Don't care how many zomboids are watching other people play games on a competitive level, when already bots/AI/algorithms could outmatch the human player. See chess - best human players beaten before 2000 by an algorithm predicting the moves; the way more complicated Chinese Go also beat the best known human player with is AI ... ~ 2013.

To me e-sports (competitive games) much like chess/go or similar isn't a sport ... also disqualified are humans with prosthetics competing against humans with none. Same goes for trans people not competing in their original gender - which are known since recently ... "trans-women" swooping every record in women-sports competitions. Also borderline funny - women have their own chess league as they can't compete against men.

There is no thing as "sport" nowadays.

OK- that's a bit overkill. Sport exist but only in local communities. You race with your friends? It's sport. You play chess/tennis/darts/quake/starcraft whatever with other amateurs - it's sport.

All professional sports are bullshit. Same show as wrestling (except they at least are not trying to look serious). I won't call it sport when chess master is going to toilet during match to check possible moves on his iPhone. I won't call it sport when soccer team is going to loose because they were paid for loosing. Same with sportsmen on drugs (winner is the one that is on hardest to detect or semi legal drug - like all those asthmatics), star-craft/dota/lol/cs-go players on aderall and so on..

Of course not. What does this even have to do with sports? You just play a video game, while sitting in your chair. To be honest though, I would gladly recognize chess as a sport though. But games like csgo, lol, hearthstone, etc.? No, never! :/

that name is being used because "you only do this because you're ugly and stupid and dream about fame" was too long to say and too real to know

I think e-sport is a fancy name for video games 🙃

... so, it's better than sport 👀

Same goes for people thinking Chess is another kind of sport.

I think they are since they have many traits in common. Sadly esports combine pretty much everything I dislike about regular teamsports (big money schemes, entitled players, team worshipping, toxic fans and being mostly male-centered) without any of the things I like (health benefits, finding and transgressing body limits, focus on progression instead of just high-level play). It doesn't help that none of the games that developed into esport interest me in the first place.

Sigh That discussion eh .

Short answer , Yes it is a sport , and anyone who say that it isnt is wrong .

Long answer ... Im not in the mood for it .

Well is snooker or dart a sport then?

DigitalAthletesUnited XD

In my opinion, if something requires teamwork or/and is skill based and can be competitive, then sure is a sport.

Considering endurance and constant concentration are physical skills, and the fact that competitors learn tactics and train to become better, I think they deserve the title they already claim: eSport

Checking the etymology of the word, yes.
In the traditional sense, no.

I dont even understand esports. Thats the same if I go to a lan party and play games without winning money -.-

I think yes, they are.

Most people claiming that esports are nothing more than a bunch of nerds in front of a screen dont seem to realise that theres a lot of work, dedication and skills behind those esport players, something that many cannot even dream of ever realising.

NO. It's a joke pushed by nerds and geeks of the 21st century. It's not a sport; it is a subset of the entertainment industry and is disjoint with the set of sports, despite its silly name.

Sport is messy.

Long time ago it was enough to have sneakers to run marathon, plastic skis to race down the hill or bike to ride. And this atmosphere is still often present in low-league matches, where it's more about fun and less about money.

Now it's more about technology, money and drugs that can't be detected right now (and will be in x years, when they will invent more precise tests and current champions will be stripped down from medals) than pure sport, as people started to reach their condition limits. We won't start to run as fast as cheetah, so they try to invent better shoes that wil be more energy efficient which in turn will make it easier for runner to win. Plus look for someone who will be able to run 0,5s faster than previous champion.

So IMO stuff like Olympic or World League has less and less in common with sport. It's more of technology gloat. Sure, trained athlete will always run faster than amateur in the same way as I will (most probably) run faster than someone heavily obesite. But give 1st athlete sneakers for $5 and 2nd super-advanted running boots and see who will win.

And e-sport is sport like any other. If we can consider chess, snooker, bowling, or target shooting, why not shooting in imaginary enemies? But there is more to it, as there may be a point where e-sport will move into VR with some kind of fancy full moving set of VR. So when they won't sit and play but stand and run in special harness will it be at least officialy admited to be normal sport? Just because they're running and sweating without moving?

The difference between a "sport" and a "game" is clearly defined, it has to follow certain tennants, most are basic like involve a skill(eg driving a car, kicking a ball, typing keys on a keyboard real good). However what changes a game into a sport is a governing body, so for example Football has FIFA, darts has the PDC, Motorsport has FIA etc. It needs to have a set of rules as well, so if theres a set of cross platform, cross gaming universal rules(eg, no drug use, no use of cheaty mods etc), it qualifies.

Without knowing too much about e-sports, if it has a governing body, I'd say that it is a sport by definition yes as it probably covers the other criteria.

So with all these ideas, does that mean that PC Building Competitions are technically a sport too?

In all seriousness though, sport should be renamed to "Event which has tons of revenue and lots of viewers for a specific thing that is enjoyable to watch and/or play"

For me yes and no.
Esports have everything on the mental scale that makes sports sports - system, rules, patterns, knowledge, experience, reflexes, gamesense and concentration.
On the other hand it lacks the physical part which is also amiss in various other acceptedly sport-sports that have low-impact physical activity, like bowling, curling, darts, chess, pool.
I think it was just a bad choice of words to use sports in esports because sports traditionally still refer to the "chase the ball with a handful of other fools" type of activity, so it makes a weird connection in one's head. On the other hand, the simple word "sport" implies BILLIONS in revenue, so in the marketing standpoint Esport has the fresh, new, untapped market and the old market's profits in it's name, so it was logical that they started using it.

If ping pong and shooting are considered a sport then I don't see why esports wouldn't be.

They call them "athletes"... so maybe it's sports... (fml)

No, and I also don't consider chess a sport.
I could call someone an eggplant, and it doesn't make them an eggplant.

I enjoy watching some esport but not real life sport. I do not associate the two though other than in name. As a semi counter to the no argument, what if VR takes off properly and the games are played via a headset and hand controllers. Physical exertion is then required for basic movement at least.

you have been lectured, don't you dare to disagree! :O