E-sports: It’s just a game

By Declan Fee
BlueDevilHUB.com Staff––
Video games have become increasingly common in teenagers’ lives, and as that happens, more and more teens are vouching for their validity as sports. Trying to justify their time spent on the couch as worthwhile, these enthusiasts are viewing their hobby as “e-sports”.

But e-sports not sports.

Simply put, video games do not meet the definition of what sports are. According to the Oxford Dictionary, a sport is “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.”

Physical exertion. If you can play a game from the couch, it is just that: a game. But it’s not a sport.

While video games require skill, it is very hard to say that they involve any physical exertion because they are usually played from a prolonged sitting position.

According to Harvard Health, “gaming is also associated with obesity in teens and, plausibly, the same would be shown in adults, if studied. This is due to the obvious phenomenon that if a teen is sitting in front of a screen for hours every day, he or she isn’t getting much exercise.”

The definition also states that a sport involves competing “against another or others for entertainment.” Video games often involve competing against others — but not always; often you’re just trying to beat “the game.” And even if a gamer is playing against others, does it really count as a sport if you’re not actually in the same place as your adversary (or teammates, for that matter)?

To be fair, there is a place and time for video games. Video game development is a unique form of art, just like writing books, painting, and filmmaking, and the field can offer unique job opportunities to those interested. Suggesting that video games are not sports is not to suggest that they are not a worthwhile pursuit; it’s just to say that we shouldn’t classify them as sports.

Gaming can be a positive way to spend time with friends and to enjoy a break from the stresses of work, school, or daily life in general, but only when incorporated into a healthy lifestyle. Harvard Health also states that “Most of the harms that come from gaming can be improved, if not avoided altogether, by limiting the number of hours spent in front of the screen, and by engaging in healthy activities like exercising, or socializing in the real world instead of the virtual game world.”

In other words, go ahead and play video games. But do so in a way that doesn’t get in the way of other activities that are productive, and that help to lead a healthy lifestyle — like sports.