Argument Essay

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getting wet, muddy, out of breath – you’re not going to get out of breath smashing your thumbs on a controller. I just think it’s a bit weird really – but maybe I’m just getting old.” (qtd. In Dirs)

Warwood may be correct in stating that a sport should correlate to pushing your body to greater limits rather than simply sitting by a computer pressing buttons. Another thing to note from what Warwood said is the factor of age. Is a person that is a part of an older generation who was able to grow up both with and without something like eSports able to have a better understanding of what a sport is compared to the youth of this generation that have had this type of thing their entire lives?

I can understand why certain groups see video games as a hobby or bad influence rather than a sport. The lack of physical exertion and having no attempt to push a body to or near its limits can be shown to be very unhealthy and why people think that the spread of eSports is having a negative impact toward the lack of mentality towards physical exercise. “It is evident that many within the mass media, parent groups, politicians and even some academics, argue that video games are leading to a generation of antisocial, over-weight, unhealthy, and aggressive “mouse potatoes”” (Crawford). On the other hand, I can still see the argument why there is such a push by people to make eSports a true sport. From playing video games myself, I understand that to be a professional you must have a high set of skills in many different categories. “The basis for this argument is that some forms of video gaming readily match definitions of what a sport is, in that they can involve interpersonal competition, the development and training of skills, the enforcement of rules, attainment of goals, and even levels of coordination and agility” (Crawford).

Overall, I must agree with those who believe that Electronic Sports are a sport for professionals to compete just like any other type of professional sport. I have come to love video games and have come to the understanding that there is so much to them rather than just simply clicking buttons. Video games take different types of strategy, mental prepares, reaction times, or fitness. There is an incredible multibillion-dollar market that only seems to keep expanding. As technology grows so will the developments of eSports. Today’s eSports athletes have incredible sets of talents and skills like other athletes do in their in respected sport. There may even come a time when there is even a much higher level of physical activity involved in eSports than there is today. The possibilities for a sport like this are endless.

Cited Sources

Crawford, Garry, and Victoria K. Gosling. More Than a Game: Sports-Themed Video Games and Player Narratives. Sociology of Sport Journal. 26 (2009): 50-66. Web. 6 June 2016.

Dirs, Ben. Is Computer Gaming Really Sport? BBC. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 June 2016.

Kipfer, Barbra Ann. Sport. Dictionary.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 June 2016.