Real sport: Droplets of sweat fall from Spain's Rafael Nadal during a change of ends in his men's singles final tennis match against Novak Djokovic. Photo / Getty Images
Real sport: Droplets of sweat fall from Spain's Rafael Nadal during a change of ends in his men's singles final tennis match against Novak Djokovic. Photo / Getty Images
Sport, according to the Oxford online dictionary, is defined as "an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment".
A definition for e-sports, using the same source, deems it as a "multi-player video game played competitively for spectators, typicallyby professional gamers".
The common factor? The word competition.
Apparently, there are many people who believe e-sports is a sport. I'm not one of them.
Competing in something professionally does not make it sport.
This week, it was revealed the World Health Organisation (WHO) officially added video game addiction to its International Classification of Diseases (ICD) database. To suffer from this addiction, one must display a "pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming behaviour" that "takes precedence over other life interests". WHO's experts found some individuals played video games for up to 20 hours a day, didn't eat or sleep, or engage in normal activities like school or work.
Sport, in my opinion, adds value to your life, it's an asset to your mind, body and overall health, which is why I cannot agree that gaming, professionally or otherwise, is sport.
Beyond the physical benefits, the mental health benefits are just as evident leaving a person happier overall. Even if you aren't satisfied by your own, or your team's performance, I can't think of any time I, or anyone I know, have felt unhappier after playing a sport ... even after a physical injury.
Sport helps to keep you fit and healthy, you're encouraged to feed your body with the correct fuel to be able to perform at your peak, it is one of the best stress relievers out, you get a better night's sleep and you improve concentration, which in turn means you're more productive.
When I think of all of the gaming enthusiasts I know some compete but none, however, play professionally. I'm confident all of them if given the opportunity would spend all day gaming, ignoring reality, while also occasionally becoming slightly aggressive towards their virtual existence.
Many can become extremely upset when they're forced to move away from their machines and could easily pull an all-nighter playing without even realising until the sun comes up. I'm not the only person to notice a negative change in a person's behaviour after a streak of online gaming, leaving them unmotivated and unhappy overall.
Call of Duty Championship fans watch the "action". Photo / Getty Images
Since Fortnite and other online games started making their mark in society, gaming addiction in young children and teens has reportedly worsened, negatively impacting on a person's mental health.
The Video Games Coalition, an industry lobby group, has countered that, reportedly claiming the products they represent are "enjoyed safely and sensibly by more than 2 billion people worldwide".
There are plenty of arguments made to accept gaming as legitimate sport, but, in my opinion, they fall short.
- E-sports is becoming more popular and its popularity is likely to continue to grow. So is declining dental health.
- It's lucrative. Professional gamers can make a lot of coin, the prize pool for the Fortnite World Cup is US$100 million.
There are writing competitions that offer more than $50,000 as the prize for a winning short story. Not the same amount of money but, still, there is money to be made.
- People want to watch it. Millions on millions on millions of hours are spent watching games.
It is reported that 10.5 million viewers tuned in to watch the episodes of Kim Kardashian's wedding to Kris Humphries as well.
- The atmosphere, with all the thrills and excitement, cannot be beat. I've not been to a gaming event so I don't know what it's like but to those who claim it can't be beat I ask whether they've attended a winning NBA Finals playoff match.
Have I missed anything?
These are all interesting points but let's call e-sports what it is.
It's entertainment, and that's cool. Everyone needs an outlet that allows them to zone out. It's also business - a very lucrative one at that. But sport, it's not.
