eSports Will Never Be Considered a Real Sport
I recently stumbled upon an interesting conversation on Reddit about the legitimacy of eSports as a “real” sport. There were opinions ranging from wanting eSports to be admitted to the olympics, to straight out bashing all gaming in general. With the rocket-like surge of eSports to the mainstream consciousness this discussion was bound to arise, as traditionally pro gaming has been considered a niche, and quite frankly a bit geeky. Well this is all about to change, but it doesn’t make eSports any more of a sport in the traditional sense than before.
And that’s okay. Why would we want gaming to be considered a sport? How would that benefit eSports? Getting to see NiP take on Fnatic in the olympic games would most definitely be cool but nothing short of ridiculous, and not to mention, impossible. eSports has some defining characteristics that make it impossible for it to be admitted to the olympic program, as well as make it really hard to be considered even a “real” sport on any level.
The home of gaming is among it’s fans, and we shouldn’t try to push it down everyone else’s throat just because “eSports is a big deal now”. Or try to make it a legitimate sport. Let’s make our own thing instead. Let’s make traditional sports want to be eSports. Okay not really, but the main idea is that we have a chance to make something huge here on our own, without the “approval” of those that see it as nothing more than boys playing video games. With tournaments like ESL and the League of Legends World Championships getting bigger each year, and with the rise of highly competitive leagues such as MLG, eSports is slowly but surely building its own ecosystem that will do really well on its own. I’m sure we’ll see some overseeing regulatory organisations rise in the near future that will further add to the validity of the scene as a whole, which is what we need for eSports to be sustainable for growth.
I have done sports all my life. I have played video games all my life. I love doing both. But trust me when I say, they are completely different in all aspects except in that they are both hugely entertaining to do and to spectate. When I told people I was getting into the eSports business, it was somewhat annoying to have to constantly reassure people that are unfamiliar with the scene how cool it really is and how huge it is getting. But in this discussion, rather than focusing on validating eSports as a sport in the eyes of the naysayers, I try to convince them of the merits it has on its own. That is what we should focus on: Promoting the uniqueness of eSports and its audience, its fnatic followers (pun intended), the feeling of community that few other spectator sports have managed to maintain.
Being different is what makes eSports so special. Lets keep it that way.
Joonas Suonpera (@s_joonas) is the Head of Business Development at Oddshot.tv, an instant replay and community captured highlight reel for livestreamed gaming .For more information visit oddshot.tv or follow @oddshot_tv on twitter.
