-
Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!
HBO's 'Real Sports' panel laughs at eSports segment
- Thread starter element
- Start date
for how long? If my kid ever told me he was going to skip out on soccer or tennis practice to go play COD he would lose that video game system in a heart beat.
For how ever long they want. There's no age limit.
And I fail to see the point you're making with your little anecdote.
All your examples can be debatable. Are you trying to put an argument from authority here, "people call them sports so they must be"?
Table Tenis is definitely a sport. What makes you think otherwise?
NO, it's a definition of a word. I can't start saying that fat is thin or tall is short. It doesn't work that way. words mean things. I feel like I am arguing with young petulant children. Except the fact that e-sports is a poorly chosen name picked to legitimize competive video games.
Clarkus Darkus
Member
People still frown at Darts being labelled a sport, Yet it has rankings, Championships, gets major coverage, And is played worldwide, An i bet the people who frown at Darts being a sport because they see some fat bald bloke playing it are the same people on that couch. It's them being ignorant rather than what they say being fact.
because playing video games is hobby and it does little to make you into a better person. Sports, even if you don't particually like them, increase a person's athletic ability and if played properly, build character. Video games do not increase your athletic ability nor do they for the most part build character.
ihearthawthats
Banned
Professional gamers don't need to train? That's news to me.
Anyone can play basketball or football. It's not hard. Doing it on a professional level, well that's a different matter. I think the fact that we're all gamers perhaps gives the idea that gaming at a professional level is not much different than gaming for fun.
Are none of the 'real' sports hobbies? I don't see where you are coming from.
Stop bringing up the physical aspect because as has been said, it is an electronic sport.
Haunted
Member
woah woah woah
Only someone who hasn't really played Table Tennis before would put the athleticism required to play TT on a high level down like this. C'mon son.
My friends and I play hoops 2 to 3 times a week. It's one of our hobbies. That doesn't make it not a sport.
There are other ways to build character than just running around.
but the show is called "Real Sports". It's about what the dictionary and the vast number of people in the world consider "Real Sports".
Words change over time as society changes, old man. English has always been adaptive to modern culture and has never been static. Get educated: http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2012/10/change-in-word-meanings/
And separately, eSports is a different word than sports and it means "electronic sports" in case you hadn't put that together by now. Did you throw a fit over the word "email" because it doesn't use physical packages?
But come on Haunted. You don't run around bashing people about in a manly way!
So what is the show is called Floating Cats on a Washing line. How does the change anything?
Captain Tuttle
Member
I'm about the same age (a little older) and I feel the same way about video games although I think the people who believe they can make a decent life out of playing video games are just young and idealistic, not delusional. We've all had our hopes and dreams
crushed
Does it count if I frown while rubbing my hairy chest?
LyleLanley
Banned
I don't think esports are sports but for those who claim that physical exertion is what's needed for something to be considered a sport does that mean that a motion based game could be considered a sport? I believe the new Kinect fitness game, which apparently is fairly tough physically, has scores and leaderboards so is that a sport?
Whether it's "compelling" or not has absolutely nothing to do with being a "sport".
As you went so far as to insult runners by calling them idiots, let me assure you that there is nothing trivial about keeping a proper pace for long distance running, nor is it easy *at all* to keep your form to the point of preventing injury and keeping your maximum speed up. There is also a lot of science that goes into eating correctly for both training and leading up to a big race.
Competitive running is a very, very difficult sport. But go ahead and keep pushing buttons and telling yourself you're an "athlete" playing a "sport".
I think the argument of whether it's a sport or a game is irrelevant.
It's something that can be played competitively for money and can be enjoyable to spectate. However you want to classify that is your own opinion.
My main issue here is how the whole panel were basically assholes about the whole thing, mocking the players and the fans. Obviously someone on the Real Sports team decided the tournament was a big enough deal to do a segment on it, so they could have at least entertained it a little instead of blowing it off completely.
Honestly I'm really surprised that on a gaming forum how many people are saying "lol it's not a sport get out of your mom's basement."
It's something that can be played competitively for money and can be enjoyable to spectate. However you want to classify that is your own opinion.
My main issue here is how the whole panel were basically assholes about the whole thing, mocking the players and the fans. Obviously someone on the Real Sports team decided the tournament was a big enough deal to do a segment on it, so they could have at least entertained it a little instead of blowing it off completely.
Honestly I'm really surprised that on a gaming forum how many people are saying "lol it's not a sport get out of your mom's basement."
Hmm. You are making an argument that forces me to accept that certain videogames can be defined as sports if most of us can agree on a sport requiring physical technique.
That would explain why racing, bowling and fishing are being classified as sports.
In each of those activities I don't watch the professional scene but through doing these activities as hobbies I know there are different ways to cast a rod, handle turns and affect the spin of the ball.
Turn based games have no technique but some real time games do.
Haunted
Member
Well, that's the problem with setting a completely arbitrary "bar" of required athleticism before something's considered a sport, isn't it?
I think American Football isn't a sport - if American Footballers were real athletes they'd play Rugby instead.
Haunted
Member
It's governed by rules or customs.
It requires athleticism and physical exertion.
It has a competitive element.
According to many definitions I've seen here, it's a sport.
Kinect Fitness confirmed to be realer than other videogames.
Put a lid on it, we're done.
I have no problems with people not thinking that eSports aren't actual sports, but these people shouldn't be discussing this.
Geezer jocks saying nerds as an offensive and throwing in Star Trek as an insult.
Sports are games, no matter how you look at them.
Man, I'm on their side too, but they're such twats and made it seem people who don't see eSports as actual sports are idiots.
Geezer jocks saying nerds as an offensive and throwing in Star Trek as an insult.
Sports are games, no matter how you look at them.
Man, I'm on their side too, but they're such twats and made it seem people who don't see eSports as actual sports are idiots.
You point out that one needs to understand the nuances of running to really appreciate watching it in a competitive context, then turn around and say this.
This is the EXACT fucking equivalent of the original "running in a straight line" comment. Do you not see the supreme irony here?
Race car drivers have to operate at a very high level of athletic endurance. They sit in flame retardant gear in a cockpit that can reach 140 degrees. They lose POUNDS of water each race, and despite being in a peak level of physical condition, still sometimes need oxygen and medical attention after races.
Those guys are athletes that play a sport. Being an athlete is not required to play videogames professionally.
There is nothing ironic about a bunch of fat asses telling themselves they are "athletes". Sorry.
email is not the same as mail. email is an electronic message that is transimited from one device to another. mail on the other hand is a physical object, such as a letter or parcel, that is delivered via courier or postal service. two different things. do they have many similarities? do I need to drawl for you a ven diagram?
"old man" is an insult?
-Amon-
Member
For money ?
Haunted
Member
I think we're getting into an actually interesting conundrum once we're talking about people playing videogames that emulate real-life sports.
As a big supporter of e-sports, I actually have a big problem watching professionals play competitive FIFA matches, or having them race in the new F1 game.
As a big supporter of e-sports, I actually have a big problem watching professionals play competitive FIFA matches, or having them race in the new F1 game.
it's not that interesting, just another thing we have to wait for many old people and their stubborn children to die before we can reach clarification.
It's a shame that we get so caught up in semantics. Whether or not it's a sport is totally irrelevant. Esports are highly competitive, entertaining, popular and growing very fast. In a decade or two they will be as big as any 'real' sports.
Of course people will look down on it just as they looked down on video games in general, and many still do. But gaming is steadily becoming more mainstream and esports will as well. These things take time.
Of course people will look down on it just as they looked down on video games in general, and many still do. But gaming is steadily becoming more mainstream and esports will as well. These things take time.
I'm confused as to why it's so easy for you to understand mail/email but so hard for you to understand sports/esports. Apparently you have no problem accepting the term email, but you have argued that eSports was a poorly chosen name because eSports are different than sports. "do they have many similarities? do I need to drawl for you a ven diagram?"
"old man" was in jest -- you keep bringing up your age and talking about children. I'm only 5 years younger than you, but I grew up playing sports and esports (neither professionally, but I did play in team leagues for both -- ironically, I earned more money playing eSports).
Physical exertion requires you to apply kinetic action. Not only is that Tetris player exerting themselves but they have to do it with accurate control at top speeds to align the blocks properly.
Up until recently I would go so far to say videogames can be played as sports but most people who try to defend the definition of sports like yourself are using words incorrectly and I will always call you out on that regardless on whether or not we agree.
I actually like watching the track and field or swimming games when the Olympics are on for the reasons you stated but at the end of the day you could make any activity sound mundane.
There isn't a point in maligning videogames as a possible sport because on the surface they look mundane as a spectator activity for a lot of people. It's not a point worth defending even indirectly which is what you did by turning around his point by focusing on something else he wasn't even arguing against.
Most eSports teams are composed of skinny to average looking dudes, and they're usually no worse than baseball players when they are on the chubby side.
I suppose that gives me something else to bring up, though: Do you think competitive Chess, Poker, and Darts are worthy of derision for being "moving a bunch of dumb horseys around on a board," "flipping around of stupid cardboard rectangles" or "throwing pointy things at a circle?" Because eSports definitely aren't any worse than those.
So, if two teams were playing a video game wearing an Oculus Rift and an Omni, then you would consider it a sport? It would fit all of the requirements you outlined in prior comments. Physicality is the line?
Agreed. But the people who play competitive chess aren't calling themselves athletes who play a sport, either.
I'm guessing you don't watch esports at all and not even in the small clip the OP link. Outside of the FGC I've only seen 2 players who could be described as fat in multiple genres.
If you actually talk to the ones who attempt to make gaming into a career exercises are mandatory.
Haunted
Member
Some athletes have problems with sportsmanship, that's nothing new.It's NOT real sport without this.
You have fakers in Football and maphackers in Starcraft.
I think that's mainly down to traditionalism and a "perceived" worth associated with that.
Jocks playing sports don't want to be associated with nerds playing videogames, chess masters don't want to be associated with brutish jocks playing rough sports. Different values.
How about target shooting with an air rifle or match grade pistol?
My point is that email and mail are NOT the same thing. They are two different things. So a show about "Real Sports" is not going to consider "E-Sports" as being "Real Sports".
Nymphae
Banned
Kind of what I would expect, but still makes me shake my head. Just because you're using your muscles doesn't make you any more worthy of praise or admiration than say, a top tier Street Fighter player, but that's the world we live in. Football players are more worth of your respect than Starcraft players. Why? Because tradition.
I don't know how you can watch something like evo moment 37 and tell me that isn't a competitive sport. Well actually, I do know how, people don't understand what they are looking at, and therefore do not understand the effort and skill that is being applied.
I don't know how you can watch something like evo moment 37 and tell me that isn't a competitive sport. Well actually, I do know how, people don't understand what they are looking at, and therefore do not understand the effort and skill that is being applied.
and everyone else's point is that "Real Sports" doesn't get to decide what "real sports" are just because it's called "Real Sports" and has a bunch of old people talking about sports that they consider real
At that point, yes I maybe would as long as there was some true physical exertion going on and true physical training that took place.