User blog:TopsyKretts3/There Are No E-Sports

Original Post: http://combatarms.nexon.net/Community/#%2Fshowthread.php%3F328149-Cyber-Sports.net-Looking-For-CA-support%26p%3D2596363%23post2596363%26nxid%3D14

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Let's just assume, for now, that E-Sports are sports. Okay, then they are the Electric variation of sports. However, for something to be a variation of a something, it must keep the core concepts of that base. An example would be [American] football and Canadian football. Canadian football has the same core concepts of [American] football, however there are variation in the rules that give it a distinctly Canadian edge while still keeping it the same activity. Another example would be Art and Media Art. Media art is a variation of Art (Visual). Media art keeps the same core concepts that are needed to classify it was art, however, it has some variation to the process which give it a distinct Media, or electronic, edge.

Where "Electronic Sports" fail at this is that they do not keep the core concepts of what makes a sport, the thing they claim to be a variation of, a sport. Sport: An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others. E-Sport: Electronic Sports, abbreviated e-Sports is used as a general term to describe the play of video games competitively.

Electronic sports do not involve any physicality whatsoever; neither in effort or skill. It is all digital, with the players simply sitting in a chair using electronic tools to control avatars that do the actual activity. Because they do not keep the core concepts of what makes a sport a sport, they are not a variation of one. Therefore they cannot be called "Electronic Sports"

However, as I said before, this does not mean that the activity degrades in quality. Whether you shove the word sport into it's name, it will remain the same thing. There is no harm in competitive or league gaming not being a sport.

Is it competitive? Yes. Is it a league or tournament activity? Absolutely. However, it is not a sport.