Feb 17, 3:13 am
I’m starting to think that I get caught up in this debate more than your average pro-gamer. I’ve happily argued both sides, mostly because I enjoy playing devil’s advocate in any debate, but it’s time now to put a stake in the ground. Moving forward into the horizon of perpetuity, let it be known that in Rhou’s world, gaming is a sport.
Playing video games, especially on a competitive level, can and should be defined as a sport, but before I can impart my impeccably logical reasoning for why this is, we must agree upon the terms.
This is a definition of “sport” that most people would agree with:
sport
n.
1. an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature
To be thorough, we need to understand what “athletic” entails because this is often the main point of contention. Again, this is a definition that most people would probably agree with:
athletic
adj.
1. involving the use of physical skills or capabilities, as strength, agility, or stamina
In all of the arguments that video gaming can’t be a sport because you play it sitting down, or it can’t be a sport because it doesn’t require any athletic skill, I point to agility, the #1 physical skill necessary to be an excellent gamer. It’s true that the agility needed to be a good gamer is primarily isolated to the fingers, hands, and arms, but that does NOT mean that it is less legitimate as a measure of physical prowess. Afterall, if you don’t think THIS is an impressive show of physical skill, then you’ve never tried doing anything tricky with your fingers.
The best gamers in the world have lightning quick reflexes, insane response time, and hand-eye coordination that could rival that of the top players of any other sport.
I would also argue that the rigors of competition in video gaming are very much like those found in other sports. There are consistencies that flow through all the arenas of competitive athletics. My own personal experience has shown that the focus, the discipline, the dedication to practice, and the psychology are all very similar. Many of the skills that benefitted me while playing Division I basketball in college have also been helpfully applied to my competitive gaming career.
There are other sports in the world that do not conform to the average mental image of what constitues a sport, but yet they are accepted as such. Examples (with over-simplified summaries of involved skills):
Skeet Shooting: probably the easiest parallel to draw in discussing shooter games as sports, skeet shooting requires excellent hand-eye coordination, timing, and focus. Shooting itself is an Olympic sport and in some forms can be done sitting down.
Bowling: requires excellent hand-eye coordination, physical control for good technique, and strength to reach desired speeds.
Golf: requires hand-eye coordination, physical control for good technique, and strength to hit the ball where you want it.
There is precedent for defining non-sweaty, cardio-light activities as ‘sports’ and as long as we are using the above definitions to agree upon what ‘sports’ and ‘athleticism’ are, I’m happy to that declare that we video gamers can justifiably call ourselves athletes and our passion a sport.
