[Other Sport] Sure to be polarising - esports in the commonwealth games?

[BBassic]

Ok, well that's nonsense.
Literally millions of friends play online together because it's sociable. You can have plenty of fun with people online, chatting to random people you'd never meet otherwise and having a good laugh.

As for the original question,
I watch Rocket League Championship online, these players are a different level to your average gamer, anyone saying that eSports aren't a sport clearly don't play games. I've played against one of these players recently and he absolutely pulled my pants down.
The money these guys earn is obscene as well, I'm talking pro footballer money.
Before eSports was a thing, I was ranked 3rd in the world on a racing game, I regularly beat the game designers and I would've definitely tried to make a living out of it had it been a thing back then.
I'm sure this will split the room and I do get why some will think it shouldn't be considered a sport, but I believe it is and will become just as big as physical sport at some point.

Rocket League pros are inhuman. I can barely get my car to move in the right direction and these guys are out there flying around juggling the ball in mid-air.

The level of patience and skill required to get that good is bonkers.

 

[el punal]

It is being reported that eSports is going to be in the commonwealth games. This has the makings of a brilliant culture war between the kids and grown ups. I am early 40s and have a 13 year old son. He will definitely watch the esports and despite being a very sporty kid (county hockey and decent at all sports) he will give many of them a miss.

This topic is sure to get people fired up. I expect to read “how is playing computer games a sport?” - well sorry to those who don’t see it. In 20 years the richest sports people in the world will be esports. Kids already watch them play computer games and this is going to go mainstream whether we like it or not.

I might make it my mission to reply to everyone I hear over the next few weeks say “it isn’t even a sport so can’t be in the commonwealth games” that “is it called the commonwealth sports?” - that should get people going.

Just the other day on our WhatsApp group two of my mates said about their 6 year old sons “they won’t play computer games. No chance. They will be out all the time with their mates not locked in their rooms playing games like geeks.” They have not adjusted to when we were kids. All the “cool” kids are gaming and it is incredibly sociable as massive groups of mates all play together. My lad plays out but he is quite happy gaming too. I suspect my mates will realise in a few years that their sons will play video games! Let’s see.

So what do we think NSC? I wish I knew how to do a poll. This feels like the future to me. I don’t like it but it is inevitable.

Thanks for the heads-up on this. I will ask my grandson, who is also 13 and plays lots of sport, his opinion. This, from a technophobe granddad!

 

[A1X]

I can't think of a good reason not to so why not?

 

[Questions]

We have had debates about ice dance, synchronised swimming, etc now computer games......
if we are going to have sit down indoors games , why not have cerebral games like chess?

I’d love to see Magnus Carlsens ring walk…….. ooh er.

 

[AstroSloth]

First: Online gaming isnt sociable.

Second: this could be the future if games reach a certain longevity, which is happening to some of the most popular ones now. In the past when a game lasted 2-5 years before it was replaced by something else, we'd never see in the Olympics etc. but could well become the case now. There's also more depth as more and more countries get competitive in esports. Twenty years ago there were only five really competitve e-sport nations - South Korea, Sweden, US, Denmark and Germany. Soon all the big nations joined in and now you find all sorts of Western / Asian countries represented in LoL, CSGO, PUBG, Fortnite and so on, but it will expand even more in the future.

Not good for anyone but easy entertainment and thats what the world wants.

Online gaming is 100% sociable. I've met some of my best friends through playing DOTA 2 and we've met in multiple countries for events.

Esports events are incredibly and they're definitely not easy entertainment, the amount of planning that goes into the events is ridiculous.

 

[AstroSloth]

Actually, we don't need to speculate about whether people would like it - we can ask an actual question. They put some FIFA football on TV during coronavirus, so if the powers that be genuinely claim to think that young people are more likely to watch someone else playing video games rather than live action, then we can just look at the viewing figures for that.

The Formula 1 simracing shows were extremely popular and led to many people getting into that particular type of gaming. You also have people like Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc streaming on twitch pretty regularly.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

No objection at all to major e-sports championships.

Not sure why it should be conflated with existing sporting events

 

[AstroSloth]

Put me down as it took me to the second paragraph to work out what esports is.
Also sitting around pushing buttons and looking at a tv is definitely not a sport.

So you don't actually understand what esports is.

It's organised competition between the best in their field who have taken years of training to get where they are.

These days they have a full team around them to keep them in the best shape physically and mentally for the events. Nutritionists, personal trainers, psychologists are a few of the team members involved these days.

There's plenty of sports that aren't particularly physical, they're just more traditional and established.

 

[AstroSloth]

We have had debates about ice dance, synchronised swimming, etc now computer games......
if we are going to have sit down indoors games , why not have cerebral games like chess?

Plenty of esports are extremely cerebral. DOTA 2 for example has a lot of chess players who also play it as it's a game that requires a lot of planning and adaption on the fly so it helps train the brain to think for those situations.

 

[mikeyjh]

No objection at all to major e-sports championships.

Not sure why it should be conflated with existing sporting events

Yep. I don't quite get the argument that the amount of people that would watch means it should be a contender. I mean, Coronation Street is still quite popular right? I do wonder about children's social interaction being somewhat online gaming based, it does make one think how they will cope with 'real world' social environments?

 

[Baldseagull]

I accept esports as a thing, but not a thing for the Commonwealth games, nor motor sports, or underwater hockey.

OT slightly, I think it was Toyota or Nissan, created a racing driver program where they found lads that could perform well on computer track racing simulator games, and put them in real cars, other routes through gaming to real racing exist now as well. In one program they found one lad on a certain track taking an unusual line, which resulted in a faster lap time, they thought it was some sort of glitch in the simulator, but when they got a chance to try it on the real track, it actually was faster.

 

[Swansman]

Disagree with this. It was during lockdown that me and some mates dusted off games consoles and did it for the first time. It was great. Having a laugh with mates not in a zoom chat where the other option is you just look at each other or a sodding quiz. It was brilliant. We have kept it going this winter (hardly play during the summer). Three of us are married to teachers so When they are doing their planning and our kids are in bed it gives us something to do that isn’t just watching tv or reading. We don’t ever chat to other people, it is just a group of mates having a laugh.

During the winter My lad gets home from school and most days will log on and play with his mates. Spend the time between getting home and dinner just laughing with pals (occasional row). When I was a kid if the weather was crap and we could not be bothered to play out we watched dogtanion and the muskahounds and thunder cats. I know what is more sociable.

Whaaaa!? I play online loads. With other people. We talk to each other and everything.

Ok, well that's nonsense.
Literally millions of friends play online together because it's sociable. You can have plenty of fun with people online, chatting to random people you'd never meet otherwise and having a good laugh.

As for the original question,
I watch Rocket League Championship online, these players are a different level to your average gamer, anyone saying that eSports aren't a sport clearly don't play games. I've played against one of these players recently and he absolutely pulled my pants down.
The money these guys earn is obscene as well, I'm talking pro footballer money.
Before eSports was a thing, I was ranked 3rd in the world on a racing game, I regularly beat the game designers and I would've definitely tried to make a living out of it had it been a thing back then.
I'm sure this will split the room and I do get why some will think it shouldn't be considered a sport, but I believe it is and will become just as big as physical sport at some point.

Online gaming is 100% sociable. I've met some of my best friends through playing DOTA 2 and we've met in multiple countries for events.

Esports events are incredibly and they're definitely not easy entertainment, the amount of planning that goes into the events is ridiculous.

Okay, but then you are in a minority.

I've been around 20-25 year olds for about 15 years now. They dont play to "have a laugh". They dont play because it is "social". They play because they are addicted to video games. Most of them are highly socially incompetent people and hiding in games which is just worsening the whole thing. Essentially deeply unhappy "hikikomoris" in various degrees caged in their virtual worlds. Yeah, you have wifes that are teachers; plenty of these kids will never touch a woman, much less marry one. Gaming is a very simply way of ignoring your issues and kill time.

I'm not saying gaming cant be social, it can be. But as games get more and more addictive, more and more (young) people get addicted. Its more often a socially destructive habit and never can sitting by yourself in front of a screen chatting with some other muppets replace meeting people in person.

As for easy entertainment, I'm not referring to skill level. It is very difficult to become a pro gamer, but it is easy entertainment in the sense that you dont really have to do anything about your personality, you dont have to put yourself in uncomfortable positions, you just hide behind the character/vehicle in the game you are playing. Going out to have a few beers, socialising with real people under real conditions with the real you being out there is simply more difficult and more developing than playing games.

 

[Butch Willykins]

If it doesn't raise your heart rate and/or you don't need special footwear to compete, then it isn't a sport.

 

[BN9 BHA]

So you don't actually understand what esports is.

It's organised competition between the best in their field who have taken years of training to get where they are.

These days they have a full team around them to keep them in the best shape physically and mentally for the events. Nutritionists, personal trainers, psychologists are a few of the team members involved these days.

There's plenty of sports that aren't particularly physical, they're just more traditional and established.

Please tell me you are joking?

 

[BBassic]

Okay, but then you are in a minority.

I've been around 20-25 year olds for about 15 years now. They dont play to "have a laugh". They dont play because it is "social". They play because they are addicted to video games. Most of them are highly socially incompetent people and hiding in games which is just worsening the whole thing. Essentially deeply unhappy "hikikomoris" in various degrees caged in their virtual worlds. Yeah, you have wifes that are teachers; plenty of these kids will never touch a woman, much less marry one. Gaming is a very simply way of ignoring your issues and kill time.

I'm not saying gaming cant be social, it can be. But as games get more and more addictive, more and more (young) people get addicted. Its more often a socially destructive habit and never can sitting by yourself in front of a screen chatting with some other muppets replace meeting people in person.

As for easy entertainment, I'm not referring to skill level. It is very difficult to become a pro gamer, but it is easy entertainment in the sense that you dont really have to do anything about your personality, you dont have to put yourself in uncomfortable positions, you just hide behind the character/vehicle in the game you are playing. Going out to have a few beers, socialising with real people under real conditions with the real you being out there is simply more difficult and more developing than playing games.

I don't think so Swanny.

There are millions and millions and millions of people around the world who have an entirely healthy relationship with video games. I don't doubt you in that there are absolutely some people with an unhealthy relationship though. I was definitely playing too much in my early twenties.

 

[Pavilionaire]

SPORT

noun
1.
an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.

Given this is the dictionary definition, the are more grounds for describing Bake Off as a sport than computer games.

 

[The_Viper]

Okay, but then you are in a minority.

I've been around 20-25 year olds for about 15 years now. They dont play to "have a laugh". They dont play because it is "social". They play because they are addicted to video games. Most of them are highly socially incompetent people and hiding in games which is just worsening the whole thing. Essentially deeply unhappy "hikikomoris" in various degrees caged in their virtual worlds. Yeah, you have wifes that are teachers; plenty of these kids will never touch a woman, much less marry one. Gaming is a very simply way of ignoring your issues and kill time.

I'm not saying gaming cant be social, it can be. But as games get more and more addictive, more and more (young) people get addicted. Its more often a socially destructive habit and never can sitting by yourself in front of a screen chatting with some other muppets replace meeting people in person.

As for easy entertainment, I'm not referring to skill level. It is very difficult to become a pro gamer, but it is easy entertainment in the sense that you dont really have to do anything about your personality, you dont have to put yourself in uncomfortable positions, you just hide behind the character/vehicle in the game you are playing. Going out to have a few beers, socialising with real people under real conditions with the real you being out there is simply more difficult and more developing than playing games.

One of the most out of touch, embarrassing takes I've seen in a while, you are flat out wrong and there's dozens of studies showing you're wrong. Gaming and especially online gaming has a shit ton of good traits to it, especially a younger crowd growing up. I'll list you some:

- Being aware of the environment around you and rewarding attention to detail
- Many online games be it MMOs or FPS games or anything in between presents a LOT of problem-solving and planning
- For some kids games are a great way of improving their literacy and vocabulary
- Collaboration and teamwork are usually vital, whether its flanking an enemy and pulling off an offensive move successfully, solving puzzles the makers have created or dividing out tasks based on proficiency of your group to achieve a goal
- Understanding behaviour of others in a risk free environment
- Working with people you may never surround yourself with in real life, gaining an understanding of other cultures, age groups and backgrounds
- Regulating and managing emotions is a massive one, you will lose and you will lose a lot, learning how to lose, behaving calmly and coming back for more shows pretty good character growth
- Building resilience in the face of adversity considering most games ensure odds are stacked against you


ALL of those things help kids and adults grow to be better people, now if you're a shite parent and allow your kids to screech over a mic and be a toxic little **** then that's a reflection of you and that's uncomfortable to read, but its true. Just like the real world, you'll always find ********s wherever you go, but many people aren't and the benefits of games these days is huge. I don't know what it is you do, but it seems like you surround yourself with the worst types of people and are then making sweeping generalisations about everyone else.

 

[B-right-on]

Please tell me you are joking?

I had the same thought, followed by the post written by one of my 15 year old daughters class mates.

Playing with a computer, no matter how 'stressful' the game, how much time they put into it, is just NOT a sport.

It does not mean it's easy or skillful to twiddle the lever, but compare this to the real sports currently on in the Beijing Winter Olympics, there is just no comparison at all.

Sure organise competitions and games, but don't mistake anything played on a screen with virtual images as a sport. It's not. It's a game. That's all.

 

[studio150]

Firstly aren't the Commonwealth Games the equivalent of the Europa League Conference given the Olympics and World Championships, and the suggestions of including esports is purely a marketing device to get people noticing the Commonwealth Games.
Then the issue of esports being included, being an old fogey it's a no from me. If people want to watch this, then they can have their own events but don't tag it onto other sporting events.

 

[BBassic]

I had the same thought, followed by the post written by one of my 15 year old daughters class mates.

Playing with a computer, no matter how 'stressful' the game, how much time they put into it, is just NOT a sport.

It does not mean it's easy or skillful to twiddle the lever, but compare this to the real sports currently on in the Beijing Winter Olympics, there is just no comparison at all.

Sure organise competitions and games, but don't mistake anything played on a screen with virtual images as a sport. It's not. It's a game. That's all.

I think people are getting hung up on the 'sport' part.

Sure, by the dictionary definition of a sport listed above by a different poster, playing video games isn't a sport.

But 'esport' has it's own dictionary definition. Which definitely covers the act of playing multiplayer video games competitively.

This whole idea that's being floated isn't about expanding the definition of 'sport' to include 'esport', because it categorically isn't sport. It's just about adding 'esport' as a category to the games