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*&#@..!
Really though?
Why? And people pay to watch some socially inept nerds to hit buttons to play a game?
3 million dollars prize money? ****ing mental!
Is it even a sport? I know you could argue the same about golf, darts or even, whisper it, riding a bike. But really? What a shitty example to set to kiss..... Sit in your room. Zock, zock, zock (German for playing video games : zocken).
And I saw on Red Bull that they're sponsoring this shite. What does this say to the younger generation?
Stay in your room and talk to your "friends" who exist for the most part online rather than going out trying to shag birds, get drunk or ride your bike /mates girlfriend.
As far as I'm concerned it's another nail in the coffin of society. A truly useless skill taken to another level.
**** this shit.
Stay in your room and talk to your “friends” who exist for the most part online rather
The irony of posting this on an Internet forum
The irony of posting this on an Internet forum
Yeah but yeah but.... I'm in the pub and drunk. Take that, nerd!
And people pay to watch some socially inept nerds to hit buttons to play a game?
Leaving aside the simplistic stereotype. What is the difference between watching someone play a video game vs someone play some other sport. You are on your arse watching someone do something anyway.
A truly useless skill taken to another level.
Whereas mountain biking is useful skill for most people? Or a 100m sprint?
Personally I wouldnt watch them but then again I find most sports boring to watch for more than a few mins anyway and my game playing tends to be in winter and sporadic when I buy some games in the sale and complete them but dont you think your arguments a bit could do with some polish?
First video game world championship was in 1983 apparently.
You are that generation!
Most sports and games are a collection of utterly useless skills. Who's ever watched pole vaulting and thought that was useful skill in modern society? Why doesn't Rachel Atherton spend her time "getting drunk and shagging birds" instead of training all the time? Who cares if David Beckham was good at taking free kicks, what use to society is that?
It's just meant as entertainment, and the prize money is just a reflection of its popularity. Shouting at people for having different hobbies and interests just makes you look a bit daft.
Can't wait for FIFA 20
Boardinbob comes back with some great Big Hitting!
Stay in your room and talk to your “friends” who exist for the most part online rather than going out trying to shag birds, get drunk or ride your bike /mates girlfriend.
Well I achieved all those as they're not mutual exclusive.
A lot of professions are daft when you stop and think about it. I wouldn’t single gaming out in particular. It’s harmless enough. I spent a couple of hours in bed last night playing BotW, the Switch is great. Strangely I also find time to ride my bike
Most sports and games are a collection of utterly useless skills.
Actually, the vast majority of human activities are a collection of utterly useless skills.
Eventually the Sun will expand and everything produced by mankind will disappear like it never existed.
Really, we should all just kill ourselves now and get it over with.
I think pro gaming and game streaming services like Twitch and Mixer are fine, they're just a form of entertainment. Obviously not everyone will find them entertaining but that's true of any form of entertainment (I do don't go to theatre opera or ballet, and cricket/golf/football/rugby/lots of other sports send me to sleep).
There is a potential issue though in that pro gaming does have an unusually low age demographic and requires a huge amount of time to be invested (a top pro gamer will likely spend 2-3x the amount of hours 'training' than someone like Chris Froome does).
I do watch Twitch streams myself, mostly for games I have or do play - once you know the game you can appreciate the crazy amount of skill some people have (I watched a bit of a the Fortnite world champs which this thread is presumably aimed at and tbh it mostly just confused the crap out of me, it boggles my mind the spatial awareness they have and the speed they can build and react to things - I don't play Fortnite though so was mostly just scratching my head as to what was going on).
Twitch streaming is very much a double-edged sword though, for a start only a tiny percentage of people make enough money from it to live off. Even the top streamers hate taking any holiday as they lose thousands of subs, it's an unhealthy way to earn a living in that regard. They'll also typically stream well in excess of 50 hours a week and it's not just playing games, they are talking virtually constantly (I have no idea how someone can talk for hours on end day in day out) and then when not streaming they're doing commercial stuff behind the scenes or improving the production quality of their streams. Hell they often can't even pick the games to stream that they actually enjoy playing, they have to stream what people enjoy watching. There's a lot of streamers that hate playing Fortnite but are forced to as it's the flavour of the month game and the best way to get viewers/subs.
Not sure what the minimum age for a Twitch streamer is but I'd agree it should be at least 16, it's not a healthy environment for a kid to be effectively working in. As for pro players that don't stream, as long as it doesn't mess with their education then it's not such a bad thing IMO but yeah it needs parents to closely monitor and take responsibility - I'm sure pro-gaming organisations likely have a lot of player welfare rules to.
I’d like to say that professional sport’s main aim is to get others out doing that sport to emulate them but is patently isn’t. Our national sport is watch by millions but the cast majority don’t kick a football personally from year to year. The main sponsors of most sporting teams or events ha e nothing to do with playing that sport - ie they are not sports equipment manufacturers but fizzy drink makers or betting firms (or flooring companies is cycling days of old - odd).
I find professional esports totally baffling - I’m guessing the majority of those that watch are of a similar demographic to those that play it and therefore maybe I’m not meant to get it and it is not marketed to appeal to me. Time will tell but it will be interesting to see if those watching now will ‘grow out of it’ or in a generation's time it will have as much relevance as a football World Cup final and the like.
going out trying to shag birds, get drunk or ride your bike /mates girlfriend.
Teen pregnancy the lowest since records began in 1969 .... some up side
I love gaming, I'm not into watching professional e-sports most of the time because it's not particularly my scene, but the scene does provide a great sense of community to a lot of kids and teens. These same kids and teens who have been consistently let down by the older generations destroying the planet, hoarding wealth, stripping opportunity away and then blaming them for all the world's ills.
Any escape like that where you can connect with like minded people who enjoy the same thing as you is important in this world.
Most sports are pointless to watch unless you know what's going on. Why's he hitting that red ball instead of the blue one that's near the pocket? Why doesn't he throw the oval ball thing forwards? Why are those cyclists not chasing the other ones?
Same with watching gaming. I don't, I wouldn't understand it, but I can appreciate others find it interesting and entertaining.
I have watched "pro" Zwift races though, and they make sense to me as a Zwift user and bike race fan.
Hasn't been much of a waste for sim racers who have become professional racing drivers?
I have watched “pro” Zwift races
How many levels meta is that? I've forgotten what colour pill I took...
I would just like to point out @Alpin, that you admit to watching people sew on TV as form of entertainment (i don't watch 'e-sports' btw).
What is the difference between watching someone play a video game vs someone play some other sport. You are on your arse watching someone do something anyway.
This is the answer.
While the OP seems to be posting from the 1970s, I think he has a kernel of a point - riding bikes, pole vaulting, even golf (maybe not darts) are all, y'know, physical exercise. Which is good for your health. The same can't be said of playing esports.
Obviously I agree there's no difference between watching one or t'other.
I would like to remind the group that while professional vaping exists, e-sports are pretty far from the ‘most ridiculous, participation/spectator sport’ imo
socially inept nerds
hi, socially inept nerd here.
you're a ****.
that is all.
riding bikes, pole vaulting, even golf (maybe not darts) are all, y’know, physical exercise. Which is good for your health. The same can’t be said of playing esports.
But people don't necessarily do sports to be healthy, but because they enjoy the fun of it. Or do sports such as shooting, darts, fishing, sailing, dressage etc etc not count as sports?
I'm mostly sure sports taken to the level that they are for professionals, are not necessarily that healthy.
This whole thing smacks of "I'm don't liking this thing I don't understand".
sports such as shooting, darts, fishing, sailing, dressage etc etc not count as sports?
Nope - a sport needs two things - you need get out of breath and you need a scoring system.
Scoring but no exertion competition. Exertion but no scoring - pastime. Exertion plus scoring system - sport
Not entirely sure how sailing doesn't count then TJ?
a sport needs two things – you need get out of breath and you need a scoring system.
You don't have to be out of breath for it to be considered a sport - you have to physically exert yourself. Where is the line drawn?
sport
/spɔːt/
noun
1.
an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.
sorry - sailing should. At top level you do need physical exertion - so competitive sailing would be a sport.
It was the 8 hours a day for 9 months practice that got me, and his Mother was all for it!
But i suppose doing something 8 hours a day for that length of time in any activity could be seen as a bit obsessive. Unless its going to work, then thats acceptable...
At top level you do need physical exertion
Shooting is considered a sport. Dressage is considered a sport. Darts is considered a sport. Fishing is considered sport.
Sport vs. pastime (vs. activity vs. hobby) is just semantics.
Given the obesity crisis / NHS spending so much treating avoidable diseases etc., it's just good for people to be out doing physical stuff. Obviously you can do both that and play video games (I do), but it's the balance that is important.
Actually most esports players I've seen (admittedly not many) look pretty healthy.
By who? None of those meet the dictionary definition as above.
But i suppose doing something 8 hours a day for that length of time in any activity could be seen as a bit obsessive. Unless its going to work, then thats acceptable…
Amen to that! I often think we treat free range chickens better than we treat ourselves, cooped up in offices for 8hrs+ a day...
The question of whether it counts as a sport is a straw man anyway. We can all pick out plenty of examples of non-athletic games and competitions that have been around a lot longer than computers.
The skill involved in pro gaming is probably not apparent without some understanding of the games in question, but the gap between a pro and a casual player is huge (the games where the gap is small don't tend to become successful).
In that sense it's really not that different from anything else. Athletic prowess is more obvious to a layman than skill at chess, but without knowledge of the sport/game it's harder to appreciate just how difficult it is to compete at the top level.
It was the 8 hours a day for 9 months practice that got me, and his Mother was all for it!
Yup,she will now be hoping that he can step back from all that sport and focus on being a top YouTuber,far more money in that for them the lad.
By who? None of those meet the dictionary definition as above.
Trying reading up about any of them and you might understand why they are considered sports. The dictionary definition (as I posted earlier) bears this out an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment. All of the sports listed involve skill and physical exertion. Agreed, none involve the levels of physical exertion of a TdF rider or a marathon runner, but exertion nonetheless. For example, have you ever tried landing a large fish? Say a 20lb carp. It can take many minutes (even hours) to land such a fish so there is a not inconsiderable amount of exertion required.
Gaming is the biggest entertainment industry by far. $150 billion on revenue forecast for this year.
And guess what happens when money is at stake and careers are short lived?
https://thenextweb.com/gaming/2019/05/01/esports-athletes-gym-training/
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/shortcuts/2018/oct/16/keep-fit-to-stay-in-gaming-esports
Etc.
Professional Internet Arguing is on the shortlist for the 2024 Olympics.
Professional Internet Arguing is on the shortlist for the 2024 Olympics
No it isn't.
No it isn’t.
That's not an argument.
Hitler.
I win!
socially inept nerds
To be fair, the OP may know what he (I assume) is taking about, being drunk in a pub yet taking 5 or so mins to type a bit of a rant on his phone. Whatever else was going on, this doesn't suggest a high level of social eptitude...
(I'll feel very bad for posting this if there's a sad story associated. Harsh doesn't come without risks.)
Hitler
Mornington Crescent!
I win.
Mornington Crescent!
That's because Corbyn is a terrorist.
...which brings us back to gaming. Arguing with a bot on the internet is one thing. I'm assuming in gaming the bot will always win? Like in chess, but not yet in pole vaulting?
Funny with these things - nobody says "I do it, I watch people play computer games because...."
Its always "Yeah, but erm football, other things nothing like the thing you're complaining about, those things are stupid too!"
Some people actually watch Gogglebox. I don't get that. And Love Island.
I don't know how else to argue about this subject.
Arguing with a bot on the internet is one thing. I’m assuming in gaming the bot will always win? Like in chess, but not yet in pole vaulting?
I dunno John ,it seems they have got the hang of backflips
Funny with these things – nobody says “I do it, I watch people play computer games because….”
I watch Rocket League tournaments from time to time. I'm not a big sports watcher, only downhill and football occasionally, but it's the most immediately exciting of the three. It's easy to follow and doesn't need arcane knowledge of weapon stats and level layouts. I also play the game and understand the technical ability on display - like football skills, they're doing things an amateur player is capable of from time to time but much quicker, more accurate and consistent.
There's also a couple of Hearthstone streamers I watch quite regularly, though often more as background noise than edge of my seat viewing. Again it's a game I play and enjoy myself, but I get to see the skill and insight of someone who plays full time, along with their commentary.
There are a lot of the cloned "high energy" 20-something streamers exploiting children, which I dislike as much as the rest of you. But there's also people here making a living from their skills as a presenter and entertainer. It's a new format that doesn't have a clear analogue in the TV we grew up with, but there's more to it than watching people play games.
Hasn’t been much of a waste for sim racers who have become professional racing drivers?
Or drone pilots for the military.
Why does going out and getting drunk have to be the barometer of a good time ?
It only counts as a sport if you have to change your shoes.
I occasionally watch twitch streams as you get some tips from them but like other sports watching is not as good as taking part.
It only counts as a sport if you have to change your shoes.
Swimming? 😉
Swimming?
You go swimming in your shoes? You're probably doing it wrong.
I understand where the OP is coming from, I used to look at my Son watching other people playing Minecraft on YT or whatever on Twich and I thought, "why on earth would anyone want to watch someone else do your hobby for you?" then went back to watching 50/1 videos on my phone.
As far as the entertainment industry is concerned competitive + entertaining = sport and if people will watch it, there's money to be made and there's a huge market. Frankly given the size of the gaming world compared to say football, $3m prize is probably insultingly low.
I understand how few kids who are gaming every waking hour, partly because they enjoy it, but partly because they want to be the next millionaire pro gamer, but it's not different to Gymnastics, Karting, Horse Riding, Swimming etc etc etc. The world is full of kids being ferried to training every day for something or other who'll never make a living from it. My Sister in Law was training 3 hours a day, 6 days a week, plus 2 hours a day in the car to get to this elite gym, by the time she was 20 her 'career' was over, she had little or no qualifications from school because she was completely devoted to Gymnastics. She's ended up coaching kids herself, makes a decent living out of it, but only because she went to the US, there's no money in coaching kids in the UK.
I guess one of the differences between kids gaming for countless hours with an ambition to become a pro and the equivalent in the physical sport world is that often there are coaches that act as gatekeepers to the next level. There is selection and scouts. There are rational adults a parent can consult who have seen it all before and can be consulted as to if this is a dead end to be done for the hell of it or is a genuine opportunity to reach a level worthy of the time it is taking and the other opportunities they are sacrificing to do it. To the average parent little Jimmy locked away in his room for hours a day could be the worst player to have ever held a game pad and totally delusional (or work avoiding) or golden thumbs for all they know.
You go swimming in your shoes? You’re probably doing it wrong
somebody wee'd in them
To the average parent little Jimmy locked away in his room for hours a day could be the worst player to have ever held a game pad and totally delusional (or work avoiding) or golden thumbs for all they know.
They could just ask for little Jimmy's gamertag and look on the leaderboards for his favourite game/league/whatever.
My son (11 yo) watches players online and also has a great time laughing and chatting with his mates playing Fortnite/Apex etc. Then when we tell him he's had enough, he goes in the garden and kicks his football around. It's just the current way kids interact and no amount of playing the Hovis theme will get them playing with a hoop and stick again. It's not unhealthy, at reasonable levels, just different (Gunz, 48 yo and massive Halo/Farcry fan).
<Something about physical fitness being beneficial to society here>
Bloody F1 drivers, all they do is sit in a chair turning a wheel. Totally not a sport.
And don't even get me started on cricket.. It's just not sport.
My son paid his way through university by streaming on Twitch. Saved me a ton of cash so I'm all for it and he got a first.
Pfft! I had a few firsts on Fortnite when I played it.
I watch people play board games.
On YouTube.
I'm doomed, aren't I?
I used to like watching Gamesmaster as a kid, but these days I can't be doing with watching other people play video games if I'm not in the room - the lag and visual limitations seem much more apparant.
But if other people like it, that's fine by me.
If you want to mix things up further then:
Bloody F1 pilots, all they do is sit in a chair turning a wheel. Totally not beneficial to society.
Yeah but yeah but…. I’m in the pub and drunk. Take that, nerd!
Sitting on your lonesome no doubt perusing stw
I totally get what you’re saying, apparently decent trigger happy skills on a computer are called for these days as proven by usa drone pilots
Plus if you were drunk then I v much doubt you could hold a phone
I mean what you drinking - Carona lol
Just fo a proper job of it and get 8 cans of that sweet tasting special brew 😉
Bloody F1 drivers, all they do is sit in a chair turning a wheel. Totally not a sport.
Even stranger Lando Norris actually streams on Twitch (although seems to play mostly PUBG rather than racing sims).
If you can comfortably drink beer whilst playing, it's a game, not a sport.
I play around 10 hours of counter strike each week, will spend several hours a week watching the pros play when the majors (trophy tournament's) are on, mostly for entertainment and appreciation of their skill levels, but also to improve my own game. I suck at fortnite though haha.