weight
lifting, judo and wrestling, and swimming. Throughout
the process of industrialization, favorable values in sports
shifted from power and speed to ‘accuracy’ such as archery
or shooting. In modern sports like figure skating and
rhythmic gymnastics, values not only include measurable
qualities like physical capability and accuracy, but also
a sense of artistic element which cannot be objectively
evaluated. This demonstrates an outcome of how the
‘aesthetic’ needs of the times is reflected in sports.
Esports is an outcome of how sports has evolved in the
information era of the 21st century. This era requires its
constituents to collect more data than their competitors, to
build strategies based on such collected data, and to multi-
task the execution of multiple strategies simultaneously.
Such abilities are required in various parts of society in this
era defined by information and smart technology. Esports
satisfies all the capabilities required of an information
Esports
75International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
03
Aesthetic
approach
society. The gamer must collect intelligence on his or
her opponent, use that information to build the strategy,
and then implement that strategy. All this must be done
simultaneously, which requires the physical aptitude to
carry out the commands quickly and precisely. As can be
seen, Esports requires not only physical skills but also the
capabilities valued in the information era.
The latest trend in sports philosophy is the aesthetic
approach. Another value of sports found in the aesthetic
approach is the expression of self through experience. In
other words, the interest in the qualitative experience of
human experiences and the attempts to define this has
been making gradual progress in various fields. In such
context, the ‘subjective experience,’ which was traditionally
neglected in sports, is now being explored from the
perspective of existential phenomenology in the field of
sports studies. Rather than focusing on the quantitative
phenomena of sports, the studies focus on the ‘conscious-
body’ experience that constitutes the sports activity
itself, and the innate or qualitative aspect of sports. Such
trends define that the self-realization from participating
in sports itself is the essential nature of sports, rather than
the technical outcome of accomplishing sports activities.
Such aesthetic perspective is also applied to Esports.
Today’s Esports has developed into a community-based
industry. At the community phase, users who participate
in the game value the experience or competition in the
game, i.e. self-realization as defined by Esports activities.
This culture pervasive in the Esports community is in
concert with the current trends in sports philosophy
which criticizes the result-oriented aspect of conventional
sports. Such community culture and set of values connect
all the way to the professional level of gaming. This is a
good representation of how today’s aesthetic tendencies
value the qualitative experience of individuals.
76
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
The three steps in the evolution of the concept of sports
Owing to the dynamical characteristics that modern individuals instinctively seek,
the ideals of freedom it inspires, and primeval interest in the human body, sports
has already taken its place as an important cultural code in modern society. The
evolution of sports since the early 20th century can be categorized into the following
three phases.
In phase 1, sports began to take its place in modern society as it began to incorporate
educational value. Amidst the spread of public education in the late 19th century,
the educational justification for sports was secured, allowing sports to become a
subject taught at school under the term ‘physical education.’ The global propagation
of modern education at the time helped build a robust cultural foundation for sports
activities.
In phase 2, with the advent of the Cold War era in the aftermath of World War II, the
political value of sports began to be highlighted and thus prompted governments
to directly intervene in sports. Through government support, sports began to be
studied as a science, and the domain of elite or professional sports began to develop.
Moreover, governments recognized the value of sports as a welfare, and began taking
interest in encouraging the general populace to engage in life sports. Originating
mostly in European countries, life sports continues to form a part of welfare policies
of many governments around the world.
In phase 3, the industrialization of sports accelerated with the end of the Cold
War in the late 20th century and the advent of a variety of media, riding on the
tides of globalization and information era. Through this, market theory began to
lead the phenomena in the sports world. Sports has established an immense value
network, straddling the interests of the media which values sports as news content,
corporations that value the media value of sports, and government which values the
economic and sociocultural aspects of sports, and the general public who values the
welfare in sports. Combined with capital, the industrialization of sports was further
expedited. (Kang, 2004)
As can be seen, sports is valued for its educational, political, and now industrial
values and its domain is also expanding. Human desire for such sports activities only
Esports
77International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Two perspectives on sports
Sports can be defined in two ways. The first definition is the one used commonly
throughout North America. North American scholars define the components
of sports as institutionalization, competition, rules, and physical activity. In this
definition, sports is set apart from concepts like exercise, recreation, and play. The
second definition is used in Europe, and has a broader understanding on sports. The
Council of Europe has officially defined sports in the following way (The Council of
Europe, 1992):
“All forms of physical activity, which through casual or organized participation, aim
at improving physical fitness and mental well being, forming social relationships, or
obtaining results in competition at all levels).”
This concept includes competitive and non-competitive activities, as well as limited
activities and personal activities. The European definition of sports seems to include
the concepts defined as recreation and exercise as defined by North American
scholars.
In other words, when the plural form of the word, i.e. ‘sports’ is used as a singular
concept, it refers to the definition commonly used in North America - a type of athletic
activity. It is a more systematic, organized body of competitive physical activity
compared to play or games. On the other hand, the pure singular noun, ‘sport’, refers
to the concept used commonly in Europe. ‘Sport’ includes not only institutionalized
sports events but also play, outdoor activities, leisure and recreation. It encompasses
heightened in the modern era, with sports becoming more diversified and cutting-
edge across a variety of areas including politics, economics, education, media, arts,
and industry. Many exercise to maintain their health and fitness, or for leisure.
Sports is an important content for broadcasting channels and news outlets, and is
recognized as a key area in industry and entertainment. Esports is a new area of
sports which has joined the third phase of the evolution of sports, demonstrating the
diversification and technological advancement in sports.
78
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
a wider range of activities that can be non-competitive, non-regulated, and non-
institutionalized (Kang, 2005). In particular, recently the world ‘sport’ has been used
to refer to the political, economically, social, and cultural phenomena related to and
beyond the physical activity itself.
These two concepts of sports should be presented as an integrated concept rather than
as disparate ideas. In fact, defining sports as a concept is a very difficult endeavor.
This is because the term ‘sports’ has gone through numerous changes in its meaning
and applicability throughout history (Meier, 1988). The integral definition of the
concept of sports is as follows: Sports is the physical activity performed with the
goal of physical achievement. ‘Sports’ is the plural noun of ‘sport.’ The term ‘physical’
herein refers to the use of voluntary muscles. In addition, ‘physical achievement’
includes both absolute and relative sense of achievement. Relative achievement is the
demonstration of superiority to an opponent in a competition. Subjective achievement
refers to the fulfillment of a physical goal set by oneself. For example, golf requires
superior physical strength and ability to control the ball to place the ball exactly
where the golfer wants it to land. Given the purpose of such activity, golf can be
referred to as a sport. This concept can apply to not only exercise, leisure, or fitness,
but also to activities like Esports.
Re-compiling relevant key words based on sports can help avoid confusion from the
misuse or existing jargon. It also allows a comprehensive yet systematic understanding
of the great variety of phenomena regarding physical activity. Ultimately, it can help
improve the efficiency of academic and operational communication and expedite the
systemization of thought. Such characteristics have allowed sports to evolve alongside
the society, while also becoming more pronounced as more types of activities are
now falling into the vein of sports.
SourceKang, Jun Ho (2004) Vision and Tasks of Sports Industry Seminar provided to promote the KAHPERD or possibly KAHPERD SeoulKang, Jun Ho (2005) Concept and categorization of sports industry. Physical Education & Science, 16(3), 118-130.Council of Europe(1992). European Sports Charter. Strasbourg, France: Author.Meier, K. V.(1988). Tricky triad: playing with sport and games. Journal of the Philosophy of sport, XV, 11-30.
Esports
79International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Definition of Esports Discipline
International Olympic Committee (IOC) defines a sports item as a match related to
the Olympic Games. The Olympic Games are categorized into sports and disciplines.
A sport means a single sport or a set of sports with an international association to
represent it. For example, the water sports of the summer Olympics are represented
by the Federation Internationale De Natation (FINA) and it consists of disciplines
like swimming, diving, synchronized swimming and water polo. The skating sports
of the winter Olympics is represented by the International Skating Union (ISU) and
consists of disciplines like figure skating, speed skating and short track.
Currently, in 2016, IOC generally classifies sports as summer sports and winter
sports. Summer sports consist of 27 sports with 41 disciplines and around 300 events,
whereas winter sports consist of 7 sports with 15 disciplines and around 80 events.
Summer sports: Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball,
Beach Volleyball, Boxing, Canoe Slalom, Canoe Sprint,
Cycling BMX, Cycling Mountain Bike, Cycling Road, Cycling
Track, Diving, Equestrian Dressage, Equestrian Eventing,
Equestrian Jumping, Fencing, Football, Golf, Gymnastics
Artistic, Gymnastics Rhythmic, Handball, Hockey, Judo,
Modern Pentathlon, Rowing, Rugby, Sailing, Shooting,
Swimming, Synchronized Swimming, Table Tennis,
Taekwondo, Tennis, Trampoline, Triathlon, Volleyball,
Water Polo, Weightlifting, Wrestling Freestyle, Wrestling
Greco-Roman
Winter sports: Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Bobsleigh, Cross
Country Skiing, Curling, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing
Ice Hockey, Luge, Nordic Combined, Short Track Speed
Skating, Skeleton, Ski Jumping, Snowboard, Speed Skating
01
02
The definition of sports (IOC)
https://www.olympic.org/
80
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
To become an Esports discipline, the game itself should possess popularity and
recognition. Also, since a fair match should be possible, games of the MMORPG
genre cannot become an Esports discipline as items or levels can affect the users
playing capacities. The basic conditions to become an Esports discipline are as
follows:
League of Legends
DOTA2
Starcraft2
Pro Evolution Soccer
Counter-Strike : Global Offensive
Tekken Series
PUBG
The popularity and recognition of the game
Establihment of the network environment for competition
Being an international discipline
Possibility of a fair match not affected by items and levels
The existence of an Esports observingsystem
Having separate servers for each continent and that the
game has little possibility of game errors (bugs)
01
02
03
04
05
06
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
The definition of Esports discipline
Representative Esports games:
Esports
81International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Evaluation Table of Esports Discipline
Evaluation Category Evaluation Criteria
Game
Rating
Game
Accessibility
Competition-
related
Media
Broadcast
Graphic
Sound
Interface
Playability
Internationality
Violence and
Sexuality
Gambling
Popularity
Match Method
Fairness and Equity
Base Expandability
Operation/
Management
Fosterage Basis
Game Duration
Spectatorship
Replay function
- Graphic technology
- Sound technology
- Maneuverability and user convenience
- Interest in game play and user response
- Active entry in the global market and possibility of
being an international sport
- Degree of violence, including destructiveness
or roughness
- Presence of obscene or degenerative
components that are offensive to public
morals
- Components of monetary transactions based
on luck, such as betting or gambling
- Diversity of user age group
- Suitability as Esports competition, in which
players compete each other and contend for
victory
- Possibility of unfair components which may
influence the competition other than skills
(character, level, item, etc.)
- Sufficient basis for the event to be vitalized, such
as number of users or user loyalty
- Constant operation and management of the game
- The stability and willingness of the developer
(distributor) to foster and invest in its own vitalization
- The adequacy of time and room for variability in the
game for competitions and media broadcast
- The display composition, visibility and the spectator
absorption
- Ability for the game to be replayed for scoring and
recording
82
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Rating Audience Age Content
Everyone
10 and up
13 and up
17 and up
18 and up
-
- May contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild
violence and/or infrequent use of mild language
Esports Discipline Rating System by Country
USA ESRB(Entertainment Software Rating Board)
- May contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild
violence, mild language and/or minimal
suggestive themes
- May contain violence, suggestive themes, crude
humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling and/
or infrequent use of strong language
- May contain intense violence, blood and gore,
sexual content and/or strong language
- May include prolonged scenes of intense
violence, graphic sexual content and/or gambling
with real currency
- Not yet assigned a final ESRB rating
- Appears only in advertising, marketing and
promotional materials related to a physical video
game that is expected to carry an ESRB rating
Source: www.esrb.org/ratings-guide
Esports
83International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Rating Content
Europe PEGI(Pan Europe Game Information)
- The content of games with a PEGI 3 rating is considered
suitable for all age groups. The game should not contain any
sounds or pictures that are likely to frighten young children. A
very mild form of violence (in a comical context or a childlike
setting) is acceptable. No bad language should be heard.
- Game content with scenes or sounds that can possibly
frightening to younger children should fall in this category. Very
mild forms of violence (implied, non-detailed, or non-realistic
violence) are acceptable for a game with a PEGI 7 rating.
- Video games that show violence of a slightly more graphic
nature towards fantasy characters or non-realistic violence
towards human-like characters would fall in this age category.
Sexual innuendo or sexual posturing can be present, while any
bad language in this category must be mild. Gambling as it is
normally carried out in real life in casinos or gambling halls can
also be present (e.g. card games that in real life would be played
for money).
- The adult classification is applied when the level of violence
reaches a stage where it becomes a depiction of gross violence,
apparently motiveless killing, or violence towards defenceless
characters. The glamorisation of the use of illegal drugs and
explicit sexual activity should also fall into this age category.
- This rating is applied once the depiction of violence (or sexual
activity) reaches a stage that looks the same as would be
expected in real life. The use of bad language in games with a
PEGI 16 rating can be more extreme, while games of chance, and
the use of tobacco, alcohol or illegal drugs can also be present.
Source: pegi.info
84
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Australia ACB (Australian Classification Board)
Rating Audience Age Content
Everyone
- The content is very mild in impact.
- The G classification is suitable for everyone. G
products may contain classifiable elements such
as language and themes that are very mild in
impact.
- The content is mild in impact.
- The impact of PG (Parental Guidance)
classified films and computer games should
be no higher than mild, but they may contain
content that children find confusing or upsetting
and may require the guidance of parents and
guardians.
Parental
Guidance
- The content is moderate in impact.
- Films and computer games classified M
(Mature) contain content of a moderate impact
and are recommended for teenagers aged 15
years and over.
Under 15
- The content is strong in impact.
- MA 15+ classified material contains strong
content and is legally restricted to persons
15 years and over. It may contain classifiable
elements such as sex scenes and drug use that
are strong in impact.
15 and up
- The content is high in impact
- R 18+ material is restricted to adults. Such
material may contain classifiable elements such
as sex scenes and drug use that are high in
impact. Some material classified R18+ may be
offensive to sections of the adult community.
18 and up
Source: classification.gov.au
Esports
87International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
About IESF
IESF consistently makes an effort to promote Esports as a true sport beyond language,
race and culture barriers. As our fulfillment of past years, we produced meaning and
tangible results by hosting annual ‘IESF World Championship’ and ‘General Meeting’,
and we have expanded our member nations beginning from 9 to 56 nations.
https://ie-sf.org/about/structure
01
02
03
04
Increase the number of member nations.
International Esports standardization.
Esports international human resource training.
Host world Esports tournament.
Mission of IESF
Board Member of IESF
Vision of IESF
88
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Member of IESF
IESF Members (Total 85 Nations)
IESF’s mission is to further Esports on a global scale. This is done together with our
national federations around the world. IESF wants to see a world where Esports is
accepted as a real sport and that esport athletes can compete on the same level and
with the same support as athletes from traditional sports.
IESF also supports international sport federations and the international sports society
to adapt and advance into digital era. Since 2016, IESF will support, advise, and guide
IFs for its smooth transition towards technological advancement.
Esports has advanced together with the development of the IT industry since the
20th century. IESF has focused on expanding the ecosystem of Esports, also taking
athlete welfare into top priority. IESF continues to take steps to coordinate game
developers and relate with media and publishers to ultimately make a better Esports
world.
Continental Number Nation
2Oceania
30Asia
Brunei, China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia,
Iran, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan,
Lebanon, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar,
Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Syria,
Thailand, Turkmenistan, UAE, Uzbekistan, Vietnam
8Africa Congo, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia, South
Africa, Tunisia
Australia, New Zealand
Europe
Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia, Czech Rep.,
Denmark, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy,
Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro,
Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, San Marino,
Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine
31
14Americas Argentina, Bahamas, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica,
Dominican Rep., Ecuador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico,
Panama, Peru, United States
◼ To see the most updated status of IESF Members, please visit
>> http://ie-sf.org/about/members
89International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Relationship between IESF & Sports Society
International Esports Federation is the sole and representing international organization
governing Esports in the world. With its sole representing authority, International
Esports Federation is working closely with international sports authorities. In order
to abide by the international sports acts, IESF has built its own Anti-Doping structure
and recognized by “World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)” as its official signatory.
Furthermore, in order to upraise Esports to the level of official sports discipline, IESF
cooperates with International Sports Society to add Esports as the official discipline
of international multi-sports events.
As cooperating with “Olympic Council of Asia (OCA)”, the representative organ
With these efforts, IESF is bringing attention of international sports society toward
Esports, and is taking a role as the bridge between sports society and younger
generation.
of 45 Asian National Olympic
Committees, IESF is accredited as
counterpart for Esports discipline
within “Asian Indoor & Martial Arts
Games”. Also, “The Association
for International Sports for All
(TAFISA)” has added Esports in
“World Sports for All Games” as
partnering with IESF.
IESF is applying for a member of
“SportAccord” as being recognized
its authority as official international
federation. Also, IESF has started
applying as a recognized International
Federation by IOC.
International Esports Federation
90
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
History of IESF World Championship
Year Title Location Titles Played Winner Runner Up
2009
2010
2011
2013
2014
2015
2016
2012
IESF Challenge
IESF Grand Final
IESF World Champion-ship
IESF EsportsWorld Cham-pionship
IESF EsportsWorld Cham-pionship
IESF EsportsWorld Cham-pionship
IESF EsportsWorld Cham-pionship
IESF World Champion-ship
Taebaek, South Korea
Daegu, South Korea
Andong, South Korea
Bucharest, Romania
Baku, Azerbaijan
Seoul, South Korea
Jakarta, Indonesia
Cheonan, South Korea
FIFA Online,Warcraft3 : The Frozen Throne
FIFA Online,Warcraft3: The Frozen Throne
Starcraft2, FIFA Online
League of Legends, Starcraft2,Tekken Tag Tournament 2,Alliance of Valiant Arms
DOTA2, Hearthstone, Ultra Street Fighter 4, Starcraft2, Tekken Tag Tournament
League of Legends, Starcraft2, Hearthstone
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, Hearthstone
Alliance of Valiant Arms, Starcraft2, Tekken Tag Tournament 2
South Korea
South Korea
Sweden
South Korea
South Korea
Serbia
South Korea
South Korea
China
Netherlands
South Korea
Sweden
China
South Korea
Finland
Austria
2017 IESF EsportsWorld Cham-pionship
Busan, South Korea
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, Tekken7
South Korea
Philippines
2018
2019
IESF EsportsWorld Cham-pionship
IESF EsportsWorld Cham-pionship
Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei
South Korea
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, Tekken7
DOTA2, eFootball PES2020, Tekken 7
South Korea
Japan Sweden
Finland
https://www.ie-sf.org/our-tournaments/
91International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
International Esports Referee Academy
To educate and increase the expertise of the international Esports referees in
Esports events
Purpose & Vision
1. Intensive Curriculum
· Develop intensive curriculum to educate and train · Raise competent international Esports Referees through concrete and comprehensive refereeing standard
2. Sustainable Growth
· Strengthen the Esports ecosystem and ensure development of the industry · Build the solid Esports structure through the Academy
3. Enabling Individual
· Support athlete development and career transition programs
· Ensure the continued success of athletes, teams and officials on the world stage
International Esports Federation
93International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Technical Elements of Competition
06
Inte
rnat
iona
l Ref
eree
94
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Game Client and Server
A client/server game consists of the individual players’ computers (the “game clients”)
connected to a central server computer. The topology of a four-player client/server
game is depicted in the following illustration.
Act as the session’s messaging hub. Each computer needs to send messages only
to the server. The server handles the logistics of synchronizing all the other users.
This arrangement can substantially reduce message traffic, especially for large
games.
Host the game. The server typically takes care of the tasks that must be handled
by the session host in a peer-to-peer game.
-
-
Game play is handled by having each user’s
game client communicate with the server. The
server is responsible for passing information
on to the other users. For instance, when
one user moves, the user’s computer sends a
message to the server. The server then sends
messages to the other players to inform them
of a change in game state. The server can have
a number of responsibilities; it can:
<https://msdn.microsoft.com/ko-kr/library/windows/desktop/bb153244(v=vs.85).aspx>
95International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
MAN
A metropolitan area network (MAN) is a computer network that interconnects users
with computer resources in a geographic region of the size of a metropolitan area.
The term MAN is applied to the interconnection of local area networks (LANs) in
a city into a single larger network which may then also offer efficient connection
to a wide area network. The term is also used to describe the interconnection of
several local area networks in a metropolitan area through the use of point-to-point
connections between them.
Computer network typesby spatial scope
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_area_network
Technical Elements of Competition
96
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
WAN
A wide area network (WAN) is a telecommunications network that extends over a
large geographical area for the primary purpose of computer networking. Wide area
networks are often established with leased telecommunication circuits.
Business, as well as education and government entities use wide area networks to
relay data to staff, students, clients, buyers and suppliers from various locations
across the world. In essence, this mode of telecommunication allows a business to
effectively carry out its daily function regardless of location. The Internet may be
considered a WAN.
Similar types of networks are personal area networks (PANs), local area networks
(LANs), campus area networks (CANs), or metropolitan area networks (MANs)
which are usually limited to a room, building, campus or specific metropolitan area,
respectively.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wide_area_network
97International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Technical Elements of Competition
98
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
International Esports Referee Academy
EthicsIN
TERNATIONAL
ESPORTS
REFEREE
ACADEMY
100
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Definition
The English word “ethics” is derived from the Ancient Greek word ēthikós, meaning “relating to one’s character”, which itself comes from the root word êthos
meaning “character, moral nature”. This word was transferred into Latin as ethica
and then into French as éthique, from which it was transferred into English.
Rushworth Kidder states that “standard definitions of ethics have typically included
such phrases as ‘the science of the ideal human character’ or ‘the science of moral
duty’”. Richard William Paul and Linda Elder define ethics as “a set of concepts
and principles that guide us in determining what behavior helps or harms sentient
creatures”. The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy states that the word “ethics” is
“commonly used interchangeably with ‘morality’ ... and sometimes it is used more
narrowly to mean the moral principles of a particular tradition, group or individual.”
Paul and Elder state that most people confuse ethics with behaving in accordance
with social conventions, religious beliefs and the law and don’t treat ethics as a
stand-alone concept.
The word ethics in English refers to several things. It can refer to philosophical ethics
or moral philosophy-a project that attempts to use reason to answer various kinds of
ethical questions. As the English philosopher Bernard Williams writes, attempting to
explain moral philosophy: “What makes an inquiry a philosophical one is reflective
generality and a style of argument that claims to be rationally persuasive.” Williams
describes the content of this area of inquiry as addressing the very broad question,
“how one should live”. Ethics can also refer to a common human ability to think about
ethical problems that is not particular to philosophy. As bioethicist Larry Churchill
has written: “Ethics, understood as the capacity to think critically about moral values
and direct our actions in terms of such values, is a generic human capacity.” Ethics
can also be used to describe a particular person’s own idiosyncratic principles or
habits. For example: “Joe has strange ethics.”
Source: wikipedia
101International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Virtue ethics
Virtue ethics describes the character of a moral agent as a driving force for ethical
behavior, and it is used to describe the ethics of Socrates, Aristotle, and other early
Greek philosophers. Socrates (469–399 BC) was one of the first Greek philosophers
to encourage both scholars and the common citizen to turn their attention from
the outside world to the condition of humankind. In this view, knowledge bearing
on human life was placed highest, while all other knowledge was secondary. Self-
knowledge was considered necessary for success and inherently an essential good.
A self-aware person will act completely within his capabilities to his pinnacle, while
an ignorant person will flounder and encounter difficulty. To Socrates, a person must
become aware of every fact (and its context) relevant to his existence, if he wishes to
attain self-knowledge. He posited that people will naturally do what is good if they
know what is right. Evil or bad actions are the results of ignorance. If a criminal was
truly aware of the intellectual and spiritual consequences of his or her actions, he or
she would neither commit nor even consider committing those actions. Any person
who knows what is truly right will automatically do it, according to Socrates. While
he correlated knowledge with virtue, he similarly equated virtue with joy. The truly
wise man will know what is right, do what is good, and therefore be happy.
Aristotle (384–323 BC) posited an ethical system that may be termed “virtuous”.
In Aristotle’s view, when a person acts in accordance with virtue this person will
do good and be content. Unhappiness and frustration are caused by doing wrong,
leading to failed goals and a poor life. Therefore, it is imperative for people to act
in accordance with virtue, which is only attainable by the practice of the virtues in
order to be content and complete. Happiness was held to be the ultimate goal. All
other things, such as civic life or wealth, were only made worthwhile and of benefit
when employed in the practice of the virtues. The practice of the virtues is the surest
path to happiness.
Aristotle asserted that the soul of man had three natures: body (physical/metabolism),
animal (emotional/appetite), and rational (mental/conceptual). Physical nature can be
assuaged through exercise and care; emotional nature through indulgence of instinct
and urges; and mental nature through human reason and developed potential.
Ethics
102
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Rational development was considered the most important, as essential to philosophical
self-awareness and as uniquely human. Moderation was encouraged, with the
extremes seen as degraded and immoral. For example, courage is the moderate virtue
between the extremes of cowardice and recklessness. Man should not simply live,
but live well with conduct governed by virtue. This is regarded as difficult, as virtue
denotes doing the right thing, in the right way, at the right time, for the right reason.
SocratesSource: wikipedia
103International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Meta ethics
Source: wikipedia
Meta-ethics is the branch of philosophical ethics that asks how we understand, know
about, and what we mean when we talk about what is right and what is wrong. An
ethical question pertaining to a particular practical situation—such as, “Should I eat
this particular piece of chocolate cake?”—cannot be a meta-ethical question (rather,
this is an applied ethical question). A meta-ethical question is abstract and relates to
a wide range of more specific practical questions. For example, “Is it ever possible
to have secure knowledge of what is right and wrong?” is a meta-ethical question.
Meta-ethics has always accompanied philosophical ethics. For example, Aristotle
implies that less precise knowledge is possible in ethics than in other spheres of
inquiry, and he regards ethical knowledge as depending upon habit and acculturation
in a way that makes it distinctive from other kinds of knowledge. Meta-ethics is also
important in G.E. Moore’s Principia Ethica from 1903. In it he first wrote about what
he called the naturalistic fallacy. Moore was seen to reject naturalism in ethics, in his
Open Question Argument. This made thinkers look again at second order questions
about ethics. Earlier, the Scottish philosopher David Hume had put forward a similar
view on the difference between facts and values.
Studies of how we know in ethics divide into cognitivism and non-cognitivism; this
is quite akin to the thing called descriptive and non-descriptive. Non-cognitivism is
the view that when we judge something as morally right or wrong, this is neither
true nor false. We may, for example, be only expressing our emotional feelings about
these things. Cognitivism can then be seen as the claim that when we talk about
right and wrong, we are talking about matters of fact.
The ontology of ethics is about value-bearing things or properties, i.e. the kind
of things or stuff referred to by ethical propositions. Non-descriptivists and non-
cognitivists believe that ethics does not need a specific ontology since ethical
propositions do not refer. This is known as an anti-realist position. Realists, on the
other hand, must explain what kind of entities, properties or states are relevant for
ethics, how they have value, and why they guide and motivate our actions.
Ethics
104
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
Moral skepticism
Moral skepticism (or moral scepticism) is a class of metaethical theories all members
of which entail that no one has any moral knowledge. Many moral skeptics also make
the stronger, modal claim that moral knowledge is impossible. Moral skepticism is
particularly opposed to moral realism: the view that there are knowable and objective
moral truths.
Some proponents of moral skepticism include Pyrrho, Aenesidemus, Sextus Empiricus,
David Hume, Max Stirner, and Friedrich Nietzsche.
Moral skepticism divides into three subclasses: moral error theory (or moral nihilism),
epistemological moral skepticism, and noncognitivism. All three of these theories
share the same conclusions, which are:
(a) we are never justified in believing that moral claims (claims of the form “state of
affairs x is good,” “action y is morally obligatory,” etc.) are true and, even more so
(b) we never know that any moral claim is true.
However, each method arrives at (a) and (b) by different routes.
Moral error theory holds that we do not know that any moral claim is true because
(i) all moral claims are false,
(ii) we have reason to believe that all moral claims are false, and
(iii) since we are not justified in believing any claim we have reason to deny, we are
not justified in believing any moral claims.
Epistemological moral skepticism is a subclass of theory, the members of which
include Pyrrhonian moral skepticism and dogmatic moral skepticism. All members
of epistemological moral skepticism share two things: first, they acknowledge that
we are unjustified in believing any moral claim, and second, they are agnostic on
whether (i) is true (i.e. on whether all moral claims are false).
· Pyrrhonian moral skepticism holds that the reason we are unjustified in believing
any moral claim is that it is irrational for us to believe either that any moral claim is
105International Esports Referee Academy
INTERNATIONAL ESPORTS REFEREE ACADEMY
true or that any moral claim is false. Thus, in addition to being agnostic on whether
(i) is true, Pyrrhonian moral skepticism denies (ii).
· Dogmatic moral skepticism, on the other hand, affirms (ii) and cites (ii)’s truth as
the reason we are unjustified in believing any moral claim.
Noncognitivism holds that we can never know that any moral claim is true because
moral claims are incapable of being true or false (they are not truth-apt). Instead,
moral claims are imperatives (e.g. “Don’t steal babies!”), expressions of emotion (e.g.
“stealing babies: Boo!”), or expressions of “pro-attitudes” (“I do not believe that
babies should be stolen.”)
Source: wikipedia
Ethics