kubricks
Member
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HBO's 'Real Sports' panel laughs at eSports segment
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Thanks.
Laughing them off is kinda annoying, but they're old people on cable TV whadya expect?
That said they should get this terminology in order. I like videogames as much as anyone in here but the shit is not sports. Definition of a sport requires physical exertion. If the ancient Greeks were cool with calling their Olympics "games" I think that should do just fine here. Not crapping on "eSports" as a concept though, some of the stuff you see is really just insane in terms of strategy and execution required.
That said they should get this terminology in order. I like videogames as much as anyone in here but the shit is not sports. Definition of a sport requires physical exertion. If the ancient Greeks were cool with calling their Olympics "games" I think that should do just fine here. Not crapping on "eSports" as a concept though, some of the stuff you see is really just insane in terms of strategy and execution required.
blankempathy
Member
Just want to say that things change with the times. The definition of sport may require some type of physical exertion but that can easily be changed. If enough main stream media sites/tv/radio stations start calling esports a sports then guess what? They'll become sports. I mean look at how many "official" definitions have been created or changed thanks to the internet age.
Not all board games are considered sport. We would have to define games as sport individually.
Most esport games require physical skill, with regards to reaction time and awareness + quickness of fingers in Starcraft for example. Also like in traditional sports it takes a huge ammount of practice to be any good, let alone one of the best.
There is also a higher incidence of certain physical injuries that come from playing games.
Taking all that into account, I don't see why games should be disregarded as a sport - they do take way more physical prowess then chess or poker.
There is also a higher incidence of certain physical injuries that come from playing games.
Taking all that into account, I don't see why games should be disregarded as a sport - they do take way more physical prowess then chess or poker.
kubricks
Member
Then what makes some board games sports and others isn't? Is there a clear criteria?
Guest12345678
Member
Some video games require alot of physical exertion, like its crazy how much inputs top level smashers and probably fg players are putting in. Though i feel like most of the is, it a sport discussion is just semantics. The more interesting discussion is, does it deserve the same respect as traditional sports in society.
There can be significant physical exertion when playing games professionaly. I have played numerous semi-pro matches in sc2 or dota2 that left me completely exhausted, let alone wrist pain and stuff like that. As I play soccer semi-pro also I can definitely compare the two, even though games can leave a more mental tiredness.
LaserBuddha
Member
The IOC doesnt decide what is a sport and what isn't. They simply decide what games will be played at the Olympics and that is it. Not only do I disagree with them on some decisions of what belongs at the Olympics (equestrian events) but they periodically cycle out games from time to time, making it even more moot what they think.
The actual definition of a sport is still a physical activity, no matter what the IOC has to say about chess.
Sparrowhawk
Member
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_sport
?
Or just call it "competitive gaming", if ESPN gets its jock strap in a bunch.
"Esports" sounds silly, anyway.
?
Or just call it "competitive gaming", if ESPN gets its jock strap in a bunch.
"Esports" sounds silly, anyway.
Well, I thought most people here actually cared about the definition based off whether it could actually be compared to other competitive sports at events like the Olympic games.
If we are just talking about whether this stuff is a sport based off the old definition of the word, then... why would anyone care? Not being a sport doesn't make it any less important or any less competitive.
Basically
-"We want chess at the olympic games."
-"But it is not a sport?"
-"Chess is now a sport"
And so chess was a sport. The day they want Starcraft at the olympic games it will magically become a sport.
I don't get why the whole thing about calling it a sport is important. At least here in sweden it is becoming generally accepted as just as difficult as sport. Just in a different way. Why not just leave it as e-sport?
I agree
Look at Twitch and how its exploded in the last two or three years
While I agree that the term eSports is pretty misleading and silly, the fact remains that the people who play video game at a competitive level are extremely dedicated and skilled, and insulting them is pretty low
airmangataosenai
Member
Do old people really think that "Star Trek Conventions" are still a thing?
LaserBuddha
Member
I suppose people expecting it to receive the same respect and recognition as actual sports when it is shoehorned onto sports talk/news shows (although the mockery was unwarranted) should know why they shouldn't get their hopes up.
The problem with including video games under the definition of sports is that you effectively erase the term and are just making sport a synonym for any competitive activity. Because i can't see calling video games a sport, without by the same logic calling Jeopardy or Wheel of Fortune a sport. All you're doing is erasing the utility of a word that works just fine now to define a set of related interests.
Thats not even getting into some of the other real problems of treating video gaems like a sport, such as the lack of universal rules and consistency/longevity for any one game, with the entire nature and fate of the game up to the unilateral will of the publisher...
Sparrowhawk
Member
Like what? I can think of maybe cramps and stuff from bad posture, sleep deprivation, and stuff like a sedentary lifestyle that could lead to obesity. Oh, and blisters from Mario Party. Aside from the blisters, pretty much all of that could probably come from playing something such as chess.
And to the people talking about button combos and complex inputs, doesn't that just come down to muscle memory? Yeah, pro fighting game players and SC2 players put in a lot of time practicing, and it's extremely impressive and something I could never accomplish, but you can't really compare that to guys sweating their asses off in a gym/on a field and carefully watching their diets, can you?
I'm not defending "real" sports in any way, by the way. I've never been a fan. I just don't understand how you can compare something like football to playing video games.
This is a very good post.
Rogue_Ledr
Banned
If they would just stop calling it "E Sports" they wouldn't have this problem.
They should be call it "G-Competition" or something.
Gaming is not and will NEVER be a sport.
They should be call it "G-Competition" or something.
Gaming is not and will NEVER be a sport.
I agree. nobody actually considers those sports, so idk why people think video games should be considered one.
Competitive gaming wants the the sponsorship deals, ad money, and exposure that sports get, or at least that things like poker get. And within the context of that push, because of demographic crossovers and core structure, it's a lot easier to go "we're a sport", push your product to existing sports networks, interface with sports sponsorship liasions, get athlete visas for foreign players, borrow the broadcasting and meta structures of traditional sports without a firm club oligarchy (whether boxing's individual prizefights or soccer's leagues with relegation,) and so on.
John Bender
Banned
I'm not old and I surely wouldn't call it a "sport" either. So I understand why they laugh.
hobblygobbly
Member
It's not that surprising since it seems rather ridiculous if you're an outsider with absolutely no knowledge about it. If you look into it and acknowledge the intricacies then yes, but it'll always seem like a joke to average folk that aren't exposed to this.
I've never enjoyed eSports myself outside of fighting games and I only like motorsports like F1. I do think that calling it eSports is what makes people laugh at it and those that aren't exposed won't take it seriously.
I've never enjoyed eSports myself outside of fighting games and I only like motorsports like F1. I do think that calling it eSports is what makes people laugh at it and those that aren't exposed won't take it seriously.
Rogue_Ledr
Banned
I don't believe the name is imperative to the marketing IMO.
What do I know though? I wont try to pass myself off an esteemed world's authority on this matter.
Inkvoterad
Member
Who are these old people and why are they important?
It's not imperative, but when there's already a multibillion dollar industry built around packaging competitive activities as media and selling them to the same teen-through-middle-age male target demo, why reinvent the wheel?
lifetimeofnot
Member
Poker is a game yes but I wouldnt call poker a sport. There is nothing physical about poker except for the ability to sit in a chair for extended amounts of time. People who compete in poker tournaments are competitors, not athletes. I feel the same logic should be applied to "e-sports"
Oddvintagechap
Banned
And I would agree with you, gamers labeling their competition as "sports" is laughable not only by people from the outside but from the inside too.
Labeling themselves as athletes just discredits everything.
Golf and NASCAR are already on edge. Doesn't mean you can remove the line and add everything as a sport.
Graphic Designing is a sport?
Excel organizing a sport?
Playing UNO a sport?
Playing Twister a sport?
Changing the channel on a TV and stopping accurately at a given channel a sport?
"That's just dimwitted, why you would that be a sport?"
Apparently tapping on Candy Crush is.
"Oh no not Candy Crush, only League of legends"
I can't believe you said F1 here. If you said Nascar yeah you could let that slide, but F1.
icecold1983
Member
video games are not a sport. unless athleticism is a driving factor in whether or not one is successful, its not a sport.
TonberrysKnife
Member
To me, gaming isn't a sport. It's could be considered an eSport, but never a sport.
Salvatron
Member
I see this argument a lot but it's easily debunked. Chess, for example, is a sport.
To me, what defines a sport is less about physical prowess (though some games require it like rugby or football) and more about the game complexity, level of play, and level of competition.
OrangeYouGlad
Banned
Not getting the logic behind calling it a Sport just to get the advertising money associated with sports. I can't recall a tournament that was primarily sponsored by a company outside of the gaming/hardware industry.
Yeah, this.
chicagocubsfan
Member
We had a discussion about this in one of my sports classes. Surprisingly most of the people in my class were pretty progessive in the fact that most classified it as a sport.
icecold1983
Member
couldnt disagree more.
Beer Monkey
Member
eSports aren't sports. Competitive speed solving Rubik's cubes isn't a sport either. Just because something is competitive doesn't mean it's a sport.
Jesus at some asshole who plays CoD thinking they are some kind of athlete. Wow.
Jesus at some asshole who plays CoD thinking they are some kind of athlete. Wow.
sonikokaruto
Banned
the e means "ethereal", not "electronic"
thus, not a sport
thus, not a sport
Goldenroad
Member
Wow. A 26 page thread on the semantics of what is a game vs a sport? Who cares? Why don't you guys just enjoy your games/sports/hobbies/entertainment and not worry so much about how they are labeled by other people?
It just strikes me as a bunch of insecure people trying to prove how not insecure they are.
It just strikes me as a bunch of insecure people trying to prove how not insecure they are.
DrROBschiz
Member
Promoting actual athletics is very important
Sorry but we really do need to continue securing and encouraging physical activity
eSports are not a sport. Niether is Golf, Billiards and Poker if that makes you feel better
And this is coming from a hardcore gamer who watches eSports
I have no issue with people laughing at gaming compared to actual physical contests
Sorry but we really do need to continue securing and encouraging physical activity
eSports are not a sport. Niether is Golf, Billiards and Poker if that makes you feel better
And this is coming from a hardcore gamer who watches eSports
I have no issue with people laughing at gaming compared to actual physical contests
People want their hobbies to be legitimized and that won't happen until you get these old out of touch morons to accept it.
Personally it doesn't matter. I enjoy both but get way more enjoyment watching CSGO majors than Super Bowl/NBA Finals/World Series whether grandpa over there likes it or not.
Yep. I don't care if someone thinks of esports as real sports or not. I propably don't but actively mocking either is not helping anyone. I mean why? I don't think of esports as sports but no I would not laugh with them and I wouldn't try to downplay athletic sports in order to diminish it's value and make gaming seem more "on par" with sports.
Stopmotionkai
Neo Member
I dont see a problem with this. Esports arent real sports. I just wished they laughed at poker because that is considered a sport and requires less involvement and skill then some esports.