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eSports is a stupid term

Blogs > hoby2000
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hoby2000
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
United States918 Posts
August 23 2014 22:50 GMT
#1
I use to be a fan of calling competitive gaming eSports, but now I see that it's not a good title at all. I'm not saying that technically they're not sports - I'm saying technically it shows that we as a community yearn too much to be accepted by a wider audience so people will appreciate the lifestyle we love. We want to be legitimatize ourselves through a second opinion.

Instead, we should appreciate that we have a unique idea that can have it's own platform to stand on, and start embracing unknown technologies and ideas that are not used by the traditional sports we all idolize.

I don't know what we should call it, and I'm not saying completely abandon eSports immediately. I'm simply stating that we need a new term because eSports is a poor description of what competitive gaming actually has become. It's different than sports and deserves it's own recognition.

One last thing - In this quest to establish a new name for competitive gaming, we as a community should include Poker. It's a game, it's competitive, and sure as hell can be played online. Not only that, but no one wants to refer to poker as a sport either, and definitely not as an eSport.

Let the gears start spinning.

*
A lesson without pain is meaningless for nothing can be gained without giving something in return.
Complete
Profile Joined October 2009
United States1864 Posts
August 23 2014 23:14 GMT
#2
It's just a word. You're over thinking it.
hymn
Profile Blog Joined February 2008
Bulgaria832 Posts
August 23 2014 23:19 GMT
#3
Uuuuum, yeah. Poker is not a sport because there's too much chance in it. It's a game of betting money and calculating the most ev play from the options you are given. Starcraft on the other hand, has much less chance involved and I am perfectly fine with it being called an electronic sport.
Also, statements like "I don't know how to call it but it's wrong to be called esport." are completely useless when the person that raised them has no proposal.
azk he is the north american player but the titan he is the french stars
Djzapz
Profile Blog Joined August 2009
Canada10681 Posts
Last Edited: 2014-08-23 23:26:19
August 23 2014 23:26 GMT
#4
I used to think like that. Then I stopped caring. The term esports has been thrown around enough that esports are now de facto a thing even though I don't necessarily agree with the borrowing of the word sport. Issue solved. You're welcome.
"My incompetence with power tools had been increasing exponentially over the course of 20 years spent inhaling experimental oven cleaners"
Cheren
Profile Blog Joined September 2013
United States2911 Posts
August 24 2014 00:01 GMT
#5
On August 24 2014 08:19 hymn wrote:
Uuuuum, yeah. Poker is not a sport because there's too much chance in it. It's a game of betting money and calculating the most ev play from the options you are given. Starcraft on the other hand, has much less chance involved and I am perfectly fine with it being called an electronic sport.
Also, statements like "I don't know how to call it but it's wrong to be called esport." are completely useless when the person that raised them has no proposal.


There's luck in every esport, in Starcraft one player often gets an advantage purely through blind build order picks (especially in mirror matches), in WC3 games were won and lost off item drops, in Dota you have miss chance, crit chance, etc.

And what about Hearthstone? Not only is there the RNG of what cards you draw, but some of the cards have additional, some times game-changing, random effects.

Poker's not an esport because it's usually played live so that the opponents can see and study each other's faces. There's no necessary "electronic" component, otherwise it would be an esport.
Jerubaal
Profile Blog Joined June 2010
United States7684 Posts
August 24 2014 00:11 GMT
#6
One of my first posts on TL was a thread about how metagame was a silly term. Then Liquid'Tyler called me an idiot.

It was great.
I'm not stupid, a marauder just shot my brain.
Aveng3r
Profile Joined February 2012
United States2411 Posts
August 24 2014 00:20 GMT
#7
I agree. Progaming would be a better name
I carve marble busts of assassinated world leaders - PM for a quote
hypercube
Profile Joined April 2010
Hungary2735 Posts
Last Edited: 2014-08-24 00:45:40
August 24 2014 00:43 GMT
#8
The term ESPORTS has history. Saying "you're hurting competitive gaming" or "professionalism is killing competitive gaming" just doesn't have the same ring to it.

edit: Live poker is played with physical cards. Those cards are made of molecules whose atoms are held together by electrons. Hence poker is an esport.
"Sending people in rockets to other planets is a waste of money better spent on sending rockets into people on this planet."
itsjustatank
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
Hong Kong9169 Posts
August 24 2014 01:34 GMT
#9
yeah eSports is stupid, it's spelled ESPORTS btw. get with the program. it's a SERIOUS thing. ESPORTS.
Photographer"nosotros estamos backamos" - setsuko
bo1b
Profile Blog Joined August 2012
Australia12814 Posts
August 24 2014 01:48 GMT
#10
On August 24 2014 10:34 itsjustatank wrote:
yeah eSports is stupid, it's spelled ESPORTS btw. get with the program. it's a SERIOUS thing. ESPORTS.

It's also pronounced with a lisp
ninazerg
Profile Blog Joined October 2009
United States7291 Posts
August 24 2014 01:52 GMT
#11
You know what else is a stupid term? Your mom.
"If two pregnant women get into a fist fight, it's like a mecha-battle between two unborn babies." - Fyodor Dostoevsky
lichter
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
1001 YEARS KESPAJAIL22272 Posts
August 24 2014 01:59 GMT
#12
On August 24 2014 10:52 ninazerg wrote:
You know what else is a stupid term? Your mom.


whoa slow down there muscle man
AdministratorYOU MUST HEED MY INSTRUCTIONS TAKE OFF YOUR THIIIINGS
Jerubaal
Profile Blog Joined June 2010
United States7684 Posts
August 24 2014 01:59 GMT
#13
On August 24 2014 10:48 bo1b wrote:
Show nested quote +
On August 24 2014 10:34 itsjustatank wrote:
yeah eSports is stupid, it's spelled ESPORTS btw. get with the program. it's a SERIOUS thing. ESPORTS.

It's also pronounced with a lisp


Um...excuse me. That was very rude and you had no right to say that...
I'm not stupid, a marauder just shot my brain.
Jerubaal
Profile Blog Joined June 2010
United States7684 Posts
August 24 2014 02:00 GMT
#14
On August 24 2014 10:59 lichter wrote:
Show nested quote +
On August 24 2014 10:52 ninazerg wrote:
You know what else is a stupid term? Your mom.


whoa slow down there muscle man


I heard nina was on the beaver tranquilizer.
I'm not stupid, a marauder just shot my brain.
Fecalfeast
Profile Joined January 2010
Canada11355 Posts
August 24 2014 04:56 GMT
#15
On August 24 2014 11:00 Jerubaal wrote:
Show nested quote +
On August 24 2014 10:59 lichter wrote:
On August 24 2014 10:52 ninazerg wrote:
You know what else is a stupid term? Your mom.


whoa slow down there muscle man


I heard nina was on the beaver tranquilizer.


Um...excuse me. That was very rude and you had no right to say that...
ModeratorINFLATE YOUR POST COUNT; PLAY TL MAFIA
Lucumo
Profile Joined January 2010
6850 Posts
August 24 2014 06:20 GMT
#16
It used to be called competitive gaming in the first half and the good later part of the 00s, so we should just use that again.
Nebuchad
Profile Blog Joined December 2012
Switzerland12418 Posts
August 24 2014 10:30 GMT
#17
On August 24 2014 08:19 hymn wrote:
Uuuuum, yeah. Poker is not a sport because there's too much chance in it.


Debatable on both fronts, poker is still a skill game despite how much luck it implies, and sports can contain a bunch of luck as well (look up Tanja Frieden's snowboard cross victory at the olympics)
No will to live, no wish to die
vult
Profile Blog Joined February 2012
United States9400 Posts
August 24 2014 14:37 GMT
#18
Meh, I used to not like the term but now it's kind of grown on me. Competitive Gaming as a term is too formal, and esports just rolls off the tongue.

ESHHHPORTSHH
I used to play random, but for you I play very specifically.
Muffloe
Profile Joined December 2012
Sweden6061 Posts
August 24 2014 15:06 GMT
#19
Well, it's either esports or cybersports, and between the two I prefer esports. And most people seem to agree
Saechiis
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
Netherlands4989 Posts
Last Edited: 2014-08-24 16:25:54
August 24 2014 16:23 GMT
#20
I don't want to be a cyberathlete, if I'm going to put in thousands of hours of practice and dedication I want a cooler name. Cyber makes my salty tears sound imaginary.
I think esports is pretty nice.
lichter
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
1001 YEARS KESPAJAIL22272 Posts
August 24 2014 16:37 GMT
#21
can we start calling them e-thletes
AdministratorYOU MUST HEED MY INSTRUCTIONS TAKE OFF YOUR THIIIINGS
supernovamaniac
Profile Blog Joined December 2009
United States3047 Posts
August 24 2014 17:00 GMT
#22
On August 25 2014 01:37 lichter wrote:
can we start calling them e-thletes

yeah the term progamer is getting old anyways
ppp
ThomasjServo
Profile Blog Joined May 2012
15244 Posts
August 24 2014 19:50 GMT
#23
On August 25 2014 01:37 lichter wrote:
can we start calling them e-thletes

sounds slippery, like how a snake would pronounce atheletes.
JieXian
Profile Blog Joined August 2008
Malaysia4677 Posts
August 24 2014 20:31 GMT
#24
Also, we as a community should include Chess. It's a game, it's competitive, and sure as hell can be played online.

Chess for MLG2015
Please send me a PM of any song you like that I most probably never heard of! I am looking for people to chat about writing and producing music | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noD-bsOcxuU |
Daswollvieh
Profile Blog Joined October 2009
5553 Posts
August 24 2014 20:41 GMT
#25
I think it´s a great term, because it is short, catchy and easily comprehensible.
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