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Mara Surez
CAS137H
Prof. Ben Henderson
Oct. 27, 2015
Electronic Sports
Unless youre interested in video games, you probably dont
know what the term eSports is. This is the shortened term for a sport
that uses electronics like computers. Someone like me, who does not
play video games, had no idea that this was actually a thing until
someone who was interested in the subject told me. Every day modern
technology changes the meaning of something. Its a powerful branch
of knowledge that allows for some change in every subject, even in
sports. Since the late 2000s and early 2010s there has been a
noticeable rise of popularity in what is known as eSports or electronic
sports. You might also hear them referred as Internet sports. You would
be surprised how much the meaning of what is considered a sport has
changed due to the advances of modern technology.
Competitive gaming has existed almost as long as video games
themselves. Competitions like these starts as friends trying to best
each other ranks but soon turned into organized competition Atari, a
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pioneer in the video game and arcade industry, hosted the first video
game competition tournament in 1980s. Tournaments like these where
the beginning for eSports. Around the 1990s when the rise of PC
gaming bloomed, came the first truly eSport competition. Red
Annihilation tournament in 1997 is widely considered to have been the
first real instance of eSports, drawing over 2,000 participants. But
eSports truly started to come into their own during the turn of the
millennium with the rise of popular tournaments and games that make
up the backbone of what is eSport. The more people play games, the
potential fans for eSports rows. The more the games advance, the
more the fan experience improves further growing its trend making it a
shift that is still happening today.
There are so many names for this phenomenon. It could be
referred to as professional gaming or competitive video gaming, but
the definition is the same. An article in The Conversation says that
eSports describes eSports as a type of video game competition where
professional players battle for the highest rank and the top prize.
(Redmund). Esports have become so popular that they fill
entire arenas and have ten of millions of dollars in prize money.
Accredited companies like Coca-Cola, Red Bull and others are
recognizing the rise of Internet sports popularity and sponsor them.
Just like normal sports have different categories, like basketball and
football, eSports has different categories that include real-time
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strategy, first-person shooter, multiplayer online battle arena, sports
and fighting games. When it comes to eSport, the most popular
category is multiplayer online battle arena, also referred as MOBA. This
includes games like League of Legends and Smite.
With thousands of gamers and millions watching, eSports have
become a real deal. According to BBC magazine, competitive gaming
isnt a new phenomenon. It has been around since 1970s but it wasnt
until the late 2000s and early 2010s that viewers and fan spectatorship
grew therefore changing the meaning of what it is to be a gamer. (Dirs)
The truth is that according to the Newzoo Global Sport eSport Audience
model, 53% of eSports enthusiasts have full-time jobs compared to
37% of the normal population. (15,Newzoo) No longer does the public
see a video gamer as this person who remains in their parents
basement doing nothing with their lives. Now theyre becoming
internationally recognized and awarded professional athletes.
Less than a decade ago, it was almost impossible for the country
to host an international eSport tournament because foreign players
were unable to obtain visas but in 2013 that changed. In an article in
Forbes magazine, they addressed in a news article how the U.S
government now recognized eSport players, as professional athletes
enabling foreign gamers are able to apply for US P-1 visas. (Tassi)

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Although, the idea about whether this means that eSports players are
actually professional athletes or not is still a popular topic for debate.
The debate about whether eSport is just a competition or a sport
has been going on for quite a while. A decade ago, it would have just
been considered just a competition. But now with its growing
popularity in prize money, viewership, sponsorships, and the number
of accredited industries that support it, it is being considered more and
more as a sport. The Oxford English dictionary states that sport is an
activity requiring physical extension and skill in which an individual or
team competes against another or others for entertainment. This term
has evolved from its meaning. But it is still a work in progress because
not everyone thinks the same. John Skipper, the president of ESPN, a
highly accredited sport-broadcasting network, in an article from The
New Yorker states that eSports are not a real sport, just a competition.
But USA Today Sports magazine states how his rationale could have
been held up 15 years ago, but now there are eSports that mirror
sports. (Schwartz) Dismissing eSports now could be wrong because just
like traditional sports they are presented in this structure with rules
and dedicated players. Both sports and eSports require skill, practice,
dedication, teamwork and strategy. One is more the province of the
body and the other that of the mind, but even eSport players
physically train their arms and hands to move faster.

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According to the outline media outlet, Engadget, eSports is a
rapidly booming industry due to a new platform that allows you to view
this games, business models and then what is known as Geek Pride.
Online streaming sites like Twitch make it accessible and easy for a
viewer or player to use. Twitch is a free online streaming site where
audiences see professional players compete with each other almost
every day. This is similar to a normal game that occurs in sports. The
viewer doesnt need any particular skills to participate in it. He just
needs a PC, Internet connection, and the interest to do so. Platforms
like these have broken the walls of gaming experience. It not only
allows you to view these games but it allows the audience interact and
participate with it making a win-win situation for both viewer,
streaming site, and professional players. Professional players and the
streaming sites get their income from sponsors and advertisements.
Sites like Twitch have raised awareness of eSports that in turn
has attracted huge brands to make more investments. An important
factor that has produced eSports popularity is that geek and nerd are
no longer accepted as derogatory terms. They have become
mainstream due to social media, pop-culture and entertainment. With
the popularity of Greek Pride, people who are intelligent and
demonstrate skills in the virtual space eagerly find ways to promote
their passions; eSports have become a way for them to show this
(Conditt).
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There are a couple of valuable qualities about eSports. Since
competitive gaming is mostly about strategy, a person who develops
its skill learns how to use their brain in a better way. Although, there
are individual games, this sport is mostly a team sport. Therefore, it
teaches the players how to work together. A negative quality could be
that most can see is that they are still video games. The idea of
someone playing video games all day isnt exactly the most favorable
career or even way to spend your day. Mostly its people from older
decades that think this way and its understandable because they are a
different generation.
Electronic sports are the sport of the modern generation.
Contrary to popular belief, these video games require rigorous training
and skill that become incredibly stressful for the players. This attracts
millions of dedicated fans to fill up huge arenas, which attracts brand
names like Red Bull and Coca-Cola to advertise and sponsor these
games or players. The definition of a sport is changing by the minute.
There is still debate about it but in my opinion eSports should get the
respect it deserved because it is not an easy activity. Like how football
began by just two people throwing a ball and evolved into this highly
respected sports, with eSports growing popularity, it has the high
chance to do so too.

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Work Cited:
1. Conditt, Jessica. "Pro Gaming Doesn't Need Balls to Be Considered a 'sport'"
Engadget. N.p., 21 May 2015. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.
2. Dirs, Ben. "Is Computer Gaming Really a Sport?" BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 29
Oct. 2015.
3. Edwards, Tyler F.M. "ESports: A Brief History | Gaming | ADANAI." Web log post.
ADANAI. N.p., 30 Apr. 2013. Web. 29 Oct. 2015
4. McGrath, Ben. "Good Game." The New Yorker. N.p., 17 Nov. 2014. Web. 02
May 2016.
5. Newzoo. "The ESports Economy: Trends, Audience & Revenue Towards 2017."
The ESports Economy: Trends, Audience & Revenue Towards 2017. SlideShare,
9 Feb. 2015. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.
6. Pat, Mat. "Game Theory: Why ESPN Is WRONG about ESports." YouTube.
YouTube, 17 July 2015. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.
7. Redmund, Jason. "Just How Big Has ESports Become?" The Conversation. N.p.,
25 Aug. 2015. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.
8. Shawrtz, Nick. "ESPN's President Says That ESports Are Not 'real Sports,' and
He's Wrong." For The Win. USA Today, 06 Sept. 2014. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.
9. "The World." : Of E-Sports (Pros and Cons). N.p., 29 June 2013. Web. 29 Oct.
2015.

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Tassi, Paul. "The U.S. Now Recognizes ESports Players As Professional Athletes."
Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 14 July 2013. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.

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