背景介紹：
近年來，隨著電子競技遊戲的不斷發展，有關將電競遊戲納入奧運會項目的呼聲也越來越高。在2018年雅加達亞運會上，電競遊戲「英雄聯盟」首次被納入為亞運會項目，雖然只是表演賽，但也被眾多電競愛好者看作是電競遊戲進入奧運會的關鍵一步。那麼，電競遊戲究竟何時能夠進入奧運會？
Why the next Olympics should include Fortnite
為什麼下一屆奧運會應該將「堡壘之夜」納入其中
If dressage and curling are Olympic sports, why not video games?
如果花樣騎術和冰壺可以作為奧運會項目，那麼電子遊戲為何不可？
Champions from many countries are dropped on an island, wearing tight, garish outfits that show off their muscles. They search for weapons, such as guns and rocket-launchers. In teams of two, they try to kill everyone else on the island. The last pair standing wins gold medals and global adulation.
來自多個國家的冠軍選手被空投至一個小島，他們身著豔麗的緊身衣，炫耀著肌肉。他們以兩人為一組在島上搜尋諸如槍和火箭筒之類的武器，努力去殺光島上的其他所有人。活到最後的一對選手便會贏得金牌和榮譽。
The Tokyo Olympics, which were supposed to start next month, have been postponed until 2021, thanks to covid-19. That delay offers a chance for reflection. The International Olympic Committee wants to make the games more popular with young people. To that end, it is introducing new events, such as skateboarding, surfing and climbing.
受新冠肺炎疫情影響，原定於下個月舉行的東京奧運會被推遲至2021年。藉此機會，我們應該對奧運會進行深入思考。國際奧委會希望能讓奧運會更受年輕人的喜愛。為此，奧委會正在引入一些新的運動項目（例如滑板、衝浪和攀巖等）。
Why not go further and let national teams compete at video games? Electronic sports such as 「Fortnite」, described above, are vastly more popular than Olympic oddities such as dressage or curling. In fact, they are more popular than most mainstream sports (see article). Only 28% of British boys aged 16-19 watch any traditional live sports; 57% play video games.
那麼，何不更進一步，將電子競技項目也納入其中呢？電子競技項目（如上文所描繪的「堡壘之夜」）比花樣騎術或冰壺等奇葩項目更受歡迎。事實上，它們甚至比大多數主流運動項目更受歡迎。在16-19歲的英國青少年中，只有28%的人會觀看傳統體育賽事，但卻有57%的人玩電子遊戲。
Stick-in-the-muds may grumble that e-sports are not proper sports. Many parents, observing their surly teenagers sitting on the sofa all day twiddling their thumbs and shouting 「Quick, pass me the shotgun!」 at a screen, would agree. Yet video games are highly competitive, with professional leagues that play to packed stadiums.
因循守舊者或許會抱怨稱，電子競技並非一項真正的運動。許多父母對此表示認同，因為他們都會看到這樣的場景：性情乖戾的孩子整天窩在沙發上打著遊戲，還會大聲喊道「快，把霰彈槍給我！」然而，電子遊戲實際極具競技性，職業聯賽往往也會在人潮湧動的體育館進行。
There are perhaps only 200 tennis stars in the world who can make a living from playing in tournaments. By contrast 「League of Legends」, a fantasy game played by teams of five, supports over 1,000 on good wages. Its World Championship final last year was watched by 44m people.
全球大概只有200位網球明星能夠以打聯賽為生。相比之下，五人一隊的奇幻遊戲「英雄聯盟」卻能以高額薪金養活超過1000名職業選手。去年，有超過4400萬名觀眾觀看了「英雄聯盟」全球總決賽。
New sports have always been unpopular at first. King Edward II of England tried to ban football in 1314, because he thought boys should be learning archery instead. In 19th-century America churchy types objected to baseball, which they worried was too much fun.
新的運動項目一開始向來不受歡迎。1314年，英國國王愛德華二世曾試圖禁止人們踢足球，因為在他看來，男孩子就應該去射箭。在19世紀的美國，教會反對人們打棒球，因為他們認為棒球太好玩了。
The best e-sports require as much skill and dexterity as many conventional sports—professional gamers typically carry out five distinct actions every second. Video games are also cheaper and more accessible than, say, sailing or horse-riding.
絕佳的電子遊戲對技巧和靈活性的要求不亞於傳統運動項目——職業選手通常要在一秒內完成5種不同的操作。此外，相比帆船或馬術，電子遊戲的門檻更低，也更容易上手。
Critics of e-sports offer moral objections, too. They are addictive. Prince Harry has called for 「Fortnite」 to be banned for this reason. They are violent. Surely, at a time of global disharmony, it is a bad idea to make simulated killing an Olympic sport? The Olympics aim to promote peace. Finally, video games are crassly commercial. Nobody owns basketball; 「League of Legends」 is owned by Tencent, a Chinese megacorporation.
批評者從道德層面提出了異議。首先，電子遊戲會讓人上癮。哈裡王子也曾因此呼籲禁止「堡壘之夜」。其次，電子遊戲充斥著暴力。在如今這個全球充滿矛盾衝突的時代，將一款模擬殺戮的遊戲納入奧運會項目不是一個好主意吧？奧運會的宗旨在於促進和平。最後，電子遊戲太過商業化。籃球不歸任何人所有，但「英雄聯盟」卻為中國網際網路巨頭騰訊所有。
None of these arguments is very convincing. The idea that an activity, rather than a substance, can be addictive is contentious among doctors, as is the existence of a causal link between gaming and violence. And the notion that warlike sports have no place in the Olympics is hard to square with history. Javelin-throwing and wrestling were introduced in 708BC. They are still there.
這些理由都不具說服力。正如有關遊戲與暴力是否存在因果關係的爭論那樣，對於一項活動（而非一種物質）能否讓人上癮也在醫學界引發了爭論。與戰爭相關的體育項目在奧運會上沒有一席之地的說法與歷史不相符合。擲標槍和摔跤在公元前708年就被納入為奧運會項目。如今，它們仍被保留。
Modern pentathlon, which includes shooting and fencing, was designed to train soldiers. The imaginary mayhem in 「Fortnite」 cannot be compared to the real harm caused by boxing. Packs of e-sports fans do not rampage through town centres as soccer or ice-hockey fans sometimes do.
現代五項全能運動中的射擊與擊劍都是為訓練士兵所設計的。「堡壘之夜」中的虛擬傷害相比拳擊造成的真實傷害根本不值得一提。人數眾多的電競粉絲也不會像足球粉絲或冰球粉絲那樣在市中心聚眾狂歡。
As for the fact that e-sports belong to companies, so what? The Olympics already generates billions from broadcasting and sponsorship. Commercial pressure can make for livelier entertainment. Having a video game named as an Olympic sport would be a huge prize. Companies would vie to create games as exciting to watch as they are to play. This sounds like a recipe for fun.
至於說電子遊戲歸屬於公司，那又何妨？奧運會本身就通過轉播和贊助從創造了數十億美元的收入。況且，商業壓力能夠讓娛樂業更加生機勃勃。擁有一款被納為奧運項目的電子遊戲對於一家公司來說是至高無上的榮耀。各大公司會爭相開發既具觀賞性又具可玩性的電子遊戲。這聽起來很有趣。
Those who disagree can always watch the 20,000-metre speed-walk. Put 「Fortnite」 in the Olympics, and millions will tune in who might otherwise not have bothered. They might evenstumble across a traditional sport and decide to try it, too. And if the experiment fails, no matter. The International Olympic Committee could drop it in 2024, as it has previously dropped croquet, tug-of-war and solo synchronised swimming.
那些持不同意見者隨時可以去看2萬米競走比賽。如果將「堡壘之夜」納為奧運會項目，那麼將有數百萬原本不看奧運會的人前來收看比賽。他們可能會偶然發現一項傳統運動，並決定去試試。即使將電競納入奧運會的實驗失敗了也沒關係。國際奧委會完全可以在2024年取消這一項目，就像之前取消槌球、拔河和單人花樣遊泳項目那樣。
重難點詞彙：
garish[ ɡer ] adj. 花哨的；鮮豔的
adulation[ d le n] n. 奉承；諂媚
grumble[ ɡr mbl] v. 抱怨；嘟囔 n. 怨言
tournament[ t rn m nt] n. 錦標賽；聯賽
dexterity[dek ster ti] n. 靈巧；敏捷；機敏
mayhem[ me hem] n. 騷亂，混亂；殘害
rampage[ r mpe d ] v. 橫衝直撞；狂暴；亂鬧 n. 暴怒
stumble across偶然發現
（內容只代表作者個人觀點，不代表論壇立場）
亞洲浪潮，博鰲視野
立足亞洲 面向世界
傳遞論壇最新動態 促進亞洲深度合作
全球重要對話的傳達者 亞洲共同發展的瞭望者