eSports

[digi]

How do you feel about the term "eSports"? Do you think that it correctly describes playing video games at a competitive level? Which types of physical activities are involved with competitive video games that you would consider constituting the term Sport?

From Wikipedia, definition of 'Sports':

Sport (or sports) is all forms of usually competitive physical activity which,[1] through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical ability and skills while providing entertainment to participants, and in some cases, spectators.[2] Hundreds of sports exist, from those requiring only two participants, through to those with hundreds of simultaneous participants, either in teams or competing as individuals.

From Wikipedia, definition of 'eSports':

Electronic sports (eSports) is a term for the competitive play of video games. Other terms include competitive gaming, professional gaming, eSport, and cybersport. The most common video game genres associated with electronic sports are real-time strategy, fighting, first-person shooter, and multiplayer online battle arena. Games are played competitively at amateur, semi-professional and professional levels, and some games have organized competition in the form of leagues and tournaments. Events such as Major League Gaming, European Gaming League, Global Starcraft II League, World Cyber Games, Dreamhack, the Evolution Championship Series, and Intel Extreme Masters provide both live broadcasting of streamed games, and cash prizes to competitors.

[hashbaz]

I don't like the term, personally.  I don't think of professional chess or poker as sports, nor do I consider those who play those games professionally to be athletes.  Pro-gaming and competitive gaming are better, more descriptive terms.  Cybergaming (or cyber-anything, really) always sounds cheesy.

There are definitely physical aspects to playing computer games professionally.  But fundamentally they are still mental activities.

[naokira]

eSports is kinda catchy.

[MKULTRA]

I like it.  Short and sweet.  Sounds nice.  Who cares about the technicalities.

[FoxWolf1]

Personally, I like the term.

I think it's useful for distinguishing games that are fundamentally competitive from games that are basically "play". Some people might make their living off of MMOs or other non-competitive games through in-game economies, but even though it is their profession (making them "professional gamers"), the game lacks that competitive aspect, so it cannot be called an eSport.

The association with "sports" isn't really a reference to physical activity, but to the competitive aspects and potential for professional or "serious" play that is typically associated with physical sports and not associated with video games.

[hashbaz]

It is catchy.  But it invites the comparison to "real" sports, which doesn't help with mainstream acceptance.  And the prefix e-something is quickly becoming as cheesy and dated as cyber.

"eSports" is pretty entrenched in the various gaming communities though, so *shrug*.

[JPG]

I like the term for some reasons:

- like many real sports, it is oriented to be a show
- it is competitive
- it requires a lot of training, skill, dexterity and strategy (it might not be very physical in the sense of the effort, but damn you can't get this accurate so easily)

And I like that being eSport and not only sport, well it distinctively differentiate itself from a real sport, so no reference to the physical accomplishment can be made, yet they still maintain the word sport for many other similitudes.

I also think that it is a very good word choice since I think it will help to make it less geek only and more "general population" in the long term.

[MKULTRA]

It is catchy.  But it invites the comparison to "real" sports, which doesn't help with mainstream acceptance.  And the prefix e-something is quickly becoming as cheesy and dated as cyber.

"eSports" is pretty entrenched in the various gaming communities though, so *shrug*.

Better than iSports.

[SpAmRaY]

I think forum posting should be a sport.

[Dubsgalore]

I don't like the term, personally.  I don't think of professional chess or poker as sports, nor do I consider those who play those games professionally to be athletes.  Pro-gaming and competitive gaming are better, more descriptive terms.  Cybergaming (or cyber-anything, really) always sounds cheesy.

There are definitely physical aspects to playing computer games professionally.  But fundamentally they are still mental activities.

well said, i agree with you 100%

[pixel5]

Being a pro eSports player, my fellow players and I started out making fun of it but now we've kind of taken ownership of it. It's already in place, so I don't think the term is going to go anywhere.

You can't just say 'video games' because it's on a different level. You can't say 'sports' because it isn't athletic. So its eSports.

[Binge]

You can't just say 'video games' because it's on a different level.

So I can't call a company base ball game a sport because it isn't on the same level as a major league?

Just because you play the same game for different reasons (fun vs points etc) does not make you and less of a 'video game player'.  Frankly it doesn't make you any more than a better video game player.