Is gaming a professional sport?

Man of Honour
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there's no such thing as natural talent in gaming

I'm sorry, but that's rubbish. Some people are born with faster reflexes and twitch control. Some people are born with a greater tactical mind than others. It all combines to a greater natural talent in gaming.

Saying there is no such thing as natural talent in gaming is like saying there is no such thing as natural talent in chess. It's just wrong.
 
Soldato
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I think there's a fair amount of that already in sports. Whilst there is a lot of respect amongst the physically demanding activities they don't want to be lumped with the darts players etc. You'll just never hear them say it for fear of the media backlash.

I think they have a strong point though, we as a species are more adept at none physical activities as it's in our nature to be smarter than we are strong, so it's more remarkable when an athlete comes along and does something nuts. Hmm, maybe... physical = sport, non physical = game? So gaming/darts etc should be ranked as a erm... game maybe? :p lol

I don't think the media backlash would be too harsh, as most people tend to agree with them.

The pay thing intrigues me. Footballers get a massive wage due to a typically short playing career and massive avid audiences. F1 drivers add the danger factor, and so on. But you would think a pro gamer would have a long career. Audiences could be huge but there's little danger of death from RSI.

Footballers careers aren't that short though, if boxers & other martial artists can have 10-15 year long careers then a footballer certainly should be able too. I've heard that guys like Rooney and Ronaldo were on £300,000+ a week, which is silly money, that's more than the average person earns in 10 years lol.

Death from RSI, that's a new one! :D

That even possible? :confused: :o
 
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Gaming is not a sport in any way what-so-ever, and only the deluded who want to make gaming sound better to them selfs, would ever really believe different.
 
Associate
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Maybe, but it doesn't match the physical prowess of someone weightlifting 200 Kg, so it can't be a sport.

True. But one thing both have in common is they both involve physical activity and both provide a source health and fitness.

Whereas playing computer games for long periods of time is actually detrimental to ones health.
 
Soldato
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It is in an odd one which I guess is down to the individual as arguments can be made for both sides.

"Sport is generally recognised as activities which are based in physical athleticism or physical dexterity"

But what do I know really........
 
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It is in an odd one which I guess is down to the individual as arguments can be made for both sides.

I disagree, it has nothing to do with opinion, that is why some things are defined as sports and some things are not.

When you consider that Olympic Sports include Shooting and Archey, two sports which require very little real physical exertion and much more mechanical skill and knowledge compared to say, Weightlifting, the idea that the barrier to the definition of "sport" is physical exertion seems rather contrary.

Personally I would much rather see a game like Chess in the Olympics than Curling.

I agree that the current definition (which is not exactly widely agreed upon and changes depending on what organization you ask) needs to be looked at, maybe split down into different categories.
 
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True. But one thing both have in common is they both involve physical activity and both provide a source health and fitness.

Whereas playing computer games for long periods of time is actually detrimental to ones health.

So are you saying sport the meaning of the word "sport" is derived from whether the activity is beneficial to health or not?

Being a gladiator was sport and that wasn't good for health at all.

It is in an odd one which I guess is down to the individual as arguments can be made for both sides.

"Sport is generally recognised as activities which are based in physical athleticism or physical dexterity"

But what do I know really........

I'm wondering now, if the input methods changed for mouse and keyboard to something more activity based like WiU, would that change people's perception on whether Esports is constituted as a sport?

I think stereotypical manliness is still in the culture of the perception of sport.
 
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Associate
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So are you saying sport the meaning of the word "sport" is derived from whether the activity is beneficial to health or not?

Being a gladiator was sport and that wasn't good for health at all.

Are you comparing a Starcraft player to an Ancient Greek Gladiator?

If you look at nearly all sports one way or another they are physical. Even Archery etc.. involves strength to be able to keep your aim steady and accurate.
 
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Are you comparing a Starcraft player to an Ancient Greek Gladiator?

I am. I'm also sure there are plenty on contrasts as well. It does not mean to say that we cannot draw comparisons. My guess is that we disagree on which of these points actually make up what we define as "sport".

I think we need to pin this down further as defining sport as "generally" being "physical" (to what extent?) - as in if one makes exceptions what are the criteria of these exceptions?
 
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Associate
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Sport: Blood sweat and tears to reach the goal, physical exertion etc.

Game: Leisurely activity, pool, snooker, darts and video games. Unless the air con is turned off neither of these will break a sweat ;)

So no video games are not a sport and those that think so need to get outside more...
 
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