Back in the day calling a game of Mortal Kombat a sport would have been met with hearty laughter. But we live in a whole new era. Youngsters are making millions playing games, the word eSports exists, and video games are raking in more than the film industry could dream of. Plus, yes, Mortal Kombat can now officially be played professionally.
But let’s just focus on the word eSports for a moment. There is no question that video game tournaments exist, and that an increasing number of hopefuls participate, but can we actually call Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) a sport? Knit picking the definition of the word probably isn’t necessary, and more to the point most probably don’t care. But it’s still a question worth investigating.
What Is A Sport?
If we’re going by the definition found in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, sport is defined as a physical activity engaged in for pleasure. Millions certainly play games for pleasure, but unless they’re using a VR setup physicality doesn’t really play a part. Which is to say, someone is not going to play a video game better or worse depending on their physical capability.
Another way to look at it is with games like Chess or Poker. Chess is certainly a game played professionally, and there is no question that it is an extremely difficult game to master. But you would be hard pressed to find anyone that calls Chess a sport. Similarly, if you were telling friends you had logged on at Black Lotus casino to play Poker, you wouldn’t tell them you headed online to play some sports. You’d tell them you played Poker.
So, according to the dictionary at least, eSports can’t technically be called sports. But if they aren’t sports, what should they be called?
Games Require Enormous Skill
This isn’t suggesting that some video games don’t require enormous skill. On the contrary, many video games are nothing if not enormously demanding, requiring strategy, sharp reflexes and countless hours of practice. CS:GO will push even the most experienced gamer to the limits, especially given the absurd levels of competition these days.
The key here is that some are able to play video games dramatically better than others. In fact, they are able to play games so well as to make a living doing it. Very few can claim to play games for a living, just like very few can claim to be professional athletes. The parallels are certainly clear enough.
Professional Gamers
If you have a friend that enjoys sports, you don’t immediately consider them an athlete. You consider them a sports enthusiast. The day they are paid for playing sports, however, you would start referring to them as a professional athlete, or a career athlete.
The same should probably apply to the world of eSports. Professional gaming or career gaming are far more fitting terms. Though neither term has nearly the punch of something as simple as eSports. As silly as it is to discuss terminology, the term eSports is certainly here to stay.