What are Esports?
First I would like to clarify the correct spelling of the term esports. While often written incorrectly as “e-sports”, “eSports”, “Esports”, or as what is to me the most baffling misspelling of all: “e sports”, esports should be written simply as its sounds: “esports”. This due to the fact that esports is just a word. Esports don't need to feign legitimacy and be afforded recognition through an overly formalized and artificially developed spelling. Esports is a category of competitive activities in the same way that “motorsport” is. Imagine writing motorsport as motorSport. It’s just not right.
Ok, rant over. So what even are esports? Esports is a term used to refer broadly to competitive video game playing. Specific games are sometimes referred to “esports games”. While any game can be an esport, there are certain qualities that are often characteristic of the most popular and competitive games. These games are primarily player skill focused games that reward extreme mechanical proficiency, quick decision making, and team coordination and communication. Some examples of very esports oriented games are: League of Legends, Dota, Counterstrike, Rainbow Six, Starcraft, Overwatch, Rocket League, and a great number of assorted fighting games.
Ok, I'm just going to get this out of the way early. Yes, many esports players are socially awkward basement dwellers who subsist on chips and redbull. However there is a new focus on both physical and mental health, especially in professional esports. More than ever before, teams are now providing their players with resources to manage their health. And there are even streamers like “Healthy Gamer_GG” that are bringing attention to this seriously neglected aspect of staying competitive, and are creating resources so that amateur esports players can always keep their “mental” in check.
On a different note, often I hear people say things like “oh how can you watch other people play video games all day, you might as well just play them”. I find this perspective fascinating because often these are the very same people who will sit down in front of the tv and watch football for hours and hours, even when most of that content is taken up by advertising. Esports are normal. Just because online video games are a relatively recent technology, does not mean that you can judge them in a different context than the one that you judge every other competition in. If you don't like it just say that and move on, there is no reason for you to belittle an entire category of activity, as well as the people who partake in it just because it is something new and different.
Ok, rant over. For real this time. Esports are not just played by professionals, there are also amateur esports. Just as there is a sunday softball league at your church, there are small informal esports leagues and tournaments happening every day. You might tryout for a team that will participate in various tournaments like these and have weekly “scrims” or casual practice matches against other teams similar to how you might in a regular amateur sports team. Just as you might go the courts down the street and play some pickup basketball, there are “pugs” or “pickup games” that a game’s community will organize so that you don't have to commit to a team to play your esport at a reasonably high level.
This is just a basic explanation of some of what I think is important for a basic, informed, and open minded understanding of esports. I could go on forever about specific details related to a greater knowledge of esports, but the people who would like to see that are not my target audience. I just want to give people an idea of what esports really are, and to ask them to be open and to give esports the same respect that they afford to other forms of competition.
Ok, rant over. So what even are esports? Esports is a term used to refer broadly to competitive video game playing. Specific games are sometimes referred to “esports games”. While any game can be an esport, there are certain qualities that are often characteristic of the most popular and competitive games. These games are primarily player skill focused games that reward extreme mechanical proficiency, quick decision making, and team coordination and communication. Some examples of very esports oriented games are: League of Legends, Dota, Counterstrike, Rainbow Six, Starcraft, Overwatch, Rocket League, and a great number of assorted fighting games.
Ok, I'm just going to get this out of the way early. Yes, many esports players are socially awkward basement dwellers who subsist on chips and redbull. However there is a new focus on both physical and mental health, especially in professional esports. More than ever before, teams are now providing their players with resources to manage their health. And there are even streamers like “Healthy Gamer_GG” that are bringing attention to this seriously neglected aspect of staying competitive, and are creating resources so that amateur esports players can always keep their “mental” in check.
On a different note, often I hear people say things like “oh how can you watch other people play video games all day, you might as well just play them”. I find this perspective fascinating because often these are the very same people who will sit down in front of the tv and watch football for hours and hours, even when most of that content is taken up by advertising. Esports are normal. Just because online video games are a relatively recent technology, does not mean that you can judge them in a different context than the one that you judge every other competition in. If you don't like it just say that and move on, there is no reason for you to belittle an entire category of activity, as well as the people who partake in it just because it is something new and different.
Ok, rant over. For real this time. Esports are not just played by professionals, there are also amateur esports. Just as there is a sunday softball league at your church, there are small informal esports leagues and tournaments happening every day. You might tryout for a team that will participate in various tournaments like these and have weekly “scrims” or casual practice matches against other teams similar to how you might in a regular amateur sports team. Just as you might go the courts down the street and play some pickup basketball, there are “pugs” or “pickup games” that a game’s community will organize so that you don't have to commit to a team to play your esport at a reasonably high level.
This is just a basic explanation of some of what I think is important for a basic, informed, and open minded understanding of esports. I could go on forever about specific details related to a greater knowledge of esports, but the people who would like to see that are not my target audience. I just want to give people an idea of what esports really are, and to ask them to be open and to give esports the same respect that they afford to other forms of competition.