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Well, obviously not, but they bloody well should be.
This about it: A sport is a test of skill, strength and stamina. Whether it’s throw a ball the furthest distance, run quite a long way or hit a little red target with an arrow from a stupidly large distance, it’s still down to either skill, strength or stamina.
It’s the same with games. OK, maybe not so much the strength part, but quick fingers are a necessity. Skill plays a very large part in gaming, as it does in any sport. Also, some games such as GT3 endurance, you have to have a large amount of physical and mental stamina. Some tracks can be very tiring, and after a couple of hours, concentration wanes. Doing the same thing 150 times is all very well on paper, but mistakes bring consequences, and not all laps are the same. Each one requires slightly different braking, maybe a slight adjustment for the tyres, a little weave to pass a car. All require you to be alert and at 100%, 100% of the time.
OK, so what other similarities are there? Well, practise is a big one. Sportsmen and women spend hours and hours practising, honing their skills, perfect their technique, as do gamers. You can’t just enter a javelin event from the street, in the same way you can’t just “decide” to have a shot at GOTY. In order to succeed, you’ve got to be the best in your field, which takes months, maybe years of studying, hard work and determination. How many of us have tried perfecting their 10-hit combos in Tekken? How many of us have tried learning every gradient, angle and surface of Deep Forrest? How many of us know where every single weapon, portal and health pack is in Facing Worlds? Sports competitors know every inch of their field to the slightest detail. The best angle of takeoff, correct breathing, tactical field positions, everything.
Even if we put all those similarities aside, the biggest piece of evidence comes from the nature of sport itself. Most sports are nothing more than games themselves. Football, hockey, tennis, they are all means of recreation. Commonwealth Games? Olympic Games? Sport is a game. You play it, you have fun, and you enjoy doing it even in a competitive environment, just like games.
So, should games be classed as a sport? I think so. Computer gaming is a fairly recent phenomenon. Only in the last 6 years have computer games become widespread and popular. I see no reason why computer games shouldn’t be classed as a sport, and why international, televised competitions shouldn’t be held. Watching virtual combatants fight it out in fantastic ways isn’t any less exciting than watching a load of overpaid blokes run after a ball for 90 minutes. Computer games have grossly overlooked these days. Very rarely do they get press coverage, and when they do it’s always wildly inaccurate, and written by someone who last played games on his Atari. Television networks passed through the PlayStation 2 launch without batting an eyelid. The Daily Mail ran a feature a week later, but most of it was twaddle, and they clearly didn’t know anything about it.
I think computer games, or “digital sports”, should get more attention in the 21st Century. Games are no longer geeky or nerdy, and require an underestimated amount of skill and determination to master. Some hardcore games such as those found at i8 probably have more skill in their 10 fingers than David Beckham has in his whole body. These days, computer games are more than just games, in the same way that football is more than just a game, and I think it’s time for the world to put away its prejudices and bring gaming into the open.
Well, that’s what I think, but I am a bit of a nutter after all!
This about it: A sport is a test of skill, strength and stamina. Whether it’s throw a ball the furthest distance, run quite a long way or hit a little red target with an arrow from a stupidly large distance, it’s still down to either skill, strength or stamina.
It’s the same with games. OK, maybe not so much the strength part, but quick fingers are a necessity. Skill plays a very large part in gaming, as it does in any sport. Also, some games such as GT3 endurance, you have to have a large amount of physical and mental stamina. Some tracks can be very tiring, and after a couple of hours, concentration wanes. Doing the same thing 150 times is all very well on paper, but mistakes bring consequences, and not all laps are the same. Each one requires slightly different braking, maybe a slight adjustment for the tyres, a little weave to pass a car. All require you to be alert and at 100%, 100% of the time.
OK, so what other similarities are there? Well, practise is a big one. Sportsmen and women spend hours and hours practising, honing their skills, perfect their technique, as do gamers. You can’t just enter a javelin event from the street, in the same way you can’t just “decide” to have a shot at GOTY. In order to succeed, you’ve got to be the best in your field, which takes months, maybe years of studying, hard work and determination. How many of us have tried perfecting their 10-hit combos in Tekken? How many of us have tried learning every gradient, angle and surface of Deep Forrest? How many of us know where every single weapon, portal and health pack is in Facing Worlds? Sports competitors know every inch of their field to the slightest detail. The best angle of takeoff, correct breathing, tactical field positions, everything.
Even if we put all those similarities aside, the biggest piece of evidence comes from the nature of sport itself. Most sports are nothing more than games themselves. Football, hockey, tennis, they are all means of recreation. Commonwealth Games? Olympic Games? Sport is a game. You play it, you have fun, and you enjoy doing it even in a competitive environment, just like games.
So, should games be classed as a sport? I think so. Computer gaming is a fairly recent phenomenon. Only in the last 6 years have computer games become widespread and popular. I see no reason why computer games shouldn’t be classed as a sport, and why international, televised competitions shouldn’t be held. Watching virtual combatants fight it out in fantastic ways isn’t any less exciting than watching a load of overpaid blokes run after a ball for 90 minutes. Computer games have grossly overlooked these days. Very rarely do they get press coverage, and when they do it’s always wildly inaccurate, and written by someone who last played games on his Atari. Television networks passed through the PlayStation 2 launch without batting an eyelid. The Daily Mail ran a feature a week later, but most of it was twaddle, and they clearly didn’t know anything about it.
I think computer games, or “digital sports”, should get more attention in the 21st Century. Games are no longer geeky or nerdy, and require an underestimated amount of skill and determination to master. Some hardcore games such as those found at i8 probably have more skill in their 10 fingers than David Beckham has in his whole body. These days, computer games are more than just games, in the same way that football is more than just a game, and I think it’s time for the world to put away its prejudices and bring gaming into the open.
Well, that’s what I think, but I am a bit of a nutter after all!
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I know but there is none near me :o(
GasMask wrote:
> Is gaming a sport? No. But I think it is, they should have national
> competions or something. Everyone could enter, there would be a
> choise of games on all different consoles.
They do actually have competitions all over the world, and there are people who make enough money from winning those competitions to both live off of it, and travel to the next competition.
There was a prorgam on Channel 4 (I think) several months ago, and literally all these guys to is travel the world entering competitions.
Great life - if you're good enough!
So while it may not be officially classified as a sport, you can certainly make a living out of it.
> Is gaming a sport? No. But I think it is, they should have national
> competions or something. Everyone could enter, there would be a
> choise of games on all different consoles.
They do actually have competitions all over the world, and there are people who make enough money from winning those competitions to both live off of it, and travel to the next competition.
There was a prorgam on Channel 4 (I think) several months ago, and literally all these guys to is travel the world entering competitions.
Great life - if you're good enough!
So while it may not be officially classified as a sport, you can certainly make a living out of it.
I would pay you, but after a quick check, I'm sure the patent hasn't been processed yet. Besides, I'm saving up for a Gamecube with a few games.
Is gaming a sport? No. But I think it is, they should have national competions or something. Everyone could enter, there would be a choise of games on all different consoles.
Admission prics could be a couple of quid for the whole day. The best time score over a period of 2-3 days would win a Gamecube or X-Box.
Now watch this idea get stolen by someone. Heh NO.
I copyright this idea, if anyone would like to use it I will have free entry and the person wishing too buy this idea can pay me.... 5 Grand.
Thats right 5 grand. You better get saving up your pocket money kids. ;o)
Admission prics could be a couple of quid for the whole day. The best time score over a period of 2-3 days would win a Gamecube or X-Box.
Now watch this idea get stolen by someone. Heh NO.
I copyright this idea, if anyone would like to use it I will have free entry and the person wishing too buy this idea can pay me.... 5 Grand.
Thats right 5 grand. You better get saving up your pocket money kids. ;o)
B0p
Think about it, Gam-ing, Game- ing Games, sport whats the difference. of it is it's exercise, for your fingers!
LoL.
Yeah, look at all those 'bots screaming past our local supermarket.
This is the year of the cyber athelete.
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