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Active: 1538 users

starcraft a sport? - Page 2

Forum Index > BW General
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Scorch
Profile Blog Joined March 2008
Austria3371 Posts
August 31 2009 23:13 GMT
#21
Whether Starcraft is a sport is purely a matter of definition. There are concepts like training, coaching, competitivity, sponsoring, tournaments, rankings, media coverage, prizes etc. like in lots of other sports. Then again, Starcraft requires little to no physical fitness, which may be required by some definitions. But does it matter?

Tell them it is a highly competitive computer game that is still played over 11 years after its release; that should speak volumes about its pure quality and depth of strategy. Also tell them that there is a progaming scene in Korea with a few hundred players actually making a living from playing, and it is so incredibly popular that there are multiple TV stations dedicated to Starcraft coverage, and even the Air Force has their own progaming team.
Avidkeystamper
Profile Blog Joined June 2008
United States8556 Posts
August 31 2009 23:13 GMT
#22
Because it's a video game it can't be a sport? Meh, not really answering the why.
Jaedong
Triple7
Profile Joined April 2009
United States656 Posts
August 31 2009 23:14 GMT
#23
Yelling ESPORTS is certainly viable. For me, the Boxer vs 13 Zerg video made me see that for some people, Starcraft is more than just a game.
지지이이이이이이이이이이이
DarkShadowz
Profile Joined December 2008
Sweden321 Posts
August 31 2009 23:15 GMT
#24
The best way is to ask them to define the criterias for a sport. Then try to get them to include chess, curling, football into thoose criterias. When they have managed to form criterias where all thoose fit, you can just point out that SC fit there too. It's just that's it's so new it's not socially accepted yet.

But the problem I have is that many other games should not be considered sports because they have the depth of a bathtub. so yeah, it can be a tricky question.
Mutaahh
Profile Joined June 2007
Netherlands859 Posts
August 31 2009 23:16 GMT
#25
ya its kick ass to pwn friends 1v2/1v3

Like, wtf how did you get that many goons? :O
I want to fly
Cube
Profile Blog Joined February 2008
Canada777 Posts
August 31 2009 23:16 GMT
#26
On September 01 2009 08:01 LCC wrote:
Just yell ESPORTS over and over until they get the message.

i have had untold success with this method. it may sound stupid but if you keep at it it works like charm
ssj114
Profile Blog Joined September 2008
Afghanistan461 Posts
August 31 2009 23:21 GMT
#27
Did EndlessRain get banned for saying Starcraft is a game?
Sandboxie + SUA + DEP, Windows Firewall + NAT Router
YPang
Profile Blog Joined April 2007
United States4024 Posts
August 31 2009 23:23 GMT
#28
On September 01 2009 08:21 ssj114 wrote:
Did EndlessRain get banned for saying Starcraft is a game?

he got banned for calling someone an idiot. I just checked Lol
sMi.Gladstone | BW: B high| SC2: gold T_T
Oai
Profile Joined July 2009
United States40 Posts
August 31 2009 23:24 GMT
#29
freedictionary.com

sport (spôrt, sprt)
n.
1.
a. Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.
b. A particular form of this activity.
2. An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively.
3. An active pastime; recreation.

Starcraft is a game that does have rules and customs, and is engaged competitively. As far as physical activity/exertion, progamers have to work/train hard for hours a day to keep their hand speed up and to keep their brain (which just like actual muscles need to be exercised) sharp. According to definition, Starcraft is a sport.
Avidkeystamper
Profile Blog Joined June 2008
United States8556 Posts
August 31 2009 23:26 GMT
#30
Just for reference? What type of training do professional golf players undergo?
Jaedong
GhostKorean
Profile Blog Joined November 2008
United States2330 Posts
August 31 2009 23:30 GMT
#31
It's an e-sport, slightly different from sports =_=
Slightly off topic, do dictionaries even have e-sports in their definitions yet? They have e-mail so e-sports should be included as well.
PokePill
Profile Blog Joined March 2009
United States1048 Posts
August 31 2009 23:31 GMT
#32
unfortunately if Starcraft is a sport, Halo is a sport
ghostWriter
Profile Blog Joined January 2009
United States3302 Posts
August 31 2009 23:32 GMT
#33
Sc is an e-sport, not a sport.

and golf is seriously hard to play well. I've been practicing for about a year and only yesterday was I able to hit the ball consistently well. They have a tournament like every week and professional golf is more unforgiving than zvz. Missing a putt could mean the difference between winning a million dollars and winning just 500,000. I can barely keep my balls on the green and the ones we get are like double the width of the ones that professionals play on =/
Sullifam
nadafanboy42
Profile Joined August 2009
Netherlands209 Posts
August 31 2009 23:35 GMT
#34
On September 01 2009 08:15 DarkShadowz wrote:
The best way is to ask them to define the criterias for a sport. Then try to get them to include chess, curling, football into thoose criterias. When they have managed to form criterias where all thoose fit, you can just point out that SC fit there too. It's just that's it's so new it's not socially accepted yet.

This is basically the right approach. I think for most people saying "Starcraft isn't a sport" is just a gut reaction. People have grown up with seeing football, basketball and the olympics and have this mental image of that being what a sport should be like. Then when they see two people sitting behind a computer they go "that doesn't look anything like football/olympics" and instantly decide that it can't be a sport.
If you want people to accept Starcraft as a sport you need to get them to get past this gut reaction and really think about what makes something a sport or just a game.

To me what makes something a sport are two things: Competition and Spectatorship. If you have people competing to be the best at something, and an audience willing and eager to watch them duke it out, then that makes something a sport.
I know that this means that technically, things like music competitions would also be a sport. But I would say that, is there really that big a difference between music/art competitions and sports? Language is always an imprecise thing, so it's silly to get hung up over the exact nuts and bolts of a word definition. For me anything that has competitors working their behinds off to be the best and compete in front of their fans deserves recognition as a sport, or at least the respect that the word implies.
NaDa/Jaedong/Liquid-Fanboy
Sharp-eYe
Profile Blog Joined August 2009
Canada642 Posts
August 31 2009 23:35 GMT
#35
On September 01 2009 08:26 Avidkeystamper wrote:
Just for reference? What type of training do professional golf players undergo?

Id say they would work on the angle of their shots, and using the wind to their benifit.

Anyway, starcraft is a sport. If its not, then soccer, football, chess, darts, hockey are not sports as well.

And for the "physical thing", many teams require their players to hit the gym for an hour because a physically fit body can endure more (why do you think Reach is so good

To answer the op's question, just show them an FPVOD of a top tier player, then show them a picture of a stadium of a Finals, then let them try the game out, and explain some deep strategies (ie. all the logic behind corsair/reaver into massing units... well thats not that deep but its still, another example is counting Pylons in PvP).

The main thing is to arouse their curiosity casually, so dont start going like "OMG SC HBLABLABLABLABLA E-sPORTS." (im against yelling of any kind in general). This makes them find things out for themselves, and they will enjoy it a lot more.
Are you truly so blinded by your vaunted religion, that you can't see the fall ahead of you? - Zeratul III AKA WikidSik ingame (anygame)
IMlemon
Profile Blog Joined May 2008
Lithuania296 Posts
August 31 2009 23:35 GMT
#36
On September 01 2009 08:10 gaggar wrote:
starcraft is part mind sport and part real sport.

i requires depth of strategy moreso than chess

yet the physical endurance is more used than bowling or golf.


You be absolutely crazy. Please don't compare starcraft to things you have no idea about.

To me, sports aren't associated with physical activities at all. It's all about competition. If you can make money (preferably big money) by being a professional player, it's a sport.


My future's so bright, I gotta wear shades.
ghostWriter
Profile Blog Joined January 2009
United States3302 Posts
August 31 2009 23:37 GMT
#37
Reach lost to tossgirl lolol
It's hard to define what a sport is exactly, but starcraft uses way more mental than physical abilities, as does chess or whatever.
You can tell if something is a sport or not using your judgment. Soccer is a sport, darts is definitely not.
Sullifam
TheSchwA
Profile Blog Joined April 2007
United States248 Posts
August 31 2009 23:42 GMT
#38
Those of you believe StarCraft is a sport are lying to yourselves to make yourselves feel better, and apparently have yet to actually look up the definition of 'sport.' Wikipedia does NOT count as a valid source either..
ArtLu
starflash
Profile Blog Joined April 2009
190 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-08-31 23:48:59
August 31 2009 23:44 GMT
#39
reach threw that game. who wouldnt tbh. did you see tossgirl in stx? hot damn that should head my fucking article.....damn idiot male friends.....haha

TheSchwA gets a 2day ban fyi

please dont forget my bolded question. i dont think anyone has addressed it yet. i only made the title "sport??" because my original title wasnt long enough and it would add a bit of spontaenious interest. if anyone read my topic they would realise im not bothered about the definition of sport, rather how to portray sc as a sport
Manifesto7
Profile Blog Joined November 2002
Osaka27156 Posts
August 31 2009 23:49 GMT
#40
On September 01 2009 08:21 ssj114 wrote:
Did EndlessRain get banned for saying Starcraft is a game?


No, he got banned for crouching his opinion in an insult.
ModeratorGodfather
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