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The Real Scars of Korean Gaming
An anonymous reader writes: Professional e-sports have been slowly but steadily gaining a following in the U.S. over the past couple of decades, but in South Korea, it's already arrived as a popular form of entertainment. An article at the BBC takes a look at the e-sports scene there, which is generating huge salaries for the top players, but also injuries and insular lifestyles. It's growing more similar to traditional pro sports all the time. From the article: "A scar, half an inch wide, stretched from just above the elbow and up over his shoulder. 'Our company paid for full medical expenses, so he had an operation,' explained his coach, Kang Doh Kyung. [He] is the best player in StarCraft and has won everything in this field and is still going strong.' Repetitive strain had injured Mr Lee's muscles, deforming them and making surgery the only option to save his illustrious career."
How is it any less of a sport than, say, chasing a ball around on a field?
when i think of "sport" i think of athleticism. Swimming, baseball football
Competitive chess is a game not a sport IMO and video gaming would fall into the same category as chess.
not knocking the skill, just not sure sport is the right word
have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
I draw the line at mechanical ability. If video games required none, you or I could probably compete just as well as anyone else on the stage, but that's clearly not the case, especially if you've ever played some of these games. Just because these individuals have limited their athletic prowess to the hands does not put it in the same realm as chess even though it's closer to it than it is to rugby.
To further make the point, are bowling, golf, darts, billiards, or auto racing sports? None of them require much in the way of athleticism, yet they are all considered sports and have professionals who can make a living engaging in them. Which of those, if any, are also on the chopping block?
i mean thats cool and all...but button mashing is now a sport???
It's an e-sport. E-sport is a different word than 'sport' and it can mean something different.
"First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
I think (just as you indicate) most people really have no idea about the physical demands a Formula 1 driver has to endure. They have to be ridiculously fit. Most normal people would not stand simply riding along for a single lap at race conditions.
Now, since bowling, golf, dart and billiards *are* indeed classified as sports, I can't see why professional (and indeed, non-professional as well) gaming involving coordination, motor and thinking skills to a very high degree should be classified as anything but.
As far as I can tell, the only reason it's even a question in the first place is due to the stigma (yes) associated with computer games, from a historical perspective, as something non-serious.
Still waiting for that stigma to finally die the fuck out.