Rob Pardo, who until July was chief creative officer at Blizzard¹ Entertainment, said "sport" now had a broad definition.

 

"Videogames are well positioned to be a spectator sport," he told Afternoon Edition on BBC 5 Live.

 

Professional e-sports events currently attract audiences of millions.

 

A recent major final held in Seoul,South Korea, filled a stadium of 40,000 people - with many more watching either online or at meet-ups around the world.

 

"There's a very good argument for e-sports being in the Olympics," Mr Pardo, who was also lead designer on Starcraft: Brood War, a game often credited with kickstarting the e-sports phenomenon.

 

"I think the way that you look at e-sports is that it's a very competitive skillset and you look at these professional gamers and the reflexes are lightning quick and their having to make very quick decisions on the fly.

 

"When you look at their 'actions per minute', they're clearing over 300." However, he conceded that video gaming faces a cultural battle to win other those who follow more physical sports.

 

"That starts getting into how you define sport," he said.

 

"If you want to define sport as something that takes a lot of physical exertion², then it's hard to argue that videogames should be a sport, but at the same time, when I'm looking at things that are already in the Olympics, I start questioning the definition."

 

Having new sports admitted into the Olympic roster³ is a long-winded process and, since the International Olympic Committee (IOC) capped the number of sports allowed in the Games, has become increasingly difficult.

 

Even if e-sports were to be recognised as an Olympic sport, that does not mean it will be included in the Games - it merely means a case can be presented to the IOC.

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