E-Sports, the new era...

I was watching futurama on the telly.. I know I know, don't look at that thing.. it's insidious and evil.. bah humbug, I'll look at it, I can distinguish beween ill and good intent.. or so I thought..

Suddenly, there is a show. Sports like. Discussing teams and players, and merit and fault...

And it is about Rainbow 6 Siege.

Now, don't get me wrong, I understand the idea of taking your sports to a new level.. and that these things cater to the lounge lizard, not the player.. per se.. at least.. by chance.. but, well.. here this is.

And as I watched it more, I actually felt compelled to watch it more. This was not just a sports style commentary. It struck out at the very core of the sports show itself.. It said "Screw you guys, We're going home!" and they went home, to their super nintendoes and their xboxes and came up with something that frankly, makes me more amused than befuddled.

Haha, In insipid style show I actually can stomach.. no large obnoxious neck tattooed miscreant parading around like he's king sheeeet, just a bnunch of no-bodies with overt names, and the ability to control either a mouse and wasd, or use a controller (give them credit, it's almost like the disabled olympics, so, no hate)...

I don't know if this will take off, but.. on my first few moments, I went from extremities, to a disproportionate liking of it..

WHAT IS GOING ON, dear reader... is a change.. oh god we may rail against it, but... it's happening, like it or not..

and I kinda dig this quirk.. tee hee, suck it ball fondlers!!

*pew pew, I shot ur baksteball with muh uber punk steam gun!!*

originally posted by: Gnarley
*pew pew, I shot ur baksteball with muh uber punk steam gun!!*

Yes. That is pretty much it. And some players and teams make millions of dollars. There is sports betting involved. This is an industry now.

ETA: I am showing no disrespect towards e-sportsmen and women here. Good for them if they make a living. Or a fortune. Must require dedication and skill. I just... don't think that this is "sports"

originally posted by: Finspiracy

originally posted by: Gnarley
*pew pew, I shot ur baksteball with muh uber punk steam gun!!*

Yes. That is pretty much it. And some players and teams make millions of dollars. There is sports betting involved. This is an industry now.

I'd rather watch this than people gaping over a ball that gets thrown willy nilly.. there is art is real gaming.. at least, to this observer..

a reply to: Gnarley

That's a serious stretch of the word "sport"

If you do it in a sitting position it isn't a sport...

Yes that includes racing.

originally posted by: Bluntone22
a reply to: Gnarley

That's a serious stretch of the word "sport"

If you do it in a sitting position it isn't a sport...

Yes that includes racing.

Think you might have a few arguments on that
Golf, a sport, darts, moto gp?

I think anything you can gamble on is a sport
Sport of pigeon racing? Dunno about that one

I could see it evolving where it also requires physical attributes with VR. Stamina, cardio, steady hand. The possibilities are there. It will get way pass hand controllers and screens.

originally posted by: Bluntone22
a reply to: Gnarley

That's a serious stretch of the word "sport"

If you do it in a sitting position it isn't a sport...

Yes that includes racing.

Auto racing, mountain climbing, and bull fighting are sports... all the others are games. - Ernest Hemingway

Yeah, there are some "sports" that stretch the definition. However, you can't deny the skill levels required. I mean I'm sure I wouldn't last five minutes on COD with some of these guys. Heck, I race remote control cars and have raced a few of the "professionals" and these guys are freaks of nature.

Auto racing can be taxing physically and mentally. Same with motorcycles.

I put it this way. Anyone can play basketball. You may not be good, but you can shoot a ball and do the basics. Not just anyone can ride a supercross track. Drive a car at 200mph. Drag an elbow and knee on a superbike at 100+ mph. Climb a mountain.

The old movie Starship Troopers kinda hit on this topic. They were playing a sport basically outside of just physical attributes. They were all basically equal with their gear. Where they were not equal is cerebral reasoning...smarts, wit. It even the playing field where you just can't be a bull in a china shop. You need brain power. Skill involved but it's more about intelligence which is kinda passed over in most sports. Pretty much all of them.

Oh yeah, there's big money to be made in it.

Me and a couple of friends put together an organization while we lived in Texas that ran gaming tournaments.

We set up stations and brackets and we all got PAID to go to events like SXSW and Comicpalooza to play video games and on top of that got to sell our merch.

But we were the casual scene, not those big name events with the gamers wearing ad shirts like a nascar driver.

Now is the time to build a business in this industry, especially if you live in a rural community because 5G is coming and there's virtual gold in them hills.

There are actually sim racing tournaments that provide opportunities to become real race car drivers for those who do well enough.

Jann Mardenborough won the Nissan PlayStation GT Academy competition in 2011, earning the chance to take part in professional racing.

As part of the Infiniti Red Bull Racing driver development programme, he will race for Arden International in this year's GP3 Championship – one of the most important feeder series for Formula One.
Source

Video games and simulators are getting pretty realistic — a video game pro beat a former Formula 1 driver in a race this weekend, without decades of real-world racing experience.

In a shocking victory that left commentators speechless, 23-year-old Enzo Bonito beat Lucas di Grassi, a Formula E and ex-Formula 1 driver on a winding race track in Mexico on Jan. 19. Why does it matter? Because Bonito cut his teeth in esports, the nascent world of competitors who play video games
Source

originally posted by: Raggedyman

originally posted by: Bluntone22
a reply to: Gnarley

That's a serious stretch of the word "sport"

If you do it in a sitting position it isn't a sport...

Yes that includes racing.

Think you might have a few arguments on that
Golf, a sport, darts, moto gp?

I think anything you can gamble on is a sport
Sport of pigeon racing? Dunno about that one

Pro wrestling?
Those guys and gals are tremendous athletes but it's not a sport.

Darts?
Nah..

Bowling?
Yes..

originally posted by: Bluntone22
a reply to: Gnarley

That's a serious stretch of the word "sport"

If you do it in a sitting position it isn't a sport...

Yes that includes racing.

You've never seen rally racing, have you?

a reply to: trollz

Yes I have.

It's a motorsport....

Not a sport..

Just like pro wrestling.. Drivers are athletes...
But still not sports

originally posted by: Bluntone22
a reply to: trollz

Yes I have.

It's a motorsport....

Not a sport..

Just like pro wrestling.. Drivers are athletes...
But still not sports

What is your definition of "sport"? And I find the comparison between pro wrestling and professional rally racing to be entirely wrong, as one is a choreographed performance, where the other is a test of the limits of the human body and mind that can result in death at the slightest error.

Having been an athlete in the physical sense, I wouldn't call it sport, but it does get competitive and there is an element of skill and strategy involved. There is also an element of who is better in terms of twitch reaction which, I guess, does involve the physical at one level.

But I do game on the computer and I can appreciate the depths to which you can go to win over other players in that electronic, virtual environment. You have to understand math and probability in order to fine-tune builds to your best advantage, you have to play and practice a lot in order to understand your build and be able to use it to best advantage, you have to play and practice a lot in order to understand the game and the environment inside and out, you have to study to know what you're likely to be up against from other players in their builds, etc., and then that all leaves aside how well you plan, adapt, and react to what each game/match throws at you.

So, yeah, there is a lot of skill going on in there.

But I'm not sure that sport is the best word for it even as it does deserve a place at the table of serious consideration alongside sport.

originally posted by: trollz

originally posted by: Bluntone22
a reply to: trollz

Yes I have.

It's a motorsport....

Not a sport..

Just like pro wrestling.. Drivers are athletes...
But still not sports

What is your definition of "sport"? And I find the comparison between pro wrestling and professional rally racing to be entirely wrong, as one is a choreographed performance, where the other is a test of the limits of the human body and mind that can result in death at the slightest error.

In fairness to pro wrestlers, you do have to be in top physical conditioning. However, it very much is choreographed.... much like say ballet performance which wouldnt' call a sport either.

originally posted by: trollz

originally posted by: Bluntone22
a reply to: trollz

Yes I have.

It's a motorsport....

Not a sport..

Just like pro wrestling.. Drivers are athletes...
But still not sports

What is your definition of "sport"? And I find the comparison between pro wrestling and professional rally racing to be entirely wrong, as one is a choreographed performance, where the other is a test of the limits of the human body and mind that can result in death at the slightest error.

This is what the dictionary says...

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

As I said both pro wrestling and racing requires athletes but I still wouldn't call them sports.
Ones a motorsport with emphasis on motor and ones entertainment.
And for the record, pro wrestlers die in the ring, get paralyzed or other serious injuries sometimes too so it's not exactly a soft occupation.

And as for wrestling being choreographed... So is gymnastics, figure skating, half pipe...etc.
Yet nobody says they are not athletes.

a reply to: Edumakated

I always thought of ballet as serious performance art.

I'm not sure I'd put WWE in that category though even with all the conditioning they have to undergo ...

a reply to: Edumakated

correct.. Not a sport but those girls are tough as nails athletes.

a reply to: Bluntone22

I might have to say that not everything that's highly competitive in nature is by default a sport. Would that be fair?