The first thing that comes to mind when people say Sports is physical activity. But there used to be games/past times like Pool, Curling, Darts etc. that don't require a lot of physical activity but precise skill in order to play it competitively.

eSports is usually frowned upon by parents because it is still so young. Majority of people are risk adverse and this is the case among parents. Every parent wants the best for their child and that is why they would have their children do strenuous physical activity instead of playing pool/darts/curling that does not involve much of it. Same thing for eSports.

TedJustice

Canada1324 Posts

December 15 2010 16:09 GMT

#203

The e stands for electronic. If it's heavily dependant on electronics, it's an eSport.

The reason people frown upon it is because they aren't familiar with it. I mean most people who watch sports wouldn't care to know what starcraft is or how it works. A lot of them don't even understand all the rules of the games they watch, they just want to see impressive physical feats.

It's not immediately evident how well someone's playing a game of starcraft if you're not familiar with the game, on the other hand.

Proto_Protoss

United States495 Posts

December 15 2010 16:16 GMT

#204

eSports are still VERY young. People didn't start to really use electronics to earn money probably until the last 5 years or less. Sports have been around since man has had free time basically. Except for FPS games most eSports such as RTS are really difficult to understand whats going on if you don't play the game. If someone showed me a high level game of Civilization i would have no idea whats going on. Where as Sports have generally the same idea. Bring this object to the other side its nice and simple. Doesn't take a genius to understand how Soccer works.

rackdude

United States882 Posts

December 15 2010 16:17 GMT

#205

Sports is all about the wow. "Wow, that guy has hops!". "Wow, he bulldozers over 300 pound men". Watching Starcraft, I feel like a lot of the older generation is like "ehh, if I practiced everyday I could do that easily." Or they begin to think there's a lot of luck in it. Obviously it's not true, so in order for something like e-sports to take off this barrier has to be crossed. Most likely this will be crossed by having people play the game which enforces the idea that there is skill to the game.

chadus

Canada31 Posts

December 15 2010 16:24 GMT

#206

It's frowned upon by parents because it does not benefit your life in a positive way. While you are playing sc2 other kids are on sports teams meeting new people. This improves their social and physical health. Think about it why would parents want to promote their child to become a 'pro-gamer'? It does NOT BENEFIT YOUR LIFE.

Take for example 2 different people. One training to become the next IdrA and the other training to become the next Micheal Jordan. The chances of these people actually making it to the GSL/NBA are very very slim. Now assume they both fail at becoming pro at sc2/basketball. Who now has a better standing in life? I would bet 9 times out of 10 the basketball player is farther ahead in life than the gamer. The basketball player is in shape, has friends, built teamwork, socially competent, etc. The gamer is ....good at starcraft2? probably technologically savvy, uhh I dont know many other positive things in life that one get achieve through gaming. This is why e-sports will never be as popular as every gaming scene wants it to be, because it just doesnt benefit the gamers life in a positive way.

rackdude

United States882 Posts

December 15 2010 16:26 GMT

#207

On December 16 2010 01:24 chadus wrote:
Take for example 2 different people. One training to become the next IdrA and the other training to become the next Micheal Jordan. The chances of these people actually making it to the GSL/NBA are very very slim. Now assume they both fail at becoming pro at sc2/basketball. Who now has a better standing in life? I would bet 9 times out of 10 the basketball player is farther ahead in life than the gamer. The basketball player is in shape, has friends, built teamwork, socially competent, etc. The gamer is ....good at starcraft2? probably technologically savvy, uhh I dont know many other positive things in life that one get achieve through gaming. This is why e-sports will never be as popular as every gaming scene wants it to be, because it just doesnt benefit the gamers life in a positive way.

A lot of gamers aren't even technologically savvy... but SC players sure type, click, and move faster than anyone else at a computer. Work efficiency++.

couches

618 Posts

December 15 2010 16:52 GMT

#208

Think the biggest barriers right now are the age, accessibility and exposure of e-sports.

Any other well known competitive event has a rich history behind it. That provides a large fan base that creates the demand for the sport or event to be shown outside of obscure venues.

To play an e-sport event(game) yourself you gotta have a baller PC or a console (for halo nerds). Not everybody can afford that and not every kid will grow up that privileged. Any poor kid can get a ball to play soccer/ b-ball or baseball you know. And public parks to play in are more common than LAN centers for gaming.

Exposure is limited for e-sports right now. You gotta dig around on the net to watch games. This will get better as internet media improves and we move away from the TV being the king of home entertainment.

Oh yea I don't think it's a matter of one side being physically demanding while the other side is not. And at the same time it can't be said that e-sports are more strategically demanding because strategy plays a huge role in athletic sports as well, it's just a bit more subtle. Though sometimes it can be obvious such as pass the ball to the star player, but w/e.

Liquid_Adun

Canada205 Posts

December 15 2010 20:25 GMT

#209

I think understanding has a lot to do with things. My parents can barley turn on a computer let alone understand the concept of a competitive video game. I think that when people experience their first noob slaying then they will understand and accept e sports.

God bless goon rushes, Adun.

Zorkmid

4410 Posts

December 15 2010 20:28 GMT

#210

I think that one separation is that Sports have a more intrinsic entertainment value (participating and watching). It's a much smaller leap for a non-fan to enjoy the best basketball, football or soccer players in the world in action. If someone doesn't play video games at all, enjoying a starcraft match is virtually unattainable.

TrainFX

United States469 Posts

December 15 2010 20:31 GMT

#211

The obvious answer is electricity, the sad honest answer is legitimacy.

SpaceYeti

United States723 Posts

December 15 2010 20:37 GMT

#212

What gets me is that a lot of parents wouldn't mind if you spent the same amount of time playing chess....but when it comes to a video game....OH HEEELLLL NO!

zhurai

United States5660 Posts

December 15 2010 20:40 GMT

#213

On December 16 2010 05:37 SpaceYeti wrote:
What gets me is that a lot of parents wouldn't mind if you spent the same amount of time playing chess....but when it comes to a video game....OH HEEELLLL NO!

what if the chess is played via a video game ?

:d

Zorkmid

4410 Posts

December 15 2010 21:04 GMT

#214

If there was some standard e-sport that everyone could agree was fair and balanced and completely and effectively the best test of a gamers skills.....then I think we'd have something akin to a sport. It's just games and the spirit of competition and there's nothing wrong with that! Have fun!

zylog

Canada943 Posts

December 15 2010 21:21 GMT

#215

Like most things, the definition of sport isn't a hard term with clear explanations of what is and isn't a sport. It's a fuzzy concept that encompasses competition, skill and physical exertion. You could take most Olympic sports - track & field, hockey, soccer, etc. and have pretty much everyone agree that it's a sport.

Then take some other sports like figure skating or gymnastics- these have all the elements mentioned above, but are sports that are judged for artistic and technical merit. Most consider them sports, but some do not.

How about chess? It's an extremely refined competitive activity that has been around for years, and some here are saying that it's widely accepted as a sport. While that may be true for some, others don't consider it a sport because it lacks physical exertion. I think it's fair to say that chess would fit only a more borderline definition of sport. So, to make the argument for starcraft being a sport based on a borderline example like chess isn't really a strong argument.

Finally, I present a counter example. Lots of kids study music and compete in competitions playing the piano, the violin, etc. These are extremely skilled activities that take over 10000 hours of practice to master (just like other sports), and devoted kids will practice 5+ hours a day. They'll possess remarkable dexterity, moving their hands in much more intricate patterns than hitting hotkeys in a game. Since it has been done for generations, the intensity of competition can be quite high. Is this considered a sport? I've never heard anyone argue for it, but it shares many of the same characteristics as sports.

CellTech

Canada396 Posts

December 15 2010 21:25 GMT

#216

One is a multi billion dollar industry.

The other is close to making its first million.

oZii

United States1198 Posts

December 15 2010 21:52 GMT

#217

Who said there is a difference? Its all relative(as most of these types of post are) to what you consider a sport then throw the e in front of it. Thats really all there is to it. If for obvious reasons there is no certified league ranging from elementary - college level. There is no total body sanctioning board like Players association, President or director of the board, there is no NCAA. Then you have to go into are we talking about America(which it seems to be from the OP) or are we talking about korea(where it is a sport).

vict1019

United States401 Posts

December 15 2010 22:01 GMT

#218

Physical ability.

gozima

Canada602 Posts

December 15 2010 22:14 GMT

#219

Tradition sports are not owned by corporations. No corporation owns the game of baseball, basketball, football etc. Traditional sports rarely ever change over time. Technology effects traditional sports to a degree [conditioning, equipment etc.], but the rules of the sport usually stay the same.

crms

United States11933 Posts

December 16 2010 00:54 GMT

#220

when my parents used to complain about missing dinner for a match (I played competitve TFC, CPL etc.) i used to ask them if they'd be upset I missed dinner because I had a basketball match at the YMCA on thursday at 7 instead. They would always regretfully say 'no' and understand what I was getting at.

Both are hobbies we do for fun, I'm not wasting my time playing a game over basketball im not going Pro in gaming and im not going to the NBA. I can get physical activity in other arenas so really just do what you enjoy. The only problem with gaming/basketball/any hobby on planet earth is when you neglect actual responsibilities such as school/work etc. to the point it could have a severe impact on your future.

to make the point if bowling, nascar, pool, etc. are sports than so is competitive gaming. the only difference is public understand and acceptance but those will come with time. It will likely never reach the heights of the NFL etc. but it should become exponentially bigger in the next decade or so.