Is Esports a Recognised Sport Now?
This debate has been going on for a long time. Although many have accepted that it should be considered as such, others refuse.
Current situation
The growth of this type of entertainment is very evident, which is why we see the number of participants increasing every year. Many want to enter into a competitive mode and become professionals. And although in the beginning it was not considered a real sport, the truth is that this perception has been changing a lot.
Even so, on many occasions, all those involved in this sector have to defend their position constantly since there are people who do not understand how it could enter in this classification if it is assumed that the participants do not develop certain "physical skills" in their training and preparation.
I absolutely believe that these types of competitions have many similarities with others, so I can see more and more why they should be classified as sport competitions and be part of this group.
I will tell you the reasons why I think this should be the reality in this case, as well as show you the characteristics that make it belong to this classification.
Let's first see what is an Esport.
I will take for reference all my experience in the area to explain to you what exactly is esport. It is defined as a set of activities such as competitions, tournaments and other duels that are completely related to video games.
Depending on the type of activity and the rules, participants can be organized into individual competitions, teams, and duos, among others.
This became a very important source of entertainment, so more members wanted to join. Most find this fun and seek to participate to entertain themselves and have a good time. On the other hand, many consider this a career of sorts, and spend time developing their skills.
Reasons why I think they fall into the classification
According to my reasons, I think it should count as a sport, since it shares the characteristics, I will tell you below.
They possess all the particularities of a legal association.
- Participants need skills.
- Official events are organized.
- They do not play randomly, but through a strategy.
- The whole team is trained in the area.
- They promote collective work.
- They are societies with rules.
Just like any other group, in this one, I see the presence of certain terms that the participants and other team members must respect.
The rules have been standardized for all teams worldwide, allowing international competitions
If any team member is not able to respect the rules, they will face consequences such as legal actions, suspensions and other types of sanctions. The rules exist to standardize team participation.
They require the conditioning of the participants
Because of my job, I must always stay in line, this does not detract from what I do. What I seek to explain with this is that not because you must be in front of a screen to participate, it means that you must not have any skills. In fact, your mind must be very quick in making decisions and your hands must be at the same pace to execute them.
The consequences that can be faced are similar to those of other activities, as participants may experience stress and frustration, due to the pressure of making the right decisions at the right time.
It has official competitions at national and international level
I can clearly see that every day more and more spectators are joining this passion. Many of them support their favorite teams at all times.
All the tournaments held have a serious level of commitment, they are not just for amateurs looking to kill time. Important companies have realized this, which is why I have noticed that important sponsors are incorporated every time something like this is organized.
Establish a guideline
To be able to compete properly against any rival, the first thing is to create a collective strategy and an individual one. In many cases, I have seen that players take care of studying their opponents, learning their techniques and how to counter them.
Specialized community for each case
Just as in other competitions, video games also have a community that follows the steps of the players. The data related to these are also stored and quantified in order to manage certain statistics.
Let me give an example. I want to bet on some matches in the tournament, so studying my own and my opponent's statistics is useful. This allows me to make predictions and forecasts that will tell me if it is a good idea.
I can also count on the information provided by commentators and other people involved because they are experts and know everything related to this kind of activity.
Cooperative play
Unless it is a case where there is only one participant, I have seen that all participants have developed a collective spirit. I know that for this you have to be very good at making decisions.