Hardcore_gamer said:
No, sports is one of the few reasons some kids still go outside. We DO NOT want to kill that.
Also, who decides what games count as "sports" and which don't?
There is literally no reason for why Starcraft counts as a sport in South Korea rather then say, Age of Empires 2 other then that the former became way more popular.
So does popularity decide which games are sport? Well in that case does that make Wow sport? What about Half-Life 2? Or Quake?
Gamers need to stop trying to level up their virtual dicks with crap like this. Video games are not the same as real life sports, just deal with it.
These are all terrible arguments. How the hell would televised Esport events prevent kids from playing pickup soccer, or any other "real" sport?
In any case, you're missing the point. You have half of it but seem to be ignoring the other part. Yes, video games and traditional sports are inherently different, for a number of reasons. You can ignore physics in games, but gravity will never mysteriously decide not to work. Traditional sports have spacial requirements computer games do not. The question is not if you think Esports are the SAME THING as traditional sports, but whether you think that the former should be covered at the same level (nationally televised events, major company sponsorships) and given the same kind of attention (professional commentary, audience of millions, etc) as the latter.
Your Starcraft vs Age of Empires argument is moot. Why is Starcraft the RTS of choice in Korea? Why is NBA basketball played on a 94by50 foot court, with 5 men on a side, with a 10ft rim? You don't pick up a ball and immediately know the ideal way to set up a balanced court and set of rules, just like you don't sit down at a PC and instantly know which games lend themselves best to high level competition. It's a long, messy process that's undergoing constant revision. Some things lend themselves to balance and competition better than others. The short answer is yes, because it's popular. NFL football is to Starcraft what Arena football is to Age of Empires, to use a relatively-inaccurate and entirely American analogy.
Let me rip a definition of "sport" off of Wikipedia for you: A sport is an organized, competitive, entertaining, and skillful activity requiring commitment, strategy, and fair play, in which a winner can be defined by objective means.
Here's what it boils down to; all sport is COMPETITION. And all competition is is a means to see who is better than who at a given activity. You can make a competition out of anything. Driving a car fast, lumberjacking, eating, snow shoveling, pencil snapping, lobbing spit balls. What turns a competition into a "sport" is precisely what you think doesn't matter; how many people are willing to play it, watch it, pay to see it, and enjoy.
