When one hears the word sports, they would usually think of physical activity, or exercise. Video games are now referred to as E-Sports, even though they have no connection to physical activity or exercise. Video games should not be considered sports because they do not match the definition of a sport, and people do not need to be athletes to play video games. If this is true, then why should they be considered a sport?
The Oxford Dictionary describes a sport as an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.Although video games do require a lot of skill and strategy, they don’t require any physical exertion. This means that video games do not match the definition of a sport. Sports consist of athletes, and athletes need to be in good shape and proficient in some type of physical exercise. However, for video games, people only need to be able to work the controls, not be in good shape or proficient in a physical exercise. Yes, video games do have the team component of sports, but that does not mean they are sports. There are many other groups that could be known as teams. For example, bands could be called teams, as well as a group of doctors performing surgery. No one would classify either of these activities as a sport. This would be the same case for video games. Also, injuries do not occur often in video games, while on the contrary, sports have very high chances of injury as a result of the physical rigor required to participate (average 20.4%). Lastly, one might say that since video games require a lot of training, they should be classified as a sport. But, almost every skill requires training, so people cannot just classify any skill as a sport.
Should Video Games Be Considered a Sport?
Matthew E.