Video games have always been one of my favorite hobbies. I always wondered, “Can gamers be called athletes? Do people consider it as a sport?” This is a debate that has been occurring for a very long time. I believe that video games can be classified as a sport due to several reasons.

     The early 1970’s introduced the first games and consoles available for home use and by the 1980’s, when the internet was created, online gaming was in its early stages of development(Rivenes). By the turn of the century, online gaming had immensely improved to the point to where you can play with anybody from any part of the world. Ever since the first video game was released, tournaments were held which are now known as electronic sports or eSports for short, a sport nonetheless (Medium).

     Although people argue that video games do not fit the definition of the word “Sport”, the word throughout history has been constantly changing. The word “sport” is a shortening of the word “disport” which, in the 1400’s, referred to any activity that brought amusement and distracted from serious work. Then, by the end of the 15th century, it meant any activity which involves physical movement or skill. Finally, from the 18th century to now, the idea of physical movement became heavily dominant in the definition but, the definition is bound to change as it did before (Buxton). If a sport includes physical movement or skill, then why does golf, hunting, fishing, and other limited-moving sports count? If these sports count, then gaming counts as well since they all include a limited amount of movement, physical movement nonetheless. Although it is limited movement, they all require skill as well as video games. 

   

 Competitions are a huge part of what makes a sport; in a sport, there are usually two teams or several teams that compete against each other to achieve victory. Additionally, people gather around to watch professional players win millions of dollars which is no different than watching any other sport such as baseball, football, or soccer (Medium). The same form of competition occurs with eSports, without the extreme physical activity. Skill is also a huge part of sports; without sports, these games would not be so entertaining to watch. I think that skill is what plays a larger role in sports than athleticism. Skill is what causes the word “sport” to branch out into different fields of competition. In every competition, whether it is an eating competition, race track driving, chess, spelling, or gaming, skill is required; skill is what these athletes and competitors train for. This is why gaming is a part of the sport genre in entertainment. 

     In conclusion, gaming fits in the sports category because it includes some physical movement, competition, skill, and training. Although all athletes are included in sports, not all sports include athletes. Video games do not fit in the modern day, closed-minded definition of a sport, but under that tree of sports, there is a branch of sports that require more mental skill then physical. That category of sports is where gaming perfectly fits. I learned that in the future, gaming as a sport would be taken more seriously and that the definitions of some words such as “sport” will be changed to account for all the other skill-based games. Maybe someday, the words “gamer” and “athlete” will be synonyms.

Works cited:

Buxton, Charlotte. “What Makes a Sport a Sport?” OxfordWords Blog, 4 Sept. 2017,                        blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2017/09/04/what-is-a-sport/.

Medium. “The History and Evolution of Esports – Bountie Gaming – .” Medium,             Medium, 3 Jan. 2018, medium.com/@BountieGaming/the-history-and-evolution-of               esports-8ab6c1cf3257.

Rivenes, Logan. “The History of Online Gaming.” Datapath.io, 28 Apr. 2017,                                  datapath.io/resources/blog/the-history-of-online-gaming/.