eSports

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Lexingtongue

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What are people's opinions on this embarrassing term? Can playing a video game be classed as a sport? I think not as there is no physical competency involved, yet some of the nerds I met in the US were arguing otherwise. The scenes I witnessed at PAX were ridiculous, huge crowds of nerds scrambling to watch pasty Korean geeks play StarCraft. :lol:
 


The OED defines sport as
"An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment:"
so I would normally agree with you, however, you can't deny that snooker and darts are sports which would seem to go against the above definition and I think if you can include these as sports then playing a video game with a level of prowess should probably also be considered the same.

That said eSports is a hideous term
 
jacko100 said:
The OED defines sport as
"An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment:"
so I would normally agree with you, however, you can't deny that snooker and darts are sports which would seem to go against the above definition and I think if you can include these as sports then playing a video game with a level of prowess should probably also be considered the same.

That said eSports is a hideous term
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I wouldn't class darts or snooker as sports to be honest, more as 'games' but I'm aware others won't agree with me! Look at some of the darts players of yore, downing pints between throws; you can hardly class them as sportsmen, same as these skinny weaklings who play MMO games to adoring crowds of basement dwellers.
 
Lexingtongue said:
I wouldn't class darts or snooker as sports to be honest, more as 'games' but I'm aware others won't agree with me! Look at some of the darts players of yore, downing pints between throws; you can hardly class them as sportsmen, same as these skinny weaklings who play MMO games to adoring crowds of basement dwellers.
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Darts I can't really disagree with, but as a snooker player I would definitely have to class snooker as a sport. To stretch the analogy would you consider golf a sport?
I think most people would. Both golf and snooker involve no great deal of physical prowess (as a necessity), they both involve hand eye coordination, a cue action/ golf swing and eventually getting a ball in a hole. Because golf is outdoors and involves a bit of a stroll in between shots it is considered a sport.
(you're just going to say you dont consider golf a sport now arent you :))
 
jacko100 said:
Darts I can't really disagree with, but as a snooker player I would definitely have to class snooker as a sport. To stretch the analogy would you consider golf a sport?
I think most people would. Both golf and snooker involve no great deal of physical prowess (as a necessity), they both involve hand eye coordination, a cue action/ golf swing and eventually getting a ball in a hole. Because golf is outdoors and involves a bit of a stroll in between shots it is considered a sport.
(you're just going to say you dont consider golf a sport now arent you :))
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Haha, golf is one I toyed with in the original reply but couldn't really decide! I guess the initial tee off and driving is a bit more strenuous than potting the black but I can understand your argument. The fact that golf is going to the Olympics disappoints me, though.
 
When you play multiplayer games like starcraft, league of legends and COD at a high level then for me it is a sport. It involves skill, tactics, teamwork and a shit load of dedication. I am not talking about playing public lobbies but playing competitive matches against well drilled teams. I tried this for about 6 months and gave up....the standard is stupid.

If you play a computer game for a living it can't be good for your health due to the amount of time you have to put in. The prize money can be extreme at the top level.

It ranks alongside snooker, golf, darts etc for me
 
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MorNando said:
When you play multiplayer games like starcraft, league of legends and COD at a high level then for me it is a sport. It involves skill, tactics, teamwork and a shit load of dedication. I am not talking about playing public lobbies but playing competitive matches against well drilled teams. I tried this for about 6 months and gave up....the standard is stupid.

If you play a computer game for a living it can't be good for your health due to the amount of time you have to put in. The prize money can be extreme at the top level.

It ranks alongside snooker, golf, darts etc for me
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Far below even these for me. So many unpredictable circumstances in a real-life game/sport than in gaming. For example, in Dota your mage or whatever can't mispronounce a word during a spell when in a situation that would definitely win a game. The programming just won't allow this, there's an inevitability about actions that happen in video games. Even in darts there's an unpredictability level absent from games that means the player can have a brain fart moment and plunge their dart into the referee. ;)

Also, would you class chess as a sport?
 
Lexingtongue said:
Far below even these for me. So many unpredictable circumstances in a real-life game/sport than in gaming. For example, in Dota your mage or whatever can't mispronounce a word during a spell when in a situation that would definitely win a game. The programming just won't allow this, there's an inevitability about things happening I'm games. Even in darts there's an unpredictability level absent from games that means the player can have a brain fart moment and plunge their dart into the referee. ;)
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There is though, decision making and pressure plays a large part in gaming too. Look at this to see how seriously some take it-

 
Lexingtongue said:
Would you class chess as a sport? I take wanking seriously, but that's not a sport either. ;)
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Wanking isn't a sport unless you compete or race against another person :lol:

Wonder how many strokes a minute would class you as a pro :lol::lol:

Yes I would class chess as a sport. Its a thinking mans sport.

A sport doesn't have to be physical, it can be mental too as long as its a competition between 2 or more people.
 
MorNando said:
Wanking isn't a sport unless you compete or race against another person :lol:

Wonder how many strokes a minute would class you as a pro :lol::lol:

Yes I would class chess as a sport. Its a thinking mans sport.

A sport doesn't have to be physical, it can be mental too as long as its a competition between 2 or more people.
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It does in mine and the OED's definition. A battle of wits in chess or a MMO is just a competition. Otherwise why hasn't Monopoly been inducted into the Olympic games yet? No more noble a board game in my opinion. ;)
 
Lexingtongue said:
It does in mine and the OED's definition. A battle of wits in chess or a MMO is just a competition. Otherwise why hasn't Monopoly been inducted into the Olympic games yet? No more noble a board game in my opinion. ;)
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I suppose it means different things to different people.

About your unpredictability comment. Nerves can play a large part in shooters. Try aiming with a thumbstick or mouse with $1000,000 prize money riding on it and your team mates relying on you. (2014 prize money for the world Call of Duty event)

If you are playing a skill type game seriously for high amounts of money against the best in the world then surely that must be a sport?
 
MorNando said:
I suppose it means different things to different people.

About your unpredictability comment. Nerves can play a large part in shooters. Try aiming with a thumbstick or mouse with $1000,000 prize money riding on it and your team mates relying on you. (2014 prize money for the world Call of Duty event)

If you are playing a skill type game seriously for high amounts of money against the best in the world then surely that must be a sport?
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I wouldn't say so. Money has no direct influence over if something is a sport. Sunday league is a sport, no one gets paid.
 
Lexingtongue said:
I wouldn't say so. Money has no direct influence over if something is a sport. Sunday league is a sport, no one gets paid.
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Guess we can't agree and I won't change your mind :p

For me, if an individual trains 8 hours + every day on something, with the intention of competing against other like minded people for money then that must be classed as a sport.

A game becomes a sport when the individuals treats it so seriously that nothing else in life matters but becoming the best with the aim of proving it in a competitive pressure environment.

You can't say that about monopoly...well maybe my brother but he is a cheating fucker anyway and he doesn't even practice :lol:
 
Look up the definition of 'Sport' in the dictionary and you'll see why eSports is much of a sport as football etc.

League of Legends this year got categorised as an official National Sport by the American Government also - Some may think it's too far but it's no different than in Asia where games like Starcraft 2 and Tekken are the same.
 
coyneeee said:
Look up the definition of 'Sport' in the dictionary and you'll see why eSports is much of a sport as football etc.

League of Legends this year got categorised as an official National Sport by the American Government also - Some may think it's too far but it's no different than in Asia where games like Starcraft 2 and Tekken are the same.
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If it was a sport would we not just refer to it as a sport instead of an eSport?
 
coyneeee said:
Because the e stands for electronic?
It's like saying why do we call e-mails email and not just mail
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Mail and e-mail are completely different. One is physical, one is not. The exact difference between eSport and sport.
 
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