Great Debate: Are eSports sports?

FETCHER. · 07-23-2013, 07:51 AM

I agree but being in athletic health isn't a requirement to be successful within the game. I could literally start now and become 'pro' if I put my mind to it, I couldn't just start gymnastics and become pro, it's all down to natural ability in real sport, you've either got it or you haven't you can't just become good unlike in videogames.

Videogames are all about strategies that use the mind only, that being the case if they were a real sport then the likes of solitaire would surely be considered a sport which is just as ridiculous.

As for shooting and ping pong I've got no ****ing idea why they are Olympic sports yet they are still much more deserving of the place than a videogame.

djchameleon · 07-23-2013, 07:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FETCHER.

I couldn't just start gymnastics and become pro, it's all down to natural ability in real sport, you've either got it or you haven't you can't just become good unlike in videogames.

Say what? Why can't you get into gymnastics and become pro?

It takes the same amount of training and dedication that it would to become a pro at gaming. Sure, it's a different type of training but still training nonetheless.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FETCHER.

Videogames are all about strategies that use the mind only, that being the case if they were a real sport then the likes of solitaire would surely be considered a sport which is just as ridiculous.

Chess is considered a sport. I'm probably wrong about this but I think I saw an article somewhere saying it's part of the Olympics as well.

Antonio · 07-24-2013, 12:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djchameleon

I was with you up until that statement.

The hand/eye coordination that gets built up over time is something physical that the body remembers and is also necessary when it comes to professional gaming.

this. In all seriousness I play a number of competetive shooters/games casually and know my general way around a match, but the quickness of reaction time and movement/dexterity with said reaction(something found in major sports, for example a baseball player being able to hit a 95 mph pitch) completely dwarfs myself as well as most of my friends(friends who've never played competitively)

Quote:

Originally Posted by FETCHER.

I agree but being in athletic health isn't a requirement to be successful within the game. I could literally start now and become 'pro' if I put my mind to it, I couldn't just start gymnastics and become pro, it's all down to natural ability in real sport, you've either got it or you haven't you can't just become good unlike in videogames.

Videogames are all about strategies that use the mind only, that being the case if they were a real sport then the likes of solitaire would surely be considered a sport which is just as ridiculous.

As for shooting and ping pong I've got no ****ing idea why they are Olympic sports yet they are still much more deserving of the place than a videogame.

I see you've never heard of APM(actions per minute):

Korean Gamers: APM Demonstration - YouTube

Now please show me your video of you excelling with that same dexterity and coordination, since you said there's no physical exertion needed.

But yeah, I feel like some of the people who are completely denying eSports' legitimacy as sports think that we're trying to replace the biggest sports out there or that people are saying they're objectively more difficult. I mean, you can say that certain sports take more physical than others, but that doesn't take away the competitive nature as well as the physicality required in certain aspects. Not every sport uses YOUR ENTIRE BODY; some sports only use certain parts of the body, but at a professional level can still take a large amount of control and refinement of abilities in order to compete in larger leagues.

And yeah, I know some people are going to say games aren't physical, but you GAIN muscle memory from the repeated button presses you initiate to fire and switch between in-game weapons, communicate with a team and move in certain formations. Unless they start developing thought based game consoles, there's physical exertion on display here.

Also, it's not like there isn't room for more professional sports out there or anything. Something such as skateboarding was thought of as a rouge pastime for punk kids until really skilled skaters started being competitive with each other; now it's being given more legitimacy by networks such as ESPN and getting sponsorships by companies that would only make deals with huge athletes.

No one's saying that Starcraft is going to be replacing MLB or the NBA anytime soon, but if f**king golf and fishing can be considered sports by the general public, even marginally, then surely competitive gaming can be as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 216

what im askin tho is if you consider a pick up bball game a sport, would a game of super smash bros with friends be a sport?? or are you only considering it a sport at a pro level

I would say it's your mindset; I mean, you could get a bunch of people on the basketball court with ball in hand and just mess around, making trick shots and not taking it seriously at all. I would see gaming in a similar light; sure if you're playing a casual game with friends and not caring about who wins then yeah it's a casual game, but if you play in an organized manner and set out to win through your abilities alone then I can consider it sporting. And I know some people have trouble wrapping their head around this, but to be honest you could literally MAKE UP a sport right now if you wanted to. The only thing that would separate it from being pro level would be the popularity of it and people who take it to a level where ordinary people couldn't do it without a good amount of work.

I mean, if you explained to someone that had never seen or heard of basketball that people will pay hundreds of dollars just to watch a group of players try to throw a ball into a hoop then they would probably think you were crazy.