In the War Room with Warfel: Esports is not a sport
August 21, 2019
SIU unveiled their new Esports Arena this weekend, but why is it called ‘esports’ if there is little to no physical effort put forth in video gaming?
Electronic gaming, or ‘video gaming’ as it’s commonly called, is not a sport.
Sports are defined by Merriam-Webster as a physical activity for pleasure, which I would consider as the recreational side of sports, which is something different entirely.
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Sports, as we see in the MLB, NHL, NFL and the NBA, require physical activity plus skill in a competitive setting.
While sitting in front of a computer monitor racing your fingers across the keyboard or even using a gaming system and a computer does require skill, there is no physicality behind it whatsoever.
According to the New York Times, Kyle Giersdorf, who won the Fortnite competition recently, had been playing the game for six to eight hours a day.
Skills in video games are completely different than those needed in sports; in video games, to be good you really only need good coordination in your fingers and quick reaction times.
Sports require not only good coordination and quick reaction times, but your whole body moving in a fluid motion, not just your fingers.
Almost anyone with enough screen time can become good at video games, especially if you’re playing six or more hours a day.
The same can be said for sports as well; if you are playing basketball, hockey, baseball or football six or more hours a day, you should become an expert in those games.
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No matter how much natural athletic ability you have, if you want to be successful at baseball, you have to work out to improve your game.
To improve in video gaming, all you have to do is play more; you don’t have to go the gym, run on a treadmill, or lift weights.
Instead, you can sit in front of your television or computer monitor munching on Cheetos and chugging Monster as you roll into your eighth hour of Overwatch.
While ESports do have competitions like sports, it is the way they practice and the physicality that defines an actual sport.
Competitive gaming is taxing on the mind and body, but not in the same way that sports are.
If you have ever played a sport either recreationally or competitively, your whole body is tired after you are finished, especially if you choose to go at the sport with all your energy.
Anytime I have played video games for hours on end, I simply have a headache and feel groggy because all I have been doing all day is staring at a screen.
Some might say there is strategy involved in video games, but the same can be said for chess or checkers and no one calls them sports.
Everyone calls those board games; they are simply games and not a sport.
So, if you are a competitive gamer, please for the sake of your health and my sanity, turn off the screen.
Go outside see the thing called the sun, and if you are like Howie from the Benchwarmers and are deathly afraid of the sun, I’m sorry.
I encourage everyone to find an actual sport to play that requires physical activity; embrace your nerdy side and join a Quidditch team or go the rec and box.
Adam Warfel, Sports Editor, can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @warfel_adam.
To stay up to date with all your southern Illinois sports news, follow the Daily Egyptian on Facebook and Twitter.
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grunt • Jun 19, 2021 at 6:18 pm
I think esport are not sport and they should not be called so. It should be categorize as game similar to Chess. This comment section is clearly biased toward the so called “esport”. It does not require physical fitness . After you done playing sport. There are benefits to your body as is was physically active. That is a whole point of sport is to be physically active. I think it definitely a skill that require mental fortitude and hand eye coordination similar to gold or dart but they do not require physical fitness. After you done playing there is little benefit to the bod. Your mind is not clearer than it was before. Equating pro gamers with athletes is ridiculous. You never seen an out of shape athletes (both overweight &underweight). There are plenty pro gamers that physically unfit ( CSGO :GuardiaN; Starcraft : Day9) Same thing could be said about Golf. Golf is not a sport , is a game , a hobby , a skill. There are plenty golfer that are unfit . The knees have problem , they are obese & smoking . They do not practice discipline with their body . As for the argument that chess & golf are sport then this is still not universally recognizable. Is it true that all of them could be are competitive but that does mean it a sport . IMO competitive gaming should be its own categorize. The term esport is just people defining new media by what gone before it ( Lamirer’s Law) .
Xander • Jun 5, 2021 at 9:11 am
Do you know how irratating you are when you say “Instead, you can sit in front of your television or computer monitor munching on Cheetos and chugging Monster as you roll into your eighth hour of Overwatch.” this is just plain out being rude. not all people are couch potatos and sit there all day.
CY • Mar 22, 2021 at 2:39 pm
i have heard people call football players masochists i dont agree with that at all
CY • Mar 22, 2021 at 2:38 pm
‘to improve in video gaming, all you must do is play more; you don’t have to go to the gym, run on a treadmill, or lift weights. Instead, you can sit in front of your television or computer monitor munching on Cheetos and chugging Monster as you roll into your eighth hour of Overwatch”
thats just insulting to any professional gamer most do some sort of gym related exercise while most do play games longer than most people its mostly to improve what they know could cost them a million dollars
i do agree with the not much exercise cause most of it is finger based movement i also believe that it gives the chance for people who cant play sports due to some condition etc a chance to feel like their a part of something big like a sport
while it isn’t a sport yet i think it could be at least like a sub division sport while its not as exhausting as football or hockey it can be just as exhausting mentally (sometimes) and acting like all gamers are spoiled fat kids is kinda like calling all football players masochists because they get tackled its just not true at all
A • Mar 11, 2021 at 1:33 pm
Majority of this is incorrect. Although Esports isn’t considered a traditional sport, it should still be recognized as a sport. And a misconception of gamers being overweight while they are “munching on Cheetos and chugging Monster” is simply not true. Many professional players spend more time in the gym during leg day then playing the game. In addition, Esports is similar athletic sports in many ways. Esports professionals have similar fitness and nutritional regiments compared to normal athletes. And the assumption that gamers are playing nonstop for 6-8 hours isn’t true. Although to some point this is true, it just isn’t the norm for people to spend hours playing a game. In fact, Kyle Giersdorf (AKA Bugha) explains how he plays for 2-3 hours and then takes a break for the rest of the day. Also, Chess recognized as a sport from the International Olympic Committee. So if you think that there is no strategy in Chess, much less Esports, then you were definitely getting your facts wrong. And Merriam-Webster is a publishing company, not an Ivy League that has scientists who spend hours into research. All in all, Esports is considered a sport and a billion-dollar industry. And if there is one thing I can agree with you on it is that people should get some physical exercise to stay healthy. (Note: try watching some Twitch streams some time)
-A
Prerak • Feb 4, 2021 at 2:03 am
okay i have went through each and every word of the post and all the comments…….So i have recently been gaining a lot of interest in esports and even considered choosing it as a career but i have a lot of confusions in mind. OKay so i decided to go for a comparative approach on if esports is really a sport…i completely got the fact that it requires skills,lots of mental exercise and physical exercise(like i know the heartbeat of a gamer goes really high during an intense match)…..Now till here esports is totally the same as the so called real sports right? But now here’s where i my mind cant think of anything…….when you play sports you are exercising your body, you develop muscles etc so you are getting fit playing sports but that isnt the case in esports…..you are degrading your eyes while playing esports, rather professional esports players have to take care of their health to keep their reflexes fresh that’s what i am not getting why is esports harming your body whereas the so called physical sports keeps your body fit.i have this question in my mind for over months now i just cant get my answer.
Ryan • Dec 2, 2020 at 11:24 am
Sports require full body physical movement and physical contests with other players. E games do not.
I love video games. They’re not called “video sports” though.
Jason • Oct 9, 2020 at 10:30 pm
If it epsorts are so basic and “anyone can be good” then win a major one your first try.
Midna Naito • Oct 8, 2020 at 6:21 pm
Responding to Imposter from the last comment: eSports DOES take just as much determination as sports such as baseball, football, or gymnastics. If someone grinds a game for years, it does not mean that they are assured to eventually be at a professional eSports level.. Not everyone has the potential to be at that professional level, just like not everyone has the potential to be a neurosurgeon or a quantum scientist for NASA. It’s unfortunate, but it is what it is. Also, you said “You also need determination for eSports but it’s not the same thing.” I’m not sure what you mean here, but to become insanely good at a video game requires an exceptional amount of determination, and I believe it is the same kind of determination necessary for becoming insanely good at physical sports. Despite all this, I do agree with the “obesity thing” you mentioned. Same goes for 9-5 office/desk jobs – if someone is at a computer all day for many days in a week, it isn’t healthy. However, I don’t think this fact has anything to do with their health, because participating in professional eSports does not affect a person’s opportunity to exercise regularly. If these professional players have the same opportunity to exercise as people of other professions in society, then their eSports jobs have nothing to do with their potential to be healthy.
Midna Naito • Oct 8, 2020 at 6:14 pm
Responding to Imposter from the last comment: eSports DOES take just as much determination as sports such as baseball, football, or gymnastics. If someone grinds a game for years, it does not mean that they are assured to eventually be at a professional eSports level.. Not everyone has the potential to be at that professional level, just like not everyone has the potential to be a neurosurgeon or a quantum scientist for NASA. It’s unfortunate, but it is what it is. Also, you said “You also need determination for esports but it’s not the same thing.” I’m not sure what you mean here, but to become insanely good at a video game requires an exceptional amount of determination, and I believe it is the same kind of determination necessary for becoming insanely good at physical sports. Despite all this, I do agree with the “obesity thing” you mentioned. Same goes for 9-5 office/desk jobs – if someone is at a computer all day for many days in a week, it isn’t healthy. However, I don’t think this fact has anything to do with their health, because participating in professional eSports does not affect a person’s opportunity to exercise regularly. If these professional players have the same opportunity to exercise as people of other professions in society, then their eSports jobs have nothing to do with their potential to be healthy.
Impostor • Oct 5, 2020 at 12:29 pm
I know the comments section supports esports. I play video games a lot but I don’t even think that esports is a real sport. While some may argue that it requires skill and patience, anyone can do esports if they grind enough. On the other hand, you need a lot of determination for sports. You also need determination for esports but it’s not the same thing. The obesity thing is controversial and some people actually do that. While I acknowledge that some other people in the comments section say that it’s offensive, people need to wake up and know that grinding for hours on end will bring health issues. Also, from personal experience, sometimes esports can be used as an excuse to play more. While the author of the article did say things that I don’t agree with like when he was putting pressure on those that grind for long hours at a time. Esports shouldn’t be considered an actual sport like football. I think esports could be a subdivision or something like that, but it shouldn’t be a sport that all young people aspire to be. I hope I don’t sound like a boomer
Esports Lover • Apr 15, 2020 at 9:36 am
I agree with the previous comment. This is a very biased article. Based on the way you are speaking it sounds like you feel like video games are overweight kids sitting on the computer all day in the basement but that just isn’t it. People for 8 hours a day are practicing working on their mindset and their skills as the games generally change every week. There are other people working in an office 8 hrs a day on a computer but no one seems to have an issue with that. Gamers are not like vampires. Bugha who won 3 million dollars goes outside to play basketball all the time and has no issue. One more thing. “Almost anyone with enough screen time can become good at video games, especially if you’re playing six or more hours a day.” That is not true at all. There are people who play 8 hrs a day EVERY day. But unfortunately, they suck at the game that they play. Playing video games isn’t just about hand-eye coordination but instead is about having a good mindset and the ability to not freeze and throw the game, and even great communication skills. “To improve in video gaming, all you must do is play more; you don’t have to go to the gym, run on a treadmill, or lift weights. Instead, you can sit in front of your television or computer monitor munching on Cheetos and chugging Monster as you roll into your eighth hour of Overwatch.” I find that to be disrespectful and untrue. There are 150 Million Fortnite gamers across the globe. Only 100 of them could qualify for the world cup. Do you think those people were chugging monster and eating Cheetos? No. The people chugging monster and eating Cheetos are the rest of the Fortnite gamers that couldn’t make it into the world cup. Also, about chess. Chess is a sport. The International Olympic Committee considers it to be a sport. I feel like before you make a post like this you should do real research.
wel • Apr 10, 2020 at 1:21 am
I know the word “sport” originally comes from disport. Considering the meaning of the word, playing video games seems to be one of sports. However, The problem is not whether it is sport or not. Calling playing video games competitively sport is extremely weird. the author who defined video games as one of sports at fault. Take “simulation convention” for instance, is a word I made already obviously better than “esports”(Don’t take it so seriously, just one example). No one would have argued about this topic like this article exists if the sponsor had not made the noun “esports”.
Jake • Apr 8, 2020 at 10:11 pm
I disagree. I’ve competed in traditional sports. I was a D1 track and field athlete. I did football back in HS and I am now a professional PUBGM IGL for a team. Now you say some games do not require strategy or physical activity. PUBG and PUBGM is essentially a wargame. Everything revolves around critical thinking and strategical thinking against other teams. Make a slight error and the entire team faces a loss. I suggest you research more on the esports side and not make a clearly biased opinion considering your title is literally “sports editor”. Of course you wouldn’t consider esports a sport. Now you say you just use your fingers and hands to play games competitively; this is true but does this truly make it not a sport just cause it doesn’t involve the whole body. The paraolympics involve physical movement but only require a certain amount of the body being used. It is irrational to say that something that by the end of 2020 will eclipse the viewership of the NBA(500 million according to ESPN) by 720 million for just a single games championship(LCS-League of Legends). The fact is since we are still on the technologically revolution- esports will be still thriving and eventually will beat our traditional sports. Also you describe these “gamers” to be couch potatoes staring at screens all day eating Cheetos. That seems to be quite an insult don’t you agree coming from a Sports Editor writing on the topic of esports. My team and myself included can assure you along with other esport athletes that we have a strict physical schedule that we follow. Obviously since our passion/career or whatever you want to call it involves the use of technology. There will be significant stress in our eyes and brain from the light/radiation. Coach’s who coach these teams or just any common sensed human being knows that too much can lead to burnout. Same as in traditional sports. Speaking for myself and my team- we practice for about 9 hours in total. But not straight. 9 hours of anything straight is not healthy. We work out prior to practicing in game so we can be healthy both mentally and physically. This gives us a more creative attitude towards our games and clears our mind. Just how (if you know) athletes have a rest day or a short practice/food party before a game/meet. Having a healthy lifestyle helps you play better in game as well which is key for gameplay. It’s common sense to not have a couch potato on your team because if they are that “gamer munching on Cheetos” then they will not be as quick to react or respond to certain situations effectively and efficiently. Esports is the future and I see both sports and esports being at the forefront of these upcoming and future generations.
Joe • Apr 8, 2020 at 10:10 pm
I disagree. I’ve competed in traditional sports. I was a D1 track and field athlete. I did football back in HS and I am now a professional PUBGM IGL for a team. Now you say some games do not require strategy or physical activity. PUBG and PUBGM is essentially a wargame. Everything revolves around critical thinking and strategical thinking against other teams. Make a slight error and the entire team faces a loss. I suggest you research more on the esports side and not make a clearly biased opinion considering your title is literally “sports editor”. Of course you wouldn’t consider esports a sport. Now you say you just use your fingers and hands to play games competitively; this is true but does this truly make it not a sport just cause it doesn’t involve the whole body. The paraolympics involve physical movement but only require a certain amount of the body being used. It is irrational to say that something that by the end of 2020 will eclipse the viewership of the NBA(500 million according to ESPN) by 720 million for just a single games championship(LCS-League of Legends). The fact is since we are still on the technologically revolution- esports will be still thriving and eventually will beat our traditional sports. Also you describe these “gamers” to be couch potatoes staring at screens all day eating Cheetos. That seems to be quite an insult don’t you agree coming from a Sports Editor writing on the topic of esports. My team and myself included can assure you along with other esport athletes that we have a strict physical schedule that we follow. Obviously since our passion/career or whatever you want to call it involves the use of technology. There will be significant stress in our eyes and brain from the light/radiation. Coach’s who coach these teams or just any common sensed human being knows that too much can lead to burnout. Same as in traditional sports. Speaking for myself and my team- we practice for about 9 hours in total. But not straight. 9 hours of anything straight is not healthy. We work out prior to practicing in game so we can be healthy both mentally and physically. This gives us a more creative attitude towards our games and clears our mind. Just how (if you know) athletes have a rest day or a short practice/food party before a game/meet. Having a healthy lifestyle helps you play better in game as well which is key for gameplay. It’s common sense to not have a couch potato on your team because if they are that “gamer munching on Cheetos” then they will not be as quick to react or respond to certain situations effectively and efficiently. Esports is the future and I see both sports and esports being at the forefront of these upcoming and future generations.
Halima • Mar 27, 2020 at 6:36 am
Ok sorry but youve got a lot of things wrong here. The worst sentence must have been “Skills in video games are completely different than those needed in sports; in video games, to be good you really only need good coordination in your fingers and quick reaction times.” because that just isnt true at all. Pro gamers need to think about so many other things durning a game and it is said that a pro gamer makes around 3 decisions a second. Those decisions also have to be right mind you. I think this article needs a little more research of what eSports truly are