Is gaming (as in video games) a sport?

[Pr0d1gy]

Nice analogy and spot on.

 

[kcthomas]

Originally posted by: KnickNut3
Anyone who says golf isn't a sport doesn't understand the game.
That or they consider riding around on a cart, drinking drinking a six-pack, and lying their way to a 98 golf.

Practically every professional golfer under 35 is in phenominal physical shape. Even older golfers and guys with a few extra pounds probably have the flexibility, stamina, and fast twitch muscles to match any other professional athlete.

i have no doubt that golfers are in great shape. walking 18 holes (which is about 4-5 miles) every day and stopping to swing a golf club 130+ mph 50-60 times takes physical ability. still i wouldn't say golf is a sport in the same way that i dont think weightlifting is a sport. your opponent cannot directly alter your performance. true if they do better than you, then you lose, but you could have your best round of golf ever and still lose. this is different than baseball, for example, where if the pitcher does really good that day, then obviously the batter's performance is affected.

 

[Pr0d1gy]

Don't forget there is the fear aspect of having the pitch come flying at your head. There is no way to make you understand how hard it is to get out the way of a 95mph fastball coming straight at your head when you are locked in and trying to stay through the zone. A fastball gets on you in about 1/10 of a second from the time it is released, so it is basically like trying to hit a bb with someone possibly sniping you in the head, but it's real.

 

[vi edit]

With golf, THE COURSE could be considered the competitor. It just doesn't happen to have arms and legs. Hills, bunkers, water, trees, tall grass, doglegs, ect all add to the competition of it.

 

[Phoenix86]

Originally posted by: iamme
there IS a difference between a literal dictionary definition and an understood social definition.

go tell anyone that you are a serious sports player......then tell them you play video games every night.

you'll get laughed at 99% of the time. are people being ignorant of the definition of a sport? no. you're confusing a dictionary definition with implied social meanings.

I totally understand the ignorance. The line is blurry, most people don't consider nascar, bowling, or golf a sport.

The questions isn't "what do most people think is a sport?" It's "is gaming it a sport?" By defination it is. I think we all know the answer to what society thinks... Same with your analogy.

The point is, the defination is VERY board, just like "computer repairman" but hey, the defination of "disturbing the peace" is VERY broad too. You much more likely to encounter that in real life, but few people complain about it, yet here we are discussing if PC games are sports.

edit: again, I'm not comparing PC games to football or baseball...

 

[Jfrag Teh Foul]

I would say yes because it does take an aquired skill and can be done competitively.

 

[Atomicus]

Originally posted by: Pr0d1gy

Originally posted by: Atomicus
I think Jonathan Wendel would disagree with a big portion of you. And his endorsements + cash prizes + prizes + free cars is a testiment to that.

I think Johnathan Wendel & most of the pro golfers got their @sses kicked in school by people who play real sports....namely football, boxing, rugby, wrestling, and alot of others.

Ummm..... have you seen pictures of professional gamers? Some of them aren't as feeble as you may think they are. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't profess your opinion to a WCG or CPL event, want to know why? Because there are people bigger than you that play competitively and can kick your ass.

 

[shimsham]

Originally posted by: Atomicus

Originally posted by: Pr0d1gy

Originally posted by: Atomicus
I think Jonathan Wendel would disagree with a big portion of you. And his endorsements + cash prizes + prizes + free cars is a testiment to that.

I think Johnathan Wendel & most of the pro golfers got their @sses kicked in school by people who play real sports....namely football, boxing, rugby, wrestling, and alot of others.

Ummm..... have you seen pictures of professional gamers? Some of them aren't as feeble as you may think they are. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't profess your opinion to a WCG or CPL event, want to know why? Because there are people bigger than you that play competitively and can kick your ass.

while true, you dont have to be in good physical condition to compete in gaming like you do in real sports.

 

[Phoenix86]

Last thing I'm going to point out.

Eye-hand coordination is the primary skill in almost ALL the games listed here. Granted not for all positions like say, linemen in football. But, most other positions REQUIRE excellent eye-hand coordination, QB, RB, WO, Corner, etc. Same with most sports, hockey, baseball, etc. It's nearly the only skill used in most PC games (assuming FPS, of course RTS is different, but also requires it).

Show me someone with poor eye-hand coord., and I'll show you someone who can't play FPS games. They can, however, develope that skill, like others, through training.

BTW, athletics is the word I think your folks are trying to apply to sports. Not all sports require athletics, just physical activity.

 

[suse920]

no

 

[Pr0d1gy]

Originally posted by: Atomicus

Originally posted by: Pr0d1gy

Originally posted by: Atomicus
I think Jonathan Wendel would disagree with a big portion of you. And his endorsements + cash prizes + prizes + free cars is a testiment to that.

I think Johnathan Wendel & most of the pro golfers got their @sses kicked in school by people who play real sports....namely football, boxing, rugby, wrestling, and alot of others.

Ummm..... have you seen pictures of professional gamers? Some of them aren't as feeble as you may think they are. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't profess your opinion to a WCG or CPL event, want to know why? Because there are people bigger than you that play competitively and can kick your ass.

Yeah dude, if you say so. I am the size of a NFL lineman so i wouldn't be too worried about anyone.

Good point shim, you don't have to be in good shape...although it seems the very best are almost always slim, agile guys in their younger years (18-22ish).

 

[MartyMcFly3]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
With golf, THE COURSE could be considered the competitor. It just doesn't happen to have arms and legs. Hills, bunkers, water, trees, tall grass, doglegs, ect all add to the competition of it.

True. Much of the time spent in (non professional) golf is to beat the course, not necessarily another person.

 

[EpsiIon]

Originally posted by: WhiteKnight
I think that for something to be a sport, it must require some degree of physical fitness in the majority of participants. i.e. There are fat linebackers, but the for the vast majority of football players, fitness is a huge element. This isn't the only requirement of course.

This is a really poor way to define a sport. Fitness may help players of the sport play better, but ANYBODY can play a full game of ANYTHING. It's just a matter of how much effort they put in.

The only reason I can think of to NOT call gaming a sport is that it doesn't feel like one. But look at what's required (in general) to play a video game well:

Excellent hand-eye coordination
A good sense of timing
The ability to read and react to your opponent
A good sense of spatial relationships
Knowledge of the rules

Now take the intersection of the skills required for ultimate frisbee, basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis, bowling, golf, etc...

The only things these have in common are what I mentioned above. You could bring up the fitness argument (although one doesn't have to be fit to bowl or golf well), but I'm not very fit, and I'm good at most sports. The fact that I can't run continuously for more than 10 to 20 minutes doesn't diminish my skill, just my ability to apply it.

But that's what substitutions are for, right?

 

[EpsiIon]

Originally posted by: Pr0d1gy
OOOH, Speed Programming could be the next big sport!!! Get 2 nerds and see who could cade faster!! Awesome, not.

Uhh.. people already do this.

 

[3chordcharlie]

Unless someone has lost an eye, or there have been other major injuries caused by video-gaming, I think the claim to being a sport falls flat.

(One nice compund-fracture would change this though)

 

[GagHalfrunt]

For it to be a sport you need to put down the Twinkies and Mountain Dew, get up off your lard-ass and sweat.

 

[Pr0d1gy]

How about we bring up this argument: FEAR. Everytime you go play football, baseball, hockey, etc. there is the unquestionable fear of getting hurt, playing in front of a crowd, and mainly the getting hurt part.

I would never play a FPS in fear of getting hurt or dying, whereas everytime I played football, baseball, or basketball that was a big fear. Even for the biggest, toughest guys it is in the back of everyones' heads when they play. Of course when the adrenaline kicks in you don't think about it, but let me give you an example....

I'm going into my senior year in high school and playing American legion baseball against some of the best players in Georgia, including the current catcher for the Chicago Cubs. Now we had a good little hispanic shortstop, but he had an attitude and didn't like the fact I was a sort of walk-on on this team & they played together through high school. Anyways, I am trying out for this team and it is my first time playing on the same field as these guys. I get in the box & he is "pitching", basically just throwing batting practice, or so I thought. Well the first few pitches I am destroying the ball and hitting long bombs and making a good impression. Well this jackass decides to be a d1ck and throws one as hard as he can right at my head. I wasn't ready for it & only got partially out of the way, but took it on jaw. Now this guy had a cannon and the ball was going about 90mph by my guess.

Well I got knocked on my @ss and hopped back up spitting out blood and said I was OK. I hit some more and bombed em out some more, but something was different when I played for awhile after that. I played against Michael Barrett (C-Chicago Cubs) and I couldn't even swing the bat. He threw 95mph back then and I was frozen more by the fear of getting jacked in the face again than anything. Brandon Fowler was his teammate who threw about 90 and I did the same thing, just stood there hoping to get out of the box.

It went that way for most of the season and didn't get better until the real season came around the next spring. My point is if there is no fear of physical harm then it is just a skills competition and a mind game, but in a sport you risk your body to become a master of your talent, skill, and mind by trying to overcome fear.

Fear is what drives a player to get bigger, stronger, & faster because if the other guy is he already has a big edge on you & then it becomes a serious mind fvck. In gaming it isn't like that at all, in fact I play alot better against better competition because there is no fear, only determination & focus.

 

[ucdbiendog]

its neither. its an addiction. dont ever play mmorpg's children...