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Should computer gaming be an olympic sport?

It is athletic enough?
e.g. compared to the least athletic alternatives (archery?)

If so, how do you decide which game?
How do you avoid commercial bias?

News report.

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Reply 1
Avatar for TajwarC
TajwarC
17
What's athletic about playing a game...Competitive yes, athletic, never.

Besides gaming already has it's own events, for example MLG
No and I play RTS' competitively...
No, gaming doesn't need to be bundled in with IRL sports.
No what planet are you on hahahaha and anyway archery requires physical strength and training to become the best at your game, video gaming does not...
Chess is a sport apparently. So is darts for ****s sake, you know, the sport for fat blokes who drink and eat crisps in a pub :facepalm: Such athletic prowess.
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by ChaoticButterfly
Chess is a sport apparently. So is darts for ****s sake, you know, the sport for fat blokes who drink and eat crisps in a pub :facepalm: Such athletic prowess.


Competitive video game playing is a sport too, but that doesn't mean it should be part of the Olympics. Two totally separate topics.
Original post by sean_james
No what planet are you on hahahaha and anyway archery requires physical strength and training to become the best at your game, video gaming does not...


It doesn't need strength training but obviously it requires lots of dexterity training and psychological training and knowledge-training.
No. It would degrade and demean a reputable and highly respected event.
Original post by Veggiechic6
No. It would degrade and demean a reputable and highly respected event.


Stop kidding yourself by thinking competitive gaming is a joke, it's very very very hard.
Original post by TheNoobishKnight
Stop kidding yourself by thinking competitive gaming is a joke, it's very very very hard.
Lol, I can't imagine how it could compare to the training that professional athletes have to go through in order to reach the standard required at the Olympics. Given the free time, anyone can sit on their bum and push buttons on a controller for hours at a time and become really good at a game.
Original post by Veggiechic6
Lol, I can't imagine how it could compare to the training that professional athletes have to go through in order to reach the standard required at the Olympics. Given the free time, anyone can sit on their bum and push buttons on a controller for hours at a time and become really good at a game.


Anyone can go to a gym and lift weights every other day and become pro-weightlifters...

Comeon, you're being ridiculous. I don't think you quite understand how much thought and practice is required to become world-class at a competitive game. And when I say practice I don't mean casual play of the video game, that will NEVER help you. You need to be analysing absolutely everything and always trying 100% for thousands of hours.
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by Veggiechic6
Lol, I can't imagine how it could compare to the training that professional athletes have to go through in order to reach the standard required at the Olympics. Given the free time, anyone can sit on their bum and push buttons on a controller for hours at a time and become really good at a game.


You can easily become rich by being a pro gamer, if it's so easy why don't you do it? Some people train 10+ hours a day. You wouldn't last a second in a counter strike world tourney even if you spent as long as some of the athletes combined.

There is a difference between being really good vs mastery.

Why do you have such low thoughts of pro gaming?
Reply 13
Avatar for Wattsy
Wattsy
19
I've been an archery athlete! It's not all that taxing but you do need arm strength, endurance a reasonable core and solid balance to be elite. You need none of these physical attributes to be good at computer gaming. It's all mental whereas archery is only mostly mental. This is why I'd say no.
Reply 14
Avatar for Dylann
Dylann
21
Hell yeah, it would be much better than watching synchronised ****ing swimming or horse riding
Reply 15
Avatar for samba
samba
6
Original post by Veggiechic6
Lol, I can't imagine how it could compare to the training that professional athletes have to go through in order to reach the standard required at the Olympics. Given the free time, anyone can sit on their bum and push buttons on a controller for hours at a time and become really good at a game.


Given the monetary prizes for gaming are higher than for most of these 'sports,' you're likely wrong :smile: They also fill stadiums in some parts of the world, the commercial impact is massive. But yea, feel free to grab yourself a controller and become less ignorant :smile:

ps: http://nypost.com/2014/10/20/40000-pack-stadium-to-watch-people-play-video-games/
(edited 9 years ago)
Veggiechic6 has obviously never played Hardcore TDM on Modern Warfare 2.

But no, it shouldn't be an Olympic sport. Olympic sports are generally events that take many forms of physical prowess into account, computer gaming is a very different kettle of fish.
Original post by TorpidPhil
Anyone can go to a gym and lift weights every other day and become pro-weightlifters...

Comeon, you're being ridiculous. I don't think you quite understand how much thought and practice is required to become world-class at a competitive game. And when I say practice I don't mean casual play of the video game, that will NEVER help you. You need to be analysing absolutely everything and always trying 100%.
Yes of course, anyone can become an Olympian if they practise every other day. Practise is all it takes, that's why we have thousands of people who are all elite in their sport enough to represent their entire country. What utter rubbish! And exactly which computer games are we talking about here? What would be classed as the equivalent of today's 'Olympic' standard?
Come on guys, I like to play a video game every now and then but seriously it isn't a sport. I don't even understand how something like that can be considered competitive? I mean, what?
Original post by Veggiechic6
Yes of course, anyone can become an Olympian if they practise every other day. Practise is all it takes, that's why we have thousands of people who are all elite in their sport enough to represent their entire country. What utter rubbish! And exactly which computer games are we talking about here? What would be classed as the equivalent of today's 'Olympic' standard?


Starcraft 2 is huge at the moment.

And my point is everything you say about Olympic sports applies to world-class play of video games and not even the video games that earn you thousands too. I would know as I've played (still play) two RTS' at world class standard. My statement about going to the gym every other day to become a pro-lifter was a satire of what you said about pro-gaming. I weightlift and I'm a pro-gamer so I would know that becoming the best weightlifter or the best gamer are not things that everyone is capable of regardless of how much they practice.

The experience of playing competitive video games is nothing at all like the experience of the vast majority of your "average gamers". Sitting down playing COD for the night is not what we're talking about here lol...
(edited 9 years ago)

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