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Are eSports a real sport?


Evil G

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Sorry for the double post...

I've been thinking about this topic lately and I want to know what the CCSLC thinks. I think they are, but I'm probably biased. So what are your thoughts?

Visit South Korea and you tell me that it isn't a sport.

battlenet104.jpg

The picture above is a StarCraft tournament in South Korea.

Alright, so is this concert a sport?

DSC_0770.jpgSimilarites:

A. Large Crowd

B. Bright Lights

C. Large Screens

Is singing a sport?

The performer on the stage of a concert is probably doing more physical exertion than someone smashing buttons on a controller.

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What's wrong with "competitive gaming" as a category? Why does it have to be or not be a "sport"? Who's asking the question?

Competitive gamers aren't satisfied with their lot, apparently. They need the affirmation?

It's weird. ESPN recently covered a Dota 2 tournament. You had people responding to that by saying "what's this doing on ESPN? It's not a sport!" You also had some gamers saying "I don't want this on ESPN!"

So the gaming community isn't even in agreement about what they want.

I think some feel like getting the "sport" label would legitimize competitive gaming. Which is a fallacy. Competitive poker has been legitimized, in large part to ESPN coverage, and I don't consider poker to be a sport. It's closer to competitive gaming then any actual sport, in my opinion.

My take on it? I am, in a broad sense, a "gamer." Do I plug in my old Genesis or boot up WoW if I want to play a sport? No. If I'm in the mood to play a sport I'll pack my pads into my car and drive down to the local rink for a pickup game. Or grab a football or baseball and call a friend or two up. It's something completely separate from the feeling that drives me to play video games.

I love Game Theory, but Matt's off the mark on this one. He's coming at it from the perspective of a gamer who feels like video games need the "sport" label to gain legitimacy. Rather then realizing that it can be legitimate as its own entity or category. It doesn't need to try to be something it's not.

His comparison between the NBA (and all major North American sports leagues) and the LoL Championship Series is particularly lacking.

This "lack of legitimacy" thing is what fuels the "are video games art?" discussion as well. It's an interesting question, but one I rather avoid. It inevitably ends with Jonathan Blow talking out of his own :censored:

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ESPN, NBCSN, and Fox Sports ALL cover Texas hold-em poker. If they consider that sports, why do you argue that egames are not?

They don't though, they consider it a part of their entertainment as a competitive game. Nowhere do they refer to it as a sport.
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ESPN, NBCSN, and Fox Sports ALL cover Texas hold-em poker. If they consider that sports, why do you argue that egames are not?

Just because something is shown on a network devoted to a particular subject doesn't automatically mean it is related to that subject.

Would you call Ice Road Truckers a show that is related to history just because it airs on the History Channel?

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It's similar to traditional sports in terms of the competitive aspect, but obviously not in terms of physical activity.

As a gamer myself, I don't care one way or the other if competitive gaming is counted as a "real" sport or not. I feel like eSports is more of a catchy name for it.

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PotD: 24/08/2017

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Is both moving my mouse down this page to get to the bottom and typing this comment a sport? I mean it can be a competition and requires both practice and physical activity of my fingers like Esports does. If sitting on my butt and playing League Of Legends all day is a sport then computer typing is too.

I seriously can't believe people think Esports are a real sport.

All that matters is love, love, your love...

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they most certinaly are sports... you need hand eye coordination, teamwork, strategy and knoledge of the in game stats and opponents tendencies to make the best plays/charecter selections .... kinda sounds like a head coach in the nfl picking the right play to run at the right time, isnt it? with all the work these people put in as well, it is a full time job... esports are just as much sports as any team sport, even more so than chess, and that is accepted as a sport, i think chess has even been considered for the olympics.

these people practice and strategize for at least 8 hours a day so when gametime comes they can be at their best. oh that's just like any sport in existance. you gotta practice to get decent!

esports are just as demanding as any other sport... they're just more mentally taxing than physically, although there is definately that component too

What's next? Fantasy football will be a sport??

Is a NASCAR crew chief on a headset an athlete?? Hells to the no.

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@2001mark

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they most certinaly are sports... you need hand eye coordination, teamwork, strategy and knoledge of the in game stats and opponents tendencies to make the best plays/charecter selections .... kinda sounds like a head coach in the nfl picking the right play to run at the right time, isnt it? with all the work these people put in as well, it is a full time job... esports are just as much sports as any team sport, even more so than chess, and that is accepted as a sport, i think chess has even been considered for the olympics.

these people practice and strategize for at least 8 hours a day so when gametime comes they can be at their best. oh that's just like any sport in existance. you gotta practice to get decent!

esports are just as demanding as any other sport... they're just more mentally taxing than physically, although there is definately that component too

What's next? Fantasy football will be a sport??

Is a NASCAR crew chief on a headset an athlete?? Hells to the no.

Crew chief is the manager!

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Oh what could have been....

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I say this as someone who enjoys playing video games.

They're not sports.

Golf, bowling, and auto racing? Definitely sports.

Bowling is my cutoff. It's sporting as much as golf is. If bowling had been invented & still played outdoors on grass, it'd probably be more supported as a sport.

Darts... is that a sport? Archery is a sport...

Poker is not a sport. Chess is not a sport. StarCraft is not a sport. Sex is not a sport.

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@2001mark

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Crew chief is the manager!

Sure, whatever. I just meant a NASCAR/racing crew chief is as much an athlete as some video gamer trying to maneuver a sprite across an A.I. landscape. Both are strategizing, both are on the edge of their seats sweating...

Whatever, subjective is subjective & videogamers are not athletes in my opinion.

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@2001mark

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I've been thinking about this topic lately and I want to know what the CCSLC thinks. I think they are, but I'm probably biased. So what are your thoughts?

Visit South Korea and you tell me that it isn't a sport.

battlenet104.jpg

The picture above is a StarCraft tournament in South Korea.

Hey South Korea. Starcraft isn't a sport.

It's very competitive to the point of being ridiculous and is very mentally challenging (so many things happening at once). Also, there are huge prizes for winning and some players even resort to cheating (2010 scandal) to do it. Plus, thousands of people attend the tournaments and is watched all over the world. Heck, major companies like Samsung sponsors teams for the tournaments (similar to soccer). So yes, eSports are a real sport.

Here's a video that illustrates my point.

Yet another nugget we can put in the "Proof of the World Going to Expletive" thread... Your expecting us to watch a 29 minute video of a Starcraft battle? I'd rather watch paint dry

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Bowling is my cutoff. It's sporting as much as golf is. If bowling had been invented & still played outdoors on grass, it'd probably be more supported as a sport.

Darts... is that a sport? Archery is a sport...

Poker is not a sport. Chess is not a sport. StarCraft is not a sport. Sex is not a sport.

Yet trying to get laid is.

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PotD May 11th, 2011
looooooogodud: June 7th 2010 - July 5th 2012

 

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Crew chiefs aren't athletes, but they can easily be thought of as the coaches. I don't think Saban or Popovich are athletes. The pic crew is definitely part of the team though. Takes A LOT of coordination of physical activity. Bowling, darts, archery, and golf are in my gray area. I consider them sports because they're accepted as sports by most people. But people use them as comparisons for why their activity should be a sport. I think I mentioned this earlier, but I know a lot of people that try to say that marching band is a sport. They used the dictionary definition of "sport" to verify their opinion. Marching band is a performing art. Video games are an activity. Both can be competitive. Neither are sports.

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