Science Says Pro Gamers Aren't Athletes

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

I am not sure exactly how you'd expect someone who devotes several hours every day to physical exercise would have the same physical fitness (or rather, lack there of) as someone who devotes several hours every day to sitting still on a comfortable chair. Basic physiology tells you that they'd have very different physiques.

But perhaps I am reading too much into this. At least now, we can all quote a scientific study when we tell people gamers are not as fit as atheletes.

 

[ScruffyTheJanitor]

So...who actually has claimed that pro gamers are the same as athletes? It seems pretty fucking obvious to me...pro darts players aren't the same as athletes either.

Noone says darts is athletic either :/ It's a sport (that granted, requires very little movement, but it's amazing what you can call sport nowadays).

 

[Erana]

Wow...
I respect games, but I've never thought gaming could be a sport. It can be a competitive game in the sense that basketball is also a competition and, indeed, a game, but there's a blatant line there, and I don't see why people would find it insulting for video games to not be sports. They're just different.

Also, the last time someone called themselves a, "Cyber athlete," I proceeded to treat them to a bunch of college girls singing along with, "Momma Mia!"
I don't often treat people like that, as many 'Scapists should know, but it was just so laughable, I hardly felt bad for mocking them.

 

[Vanguard_Ex]

So...who actually has claimed that pro gamers are the same as athletes? It seems pretty fucking obvious to me...pro darts players aren't the same as athletes either.

Noone says darts is athletic either :/ It's a sport (that granted, requires very little movement, but it's amazing what you can call sport nowadays).

That's exactly my point. No one says it's athletic so you don't need to prove that.

 

[Gildan Bladeborn]

Well the reaction time bit was at least interesting, but honestly, this is just a practical application of common sense - of course "pro-gamers" aren't athletes, the activity they get really good at isn't athletic. Neither are professional dart players or pool sharks, and sports like golf involve briefly swinging a club and then sedately walking for a while - clearly "sport" doesn't equal "athletic".

Which everyone already knew, duh.

 

[Anstrup]

Thats lovely

But did anyone really think anything else than it being unhealthy to spend 10 hours a day at your PC?

 

[FaceFaceFace]

Wait, the skinny pro-gamer wasn't physically fit?

I foresee an infinite supply of sarcastic replies to this news article.

 

[ThePurpleStuff]

They need to take the money they spend on these stupid and obvious studies on more important things. Like, education? Or use it to help the millions of homeless people living in the streets here in America.

 

[Wardnath]

In related news, the sky is blue, and cars are heavy.

More at 11.

 

[dalek sec]

Oh well thank god they're doing this as to trying to find a new fuel source, curing cancer or anything like that....

Who ever said that pro gamers are athletes anyways?

 

[Jamash]

Although, the lung quality of a 60 year old heavy smoker just screams bullshit to me. You dont get like that from just sitting around.

If not bullshit, then there must be mitigating circumstances which aren't being reported, perhaps chronic childhood asthma which caused this person to stay in and play video games (thus becoming a pro gamer) instead of being an active, sporty child.

I stay in and play video games and I smoke, but at my last medical check up I didn't have the lungs of a 60 year old smoker, in fact they were surprisingly normal for someone my age.

Most people find the notion that pro gamers are athletes pretty laughable, but judging by the lung quality comment, it's seems that this Dr. Dominic Micklewright has a chip on his shoulder and an axe to grind.

 

[Kevlar Eater]

Spoiler: Here's my response

 

[Canadamus Prime]

I want to know who signs off on the grants for these studies.

 

[theSovietConnection]

theSovietConnection Says Scientists Do Scientific Stuff


I'm really glad they cleared this up for us all, now I can get on to the important things in life.

 

[vallorn]

Ha! I beat the news room to this! Thank you midnight newspaper!

my thread on this...

I'm going to go celebrate my victory now.

 

[Thaius]

So curling, which requires a lot of precision and control but not much physical strength, is considered an olympic sport, but we needed science to tell us that gamers can't be sports because the only thing they don't have in common with athletes is physical conditioning?

For one, duh. For two, really? Just... really?

EDIT: Though admittedly, it is kind of nice to see science prove the reaction time and such: now no one can deny us sportsmanship on any grounds except "You're not strong." Which is more than a little stupid.