GuitarBizarre

Thanks man. I'm not sure I'd call it war, really. I don't want to beat down anyones opinion on this, despite the fact I feel like some people are trying to do that to mine. I'd have no issues with people disliking starcraft as a sport, to me that would be the same as finding someone doesn't enjoy any of my other hobbies, like Mountain Biking, or Snooker.

But as Mrd00d said, people seem to be taking this as me trying to equate eSports with physical sports. More than a few people have tried to imply that I'm making some sort of case for eSports to replace traditional sports.

I think its obvious I'm not arguing that, and really he summed up my position very well saying that all I'm asking for is "To agree that SINCE sports like golf, darts, snooker, chess are recognized as... well, sports, that on the professional level, these kind of games can be.".

But really, a lot of the discussion so far has been more mockery than logical discussion, so it keeps being brought up that you can't compare eSports professionals with traditional sporting athletes because their profession doesn't result in extreme physical conditioning and doesn't form part of a traditionally healthy lifestyle.

But of course, I've not once argued for that. Even the eSports associations haven't argued for that. KeSPA, the Korean eSports Association, MANDATES seperate, contractually obligatory physical fitness training for its players because it KNOWS that Starcraft won't keep a man thin and fit. Johann "Fata1ty" Wendel is on record as saying that he puts running and fitness training into his daily schedule outside of playing the game. He feels it gives him an edge that his body isn't protesting his lifestyle and he can focus better ingame.

But as we've discussed, there are plenty of recognised and worldwide sports that have the same issue to greater or lesser degrees, and it clearly doesn't define what a sport is, that being in peak physical fitness should be an innate result of top level competition.

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