Is gaming a sport?

[JamesRobot | 5,804]

4 hours ago, ZeldaFreak said:

https://pro.eslgaming.com/csgo/proleague/teams/

https://pro.eslgaming.com/worldranking/csgo/

https://www.esports.com/en/csgo

https://lolesports.com/

Teams full of people who practice for ridiculous amounts of time and who are absurdly skilled at what they do, massive events tons and tons of people tune in to, big cash prizes for the winners, a few really well known names on each team, live commentators reacting to and breaking down everything that's going on during any given game... obviously they're not on the same scale as usual sporting events, that goes without saying, but they've got pretty much everything normal sporting events have other than the physical exertion.

So it's the spectacle that makes it a sport?  By the same rationale, are pick up basketball games or amateur league softball not sports since it's just a bunch of people getting together to play a game?  Is it only sport if it's on a professional level?

[GPX | 1,370]

On 12/11/2021 at 10:22 AM, darkchylde28 said:

I chose maybe because it CAN be, but isn’t always.  The folks who do it professionally, who train in a similar fashion as pro athletes, yeah, they’re playing it at a sporting event level.  Most of us sitting on our couches, regardless of how good we are?  Not so much.  The definition of the term just mentions physical exertion, but it doesn’t specify to what degree, so I believe that people who have trained their reflexes, reaction times, etc., to the Nth degree aren’t just playing a game as part of a hobby anymore, the same way that some athletes rise to televised event levels versus just playing softball with a bunch of relatively inactive folks they work with.

Here’s an interesting follow up question: if something is classified as a sport when in a tournament/competition, then doesn’t the exact same act (ie. gaming) qualify  to be defined as a sport? 

[GPX | 1,370]

On 12/11/2021 at 8:14 AM, RegularGuyGamer said:

Sports are physical activity. It's competition. 

If gaming is a sport than chest is a sport. Hello then Math is a sport. 

There are some sports which barely require physical exertion eg. golf, archery, equestrian, shooting. 

Maths though is purely a subject where there is only a cognitive process involved, so that’s an easy one to cross off the list to qualify as a “sport”. 

Edited December 12, 2021 by GPX

[ZeldaFreak | 3,600]

7 hours ago, JamesRobot said:

So it's the spectacle that makes it a sport?  By the same rationale, are pick up basketball games or amateur league softball not sports since it's just a bunch of people getting together to play a game?  Is it only sport if it's on a professional level?

At what point did I say those were the only similarities? I was just listing similarities I could immediately think of off the top of my head, and even then I've never been a fan of sports so I'm not super knowledgeable on them. The only difference I could immediately think of was the lack of physical exertion, but then GPX brought up a good point of there being plenty of sports which don't actually require much physical exertion at all anyway, so even that difference is kind of moot.

And when we're talking about sports, I kind of assumed we were talking on a professional level and not just playing with a couple friends or whatever.

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,013]

9 hours ago, GPX said:

There are some sports which barely require physical exertion eg. golf, archery, equestrian, shooting. 

Maths though is purely a subject where there is only a cognitive process involved, so that’s an easy one to cross off the list to qualify as a “sport”. 

Then your problems aren't long enough. You need to write and stand at a white board. Boom, e-sport. 

[Andy_Bogomil | 815]

I would say yes since there is a mental as well as physical aspect to it. I'm not sure why humans are so fixated on categorizing things though.

[darkchylde28 | 1,546]

16 hours ago, GPX said:

Here’s an interesting follow up question: if something is classified as a sport when in a tournament/competition, then doesn’t the exact same act (ie. gaming) qualify  to be defined as a sport? 

To me, I think there's a line in between, beyond which a person is exerting themselves a lot more (even if it's not overt or obvious--try going up to one of the elite Tetris players in the world and telling me they're not exerting themselves and see what reaction you get), and I believe that applies to both traditional and non-traditional sports and games.

16 hours ago, GPX said:

There are some sports which barely require physical exertion eg. golf, archery, equestrian, shooting. 

Maths though is purely a subject where there is only a cognitive process involved, so that’s an easy one to cross off the list to qualify as a “sport”. 

And there are a ton of people ("purists," I suppose) who actually want to refuse to define those sports as such.  Here is one such article.  However, within the last 20 years or so, Chess, of all things, has become recognized as a sport--at the Olympics, even.

I think this discussion, which has happened fairly recently on here, and pretty much with the same people making the same arguments, along the same lines (although I think it was phrased previously as to whether people participating in things that weren't traditionally considered sports should be considered athletes or not, in regard to e-sports, e-athletes, etc.).  I think a lot of the reason for intractable opinions on this is just how traditionally thinking people tend to be on the subject, mostly due to how overt most exertion in traditionally recognized sports is.

When you start to consider how physically fit most top contenders in non-traditional "sports" tend to be, and what that contributes to their ability to perform (top end reflexes, lightning fast thinking, reaction times, problem solving, etc.), I believe that starts to shift the traditional idea a bit.  In the same way that top end weightlifters and runners (but I'm sure other, better, non-off-the-top-of-my-head examples exist) can't compete effectively in one anothers' events due to how they specifically have to train to excel at their own, I'd argue that those same folks would most often fail to be able to compete effectively at a high level in non-traditionally recognized "sports" as well, a lot of which would come down to how their bodies are already conditioned and how they would need to be conditioned to perform the different task(s) at the highest levels.

8 minutes ago, Andy_Bogomil said:

I would say yes since there is a mental as well as physical aspect to it. I'm not sure why humans are so fixated on categorizing things though.

Tribalism being being one of the deepest ingrained behaviors that humans possess, I'd wager.  Potentially arguably being down to being part of our DNA.  I can't prove that last bit, but wouldn't be at all surprised if it were the case.

Edited December 12, 2021 by darkchylde28

[Nintegageo | 582]

I think definition-wise they are considered a sport though personally, nah. Look at those top players and is your 1st thought athlete? What they do with their game is certainly impressive though.

[DoctorEncore | 3,691]

I guess it depends on your definition of sport. At the very least, games that require fast reflexes, significant dexterity, and strategic thinking are clearly sports. If you consider mind games, such as chess, a sport, then all video games should also qualify.

So for me, it's a yes. Gaming is a sport. I don't see much point in going further into the weeds unless you're really into gatekeeping. Defining a sport is not a hill I'm looking to die on.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,545]

14 minutes ago, DoctorEncore said:

I guess it depends on your definition of sport. At the very least, games that require fast reflexes, significant dexterity, and strategic thinking are clearly sports. If you consider mind games, such as chess, a sport, then all video games should also qualify.

So for me, it's a yes. Gaming is a sport. I don't see much point in going further into the weeds unless you're really into gatekeeping. Defining a sport is not a hill I'm looking to die on.

I often invite my friends over for a "sports night" where we play Smash Bros.

They're usually pretty confused. 

[JamesRobot | 5,804]

12 hours ago, ZeldaFreak said:

At what point did I say those were the only similarities?

At no point, but those were the examples you gave to justify videogames as a sport.  My argument is that all the spectacle, endorsements, celebrity, and humongous salaries are none of the things that constitute a sport.

Objectively, a sport is an athletic endeavor showcasing the athlete's physical ability and endurance.  Strength, speed, agility; these are the qualities on display in sports.  Botton pushing is not a sport.  The ability guzzle Monster to stay awake is not a display of physical prowess or endurance. 

[Link | 2,714]

Is hot dog eating contest a sport? 

[Gloves | 11,790]

2 minutes ago, Link said:

Is hot dog eating contest a sport? 

Yep.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,545]

9 minutes ago, Gloves said:

Yep.

What about cooking?

[Gloves | 11,790]

5 minutes ago, Reed Rothchild said:

What about cooking?

No don't be ridiculous.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,545]

22 minutes ago, Gloves said:

No don't be ridiculous.

Cooking contests?

[darkchylde28 | 1,546]

33 minutes ago, Reed Rothchild said:

Cooking contests?

I think there's the vaguest hint of possibility there, but I don't think it would qualify as we know such contests today simply because the results are so arbitrary.  Can someone cook a 10 course meal utilizing ingredients X, Y, and Z within A, B, C timeframe...sure, that might qualify, but until we manage to come up with some sort of scientific/mechanical analysis method to determine whether what was produced was universally "good" (some cooks have succeeded making dishes in a technical sense but produced things that no one considered palatable in the end), there wouldn't be any way to fairly and consistently judge the results.  Once some such measure is in place...yeah, sure, why not?

[Optomon | 65]

I like to think gaming as in its own realm of competitive recreation separate than sports. Two different organism kingdoms. 

 

[mbd39 | 2,024]

Competitive Tetris is my favorite sport.

 

[Kguillemette | 1,544]

4 hours ago, darkchylde28 said:

I think there's the vaguest hint of possibility there, but I don't think it would qualify as we know such contests today simply because the results are so arbitrary.  Can someone cook a 10 course meal utilizing ingredients X, Y, and Z within A, B, C timeframe...sure, that might qualify, but until we manage to come up with some sort of scientific/mechanical analysis method to determine whether what was produced was universally "good" (some cooks have succeeded making dishes in a technical sense but produced things that no one considered palatable in the end), there wouldn't be any way to fairly and consistently judge the results.  Once some such measure is in place...yeah, sure, why not?

Im just throwing this out there, but food has it's own theory behind it that goes beyond simple personal taste. While some may find one dish better than another, there is always one that is more "correct" from a theory and execution standpoint. For example, someone may prefer crispy egg whites on their over easy egg, but according to food theory and classical preparation, there should be none. Some may enjoy lemon and chocolate mixed together, but according to theory, those flavors do not work. There is also lots of theory behind the 8+course meals as well. Some may prefer listening to Drake compared to Beethoven, but who would win a music composition contest?

But making cooking an actual sport? That would indeed be interesting. Probably just make it a race to execute predetermined recipes from Escoffier and penalize any imperfections like having veal stock simmering at too high a temperature or brunoise vegetables that are not perfect cubes.

Then again, I always wonder how they judge Olympic floor exercises and artistic figure skating routines. I just trust the judges know more than I do, because they all look pretty spectacular. But those are certainly sports.

[NostalgicMachine | 236]

9 hours ago, Kguillemette said:

Im just throwing this out there, but food has it's own theory behind it that goes beyond simple personal taste. While some may find one dish better than another, there is always one that is more "correct" from a theory and execution standpoint. For example, someone may prefer crispy egg whites on their over easy egg, but according to food theory and classical preparation, there should be none. Some may enjoy lemon and chocolate mixed together, but according to theory, those flavors do not work. There is also lots of theory behind the 8+course meals as well. Some may prefer listening to Drake compared to Beethoven, but who would win a music composition contest?

But making cooking an actual sport? That would indeed be interesting. Probably just make it a race to execute predetermined recipes from Escoffier and penalize any imperfections like having veal stock simmering at too high a temperature or brunoise vegetables that are not perfect cubes.

Then again, I always wonder how they judge Olympic floor exercises and artistic figure skating routines. I just trust the judges know more than I do, because they all look pretty spectacular. But those are certainly sports.

...So you're saying SPEED RUNNING cooking?! 

[Kguillemette | 1,544]

26 minutes ago, NostalgicMachine said:

...So you're saying SPEED RUNNING cooking?! 

I suppose I am! Except if you rush and lose control, you don't get a game over. You just burn yourself or cut your finger off!

[NostalgicMachine | 236]

5 minutes ago, Kguillemette said:

I suppose I am! Except if you rush and lose control, you don't get a game over. You just burn yourself or cut your finger off!

Yes! REAL cooks speed cook! Nothing else counts!

Is that spatula a 3 screw or 5 screw?

Edited December 13, 2021 by NostalgicMachine

[Kguillemette | 1,544]

7 minutes ago, NostalgicMachine said:

Yes! REAL cooks speed cook! Nothing else counts!

Is that spatula a 3 screw or 5 screw?

My Shun Damascus Ken Onion is factory sealed. I need to get it graded by WATA. It will look great on my shelf next to my vintage microplane. Still looking for a Kin Lih vegetable cleaver in any condition, now offering a bounty. 

 

[LeatherRebel5150 | 1,056]

On 12/11/2021 at 3:42 PM, ZeldaFreak said:

https://pro.eslgaming.com/csgo/proleague/teams/

https://pro.eslgaming.com/worldranking/csgo/

https://www.esports.com/en/csgo

https://lolesports.com/

Teams full of people who practice for ridiculous amounts of time and who are absurdly skilled at what they do, massive events tons and tons of people tune in to, big cash prizes for the winners, a few really well known names on each team, live commentators reacting to and breaking down everything that's going on during any given game... obviously they're not on the same scale as usual sporting events, that goes without saying, but they've got pretty much everything normal sporting events have other than the physical exertion.

By most of that explanation a Rock Concert is a sport