Also, some esports, most notably Starcraft, are serious business. Pro SC2 aren't playing it hours every day just for fun, it's a career for them. There's a point where playing a game over and over again stops being entertainment and starts becoming a job. QA is one case where the fun starts bleeding out of a game, progaming/esports is another.
As for being able to create an identity, every competitive game worth its salt allows players to differentiate their playstyles from one another. Again, SC2 is the best example here, but one I'm more familiar with is DOTA. Some teams play aggressively, some play defensively, some use weird hero setups and builds, all of which forces the other team to adapt or get rolled.
From a purely competitive standpoint there's nothing so unique about physical sports that doesn't have it's analogue in esports, aside from physical exertion.
As for being able to create an identity, every competitive game worth its salt allows players to differentiate their playstyles from one another. Again, SC2 is the best example here, but one I'm more familiar with is DOTA. Some teams play aggressively, some play defensively, some use weird hero setups and builds, all of which forces the other team to adapt or get rolled.
From a purely competitive standpoint there's nothing so unique about physical sports that doesn't have it's analogue in esports, aside from physical exertion.