Author: Russia e-Sports Federation, Secretary General, Constantine Surkont
The basic age of e-sport players differs from 17 to 24 years old. It coincides with major student age. According to that many higher school institutions have been holding e-sport contests recently. Those contests can be for students of only one university, can be open (f.e. to attract enrollees), can be inter-academic. Such competitions give Russia e-Sports Federation (RESF) a good ground to work on Russian Student e-Sport League which we’re planning to start next year. Nowadays we’ve been helping to organize such competitions in a number of educational institutions in Moscow and a few other Russian cities. Once it gave us a result we did not expect but were glad to obtain.
In 2010 a group of student decided to have an inter-academic Counter Strike tournament. The students were studying in Russian State University of Physical Education, Sport, Youth and Tourism (RSUPESY&T, formerly known as State Central Order of Lenin Institute of Physical Education ? SCOLIPE). They asked for help IT-department of the University. The department suggested RESF can do it better.
In May 2010 Moscow branch of RESF and IT-department of RSUPESY&T held a small tournament were six Counter Strike teams participated: five ones represented different universities and the sixth was composed of Chinese students living in Moscow. On the same day at the next University building there was an international scientific conference “Theory and methods of physical education: founders heritage and prospects”. At the end of the conference we made a short speech about the competition and e-sports in whole.
Russian State University of Physical Education, Sport, Youth and Tourism is the main sport HEI of Russia. It educates sportsmen, coaches, sport methodologists and pedagogues. Also the University conducts scientific works in the sphere of sports and physical training, develops sportsmen preparation and training methods, researches influence of various sport activity on physical and mental conditions. Each department of the University either is tied to a particular sport (group of sports) or executes cross-disciplinary job.
The idea was evident. If the e-sport exist as a fact, obviously it is the subject of RSUPESY&T’s IT -department. And first step to realize it is to hold an institutional conference on e-sports. RESF is interested as well. Conducting such an activity gives us basis to bring the e-sport back to the State Sport Register (which it was excluded from in 2006), and then to have a scientific ground to cultivate it further.
The First institutional conference “Problems and prospects of e-sports” took place a few months later, on the 17th of December 2010. The agenda contained more than 20 reports, most of them were directly e-sport related:
? Some aspects of e-sport competitions organizing;
? Collaboration and uniting of mind sport games;
? Videogames as a sport;
? E-sport events in Russian media, history of coverage;
– E-sports in RSUPESY&T;
? E-sports: evolvement problems and theoretical background of way to solve;
? About e-sport terminology;
– Development of e-sports in Russia and in the World;
? Problems of official e-sports recognition;
? Experience of e-sport department in Specialized Children and Youth School of Olympic Reserve, Orel city;
? Pedagogical aspects of training e-sportsmen
Three of them were made by RESF representatives, all the rest ? by specialists from RSUPESY&T and other sport institutions. The reports of the first conference were published in June 2011. The brochure became probably the first publication on e-sports with ISBN and other classification codes.
The conference was a good start for collaboration between the University IT-department and Russian e-Sports Federation. Next year the department received the authority to educate bachelors in the applied informatics specialization. Which basically means they started to produce IT-specialists for sport and physical education needs. Among other subjects of the specialization there are a few ones closely connected to the e-sport, such as: game theory, mathematical modeling of physical processes in computer games physics, the basics of programming videogames, e-sport competitions organization, e-sport training methods.
Moreover, among applicants for this specialization there were two real e-sport players from a famous Russian multi-gaming team “Moscow Five” (M5). Now Sergei “Fox” Stolyarov and Mikhail “Dosia” Stolyarov (Counter Strike players) are students at RSUPESY&T IT-department (http://it.sportedu.ru/content/nashi-sportsmeny-kibersport).
On the 25th of November 2011 there took place the second conference ? All-Russian Scientific-practical conference “The e-Sport (cybersport): Problems and prospects”. The conference was held under the guidance of Ministry of sport, tourism and youth policy (that gave the conference the “all-Russian” status). Also the Conference was accompanied by a small exhibition at the main hall of the
University where some e-sport peripheral devices, simulators and electronic trainers were presented,including xBox 360 Kinect, Thermaltake game station, racing simulators and a few University electronic machines they use to measure and research sportsmen physical condition and activity.
The second e-Sport Conference became richer in content than the previous one. On the whole it had more reports, attracted more media and gave a good ground for further developing of e-Sports in Russia including its official recognition.
Basic organizations that were presented are:
Ministry of Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy, Russian State University of Physical Education, Sport, Youth and Tourism (IT Department, Psychology Department, Chess specialists, other), Russian e-Sports Federation, Moscow State Physical Culture Academy, Scientific Research Institute for Sports, Physical Culture Pedagogic Institute, xBox Russia, Thermaltake Company, GameSTUL Company.
Among more than 30 reports made at the conference there were;
? XBOX 360 at e-sport activity;
? E-sports in informational and educational space of a physical education institution of higher learning;
? How to maintain health during e-sport trainings;
? E-sport specialists training program in RSUPESY&T;
? Moto-simulators SCOLIPE use for testing driver skills;
? Actualization of e-sport activities kinetic part, real weapon in competitions and trainings at shooting simulators;
? Scientific-methodical and legalistic aspects of e-sports;
? The role and place of e-sports in Olympic education and training;
? Russian and international e-sport competitions 2011;
? E-sport titles choice at major competitions and e-sport disciplines matter;
? Correctional videogames for persons with mind disabilities.
Unfortunately, the texts of the second conference haven’t been published yet. We’re expecting the brochure in May this year. But the work is going on. These days (23-25 of April) the RSUPESY&T IT-department is holding the third e-sport championship of the University which will define its representatives at inter-academic student tournament on the 26th of April. Also they have started the second admission of student for the applied informatics. The conferences also gave the RESF a lot of contacts in sport academic field which reflected in the fact that at some competitions players conditions are measured by scientific equipment. As soon as there is a proper data and interpretation of such measurements we’ll share the information.
Next month we’re applying to the State Sport Register to return the e-sport its full official status. Now e-sport is recognized by the Ministry of Justice by fact of RESF’s existing, but it was excluded from the register due to the absence of reporting in 2005-2006. We hope that collaboration with RSUPESY&T and other sport institutions we’ve performed will give us a lot of additional point in e-sports recognition by our Sport Ministry.
