Is gaming a sport?

[Brickman | 3,993]

4 hours ago, LeatherRebel5150 said:

By most of that explanation a Rock Concert is a sport

Haha petition for moshing to be added to the Olympics! You’ll be graded on your windmills and circle pit work.

[The Count | 527]

Nah, man.

[darkchylde28 | 1,546]

7 hours ago, NostalgicMachine said:

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

Isn't that what microwaves were all about? 

[T-Pac | 7,560]

On 12/12/2021 at 2:46 PM, Andy_Bogomil said:

I'm not sure why humans are so fixated on categorizing things though.

Categorizing everything helps bring order to the chaos in my brain. I thought that tendency was tied to my "collector-mentality", but seeing all the categorization-resistance among other collectors here on VGS is making me reevaluate that idea.

-CasualCart

[darkchylde28 | 1,546]

7 minutes ago, CasualCart said:

Categorizing everything helps bring order to the chaos in my brain. I thought that tendency was tied to my "collector-mentality", but seeing all the categorization-resistance among other collectors here on VGS is making me reevaluate that idea.

-CasualCart

I don't know if it's that, or if some folks feel that their love of sportsball will somehow be threatened or become lessened if such things are forced to share space with activities that traditionally had been considered "only" games.  That's kind of why I went middle of the road, as I consider me and my fellow overweight office workers doing some sort of pick up game of basketball or kickball or something being far more akin to us just playing a game than having anything more to do with sports than having the same basic ground rules.

[Link | 2,714]

I don't consider video games sports. And I don't give one shit about sportsball so I am not protecting anything.

[NostalgicMachine | 236]

5 hours ago, darkchylde28 said:

Isn't that what microwaves were all about? 

NOOO that's like using Game Genie! 

Categories are fine until contradiction sets in and everyone starts arguing semantics. 

Music genres are the best example.

[Strange | 1,700]

I think we have to acknowledge the power that colloquialism has in these types of debates. You can quote the dictionary definition all day long but language is decided by the people. To the vast majority of people, the term “sport” comes with a degree of physical athleticism. It’s just how it is. Yes video games are competitive - but they’re just fundamentally different from the traditional “sport” that it just feels weird to consider them in the same category just because.

I was in marching band throughout school and had this debate with a bunch of friends who said marching band was a sport. As someone who loved it, I still disagreed for the same reasons mentioned above.

The band kids argued that way because they were looking for a sort of “legitimacy” in the eyes of others and I think that’s often where this sort of debate comes from. But marching band and music can stand alone as a legitimate art form without having to awkwardly force it into some poorly-fitting category. Video games are the same way imo.

Edited December 14, 2021 by Strange

[Philosoraptor | 468]

I consider video games to be games of skill, not sports. Falls into the same category as chess, bowling, golf, darts, and other games that can be played at high levels by out-of-shape people (excluding sumo).

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

Video games are a skill based competition, but I wouldn't call them a sport. 

[GPX | 1,370]

On 12/13/2021 at 6:16 AM, 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.

Because this is how we roll here on a gaming forum - discussing and/or categorizing the non-essentials, and anything else to do with games. Do we care here about the science of nature or strategies to reach world peace? I believe the answer is no.

[GPX | 1,370]

I think I’ve found the perfect analogy: darts.

https://darthelp.com/articles/is-darts-a-sport/

So apparently some countries recognize darts as an official sport. I think the analogy works well here. Darts can be regarded as a hobby, because literally anyone can pick it up and try. However, when in competition, it is regarded more a sport, because (serious) skills are needed, and competition and organisations are formed.

I have a general interest in sport so I’ve been thinking about a global definition of it. I think this is a pretty good summary of what “sport” means to me:

- skills are needed, where you need regular practice

- endurance is one criteria, but a more general take is when you compete, there is a certain level of adrenaline or high tension that you feel for a prolonged period of time when during competition. 

- a sense of huge gratification when applying the skills coupled with this “adrenaline rush”, and a sense of fatigue after it ends.

——————

Relatively stationary sports such as golf, archery, bowling fits in line with sport if you apply the “adrenaline rush” criteria despite hardly much endurance is needed. 

[twiztor | 851]

gaming is 100% NOT a sport to me. But my definition is more linear than that of most people. To me a "sport" can be defined as "an athletic competition where two players (or teams of players) try to win while the opposing team is ACTIVELY trying to stop that from happening."

Under my definition, football, baseball, soccer, basketball, volleyball, hockey, etc. are all sports.  You need both the athletics AND the competition for these to exist. 

Other things that people consider sports (cheerleading, track & field, golf, bowling, etc.) do not qualify, as there's no opposing force. each player/team just tries to get the best score or whatever. Other players have little/no direct influence on how you score. while athletics are generally required, you CAN play these with or without competition. these fall under the broader umbrella of "athletic competitions".

video games, chess, darts, etc. are hobbies. they do not require athletics, although they can be competitions.

[darkchylde28 | 1,546]

24 minutes ago, GPX said:

Relatively stationary sports such as golf, archery, bowling fits in line with sport if you apply the “adrenaline rush” criteria despite hardly much endurance is needed. 

While the first part of your post more or less aligns with what my thoughts on all this were, I have to step away and disagree with you (or at least what you're posting here) at this point.  Golf...maaaaaaaybe, due to how long a rest you can have between times hitting the ball or individual holes, especially if you're using a golf cart instead of walking.  Bowling...ehhh...I think a lot of it depends on how many people are playing, and what weight ball the person is using.  Archery?  Nope, full stop, absolutely not.  Anyone claiming those folks don't need to have a heightened level of endurance has never tried to pull a high draw weight bow, let alone done so repeatedly, all the while maintaining an extreme level of accuracy (with the ante upped even higher if the competition involves moving targets).

As is the norm, it's easy to armchair decide if some things are easy or not if we're not involved, and having to do them ourselves, and often something else when we are.  I've not done any of these things at a high level of expertise, but I have tried to bowl with a ball far heavier than what I could realistically handle, as well as try to draw a ridiculously high draw weight bow, so I have nothing but respect for the people who can just get up and throw down on those things again and again in a row, let alone do so with excellence.

[GPX | 1,370]

23 hours ago, darkchylde28 said:

While the first part of your post more or less aligns with what my thoughts on all this were, I have to step away and disagree with you (or at least what you're posting here) at this point.  Golf...maaaaaaaybe, due to how long a rest you can have between times hitting the ball or individual holes, especially if you're using a golf cart instead of walking.  Bowling...ehhh...I think a lot of it depends on how many people are playing, and what weight ball the person is using.  Archery?  Nope, full stop, absolutely not.  Anyone claiming those folks don't need to have a heightened level of endurance has never tried to pull a high draw weight bow, let alone done so repeatedly, all the while maintaining an extreme level of accuracy (with the ante upped even higher if the competition involves moving targets).

As is the norm, it's easy to armchair decide if some things are easy or not if we're not involved, and having to do them ourselves, and often something else when we are.  I've not done any of these things at a high level of expertise, but I have tried to bowl with a ball far heavier than what I could realistically handle, as well as try to draw a ridiculously high draw weight bow, so I have nothing but respect for the people who can just get up and throw down on those things again and again in a row, let alone do so with excellence.

I specifically mentioned “relatively stationary sports” like golf and archery because those to me are already officially classified as sports. Golf has a worldwide following with yearly tournaments, and archery is an official sport in the Olympics.

I think a lot of us have become entrenched on the notion that sports is mostly about the aerobics/endurance. If we expand the idea that sports is about the skills and the prolonged “adrenaline rush”/high-tension mode, this would allow a more useful depiction of sports in a modern general sense. With the “adrenaline rush”, I’m thinking a huge sense of thrill, blood pressure and heart rate increasing, an increased level of alertness etc.

Linking it back to gaming, if done in a casual sense, then it’s merely a hobby. However, if done in a more competitive sense (speed run, high score achievers, tournaments, online versus etc.), where your skills are highly developed, then it is probably more in line with “sport” in the modern sense.

[PII | 1,886]