In brief: The UK government has announced the world's first international eSports competition for active military personnel. Over 40 nations will compete in the tournament, which is being billed as a way "to sharpen cyber skills through gaming applying lessons from Ukraine's use of gaming technology in warfare."
The International Defence Esports Games (IDEG) was launched in London last week. Over 40 allied nations are taking part, including Canada and Poland – no mention of the US' involvement. The move follows the UK's decision to officially recognize eSports as a military sport in 2024.
Entries for the competition will open in January 2026. After the online qualifying heats, the finals will take place on October 9 to 11, 2026, at the upcoming National Gaming and Esports Arena in the north-east English city of Sunderland (where this writer happens to be based). In addition to the live-streamed tournaments, there will be strategic summits exploring cyber security, AI, and drone operations.
The Ministry of Defence's (MoD) press release focuses on eSports' ability to boost military personnel and reservists' cyber skills. It states that competitive gaming helps those in the military develop critical battlefield skills, including tracking multiple threats at once, directing soldiers on the ground, performing under intense pressure, and changing tactics based on live intelligence.
There's also a focus on Ukraine's use of gaming-based technology in the war against Russia. The release highlights drone simulator games, developed by Ukrainian forces to improve operators' targeting accuracy and reaction times.
It was reported in February that members of Ukraine's elite Typhoon drone unit viewed gamers as potential recruits. There was also a warning, however, that the real thing wasn't the same as playing Call of Duty, with no restart option and deadly consequences when mistakes are made.
The Ukrainian army uses a computer game-style drone attack system that rewards soldiers who achieve strikes with points, which can be exchanged to buy more weapons from the Brave1 online store. Teams competing for points killed or wounded 18,000 Russian soldiers in September, with 400 drone units now taking part in the competition.
In April 2023, it was reported that the Ukrainian army was using the Steam Deck as a remote controller for a machine turret.
The UK takes the link between eSports and military skills seriously. Earlier this year, the MoD revealed that the UK Royal Navy's HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier had a high-end eSports suite installed for the crew (below).
The MoD recognized eSports as an official military sport in March 2024, giving it the same formal status as traditional sports like shooting and rugby. The MoD sees embracing gamer culture as a way of attracting and retaining young people, particularly for roles in cyber defence and technology-focused positions. The UK government launched a recruitment plan this year to fast-track gamers into cyber defence roles.