In 2026, the UK will host the first international esports competition aimed at military personnel from around forty countries, a way to develop their “digital and cyber skills” through video games, the UK Ministry of Defense announced on Friday.
For British military officials, who last year recognized esports as a sport in its own right, the aim of the upcoming event is “to strengthen digital skills in combat,” the ministry said in a press release.
“The way of waging war is evolving very quickly as technology develops, be it autonomy, drones or artificial intelligence. (…). So we need to change the skills needed to be a good soldier, a good sailor, a good pilot, but also the type of people we attract into the armed forces and defense in general,” explained General Tom Copinger-Symes, deputy commander of the Cyber and Specialist Operations Command (CSOC).
Call of Duty was selected for the competition
After several elimination phases, the final of the International Defense Esports Games (Ideg) will take place in October 2026 at a new venue dedicated to video games and esports in Sunderland (northeast England), developed by the British esports federation, a partner of the competition.
The games chosen for this first edition include soccer games, Call of Duty, and Velocidrone, a drone piloting simulation game.
“Video games are a very powerful way to attract new talent into the armed forces,” said General Tom Copinger-Symes, who wants to end the “negative” image of video games that some senior officers have, while developing skills such as “motor dexterity”, “coding”, “teamwork” or even the ability to “evolve between virtual worlds, simulated worlds and the real world”.
For Chester King, president of the British esports federation, it is not surprising that soldiers are increasingly interested in video games. According to him, esports can “become part of his program to develop military skills.” “Millions of people practice esports, and events involving the military will further legitimize this practice. »
