Should video games be considered a sport? As video games and social media get more and more popular, the presence of video games grows larger, and questions like this get more and more common, heated, and complicated. This has been a very controversial topic and is complicated mostly because of one reason: the definition of a sport is different for everyone.
According to the Oxford Dictionary, a sport is "An activity involving physical exertion and skill, esp. (particularly in modern use) one regulated by set rules or customs in which an individual or team competes against another or others". I think that this definition fits pretty well activities many people would consider sports. However, not many people would consider that video games involve much physical exertion, so it would be safe to say that the Oxford Dictionary's definition of a sport does not consider video games as a sport.
Contrasting to definition provided by the Oxford Dictionary, Urban Dictionary has multiple contrasting definitions. Now the reason why I used Urban Dictionary is because anyone can create a definition here, meaning I have access to what everyday people think of the word sport. For example, "TripleJumpr1.3" says that a sport is: "any activity that one can practice, AND compete in with others on different levels (eg. by class, district, state, national, etc)." TripleJumpr1.3's definition fits video games, since, you CAN practice video games, and you can also compete with others on different levels. The last part of that definition is especially strong for the argument that video games are sports, since many video games are ranked, putting people against those with similar skill levels. However, some others on Urban Dictionary have definitions that would not include video games as a sport. According to "Brendon Ferguson" on Urban Dictionary, "A sport requires direct concurrent competition with another team or individual in an activity requiring cardiovascular effort", which I think is just too specific. I this definition would rule out track, powerlifting, among many others that people would consider sports because they don't have "direct concurrent competition", or "cardiovascular effort".
So how about we switch back to a more reputable and credible source? According to Merriam-Webster, a sport is: "physical activity engaged in for pleasure" or "a particular activity (such as an athletic game) so engaged in". Video games definitely fit the second definition, being an activity than can be engaged in, and it could be argued that video games also fit the first definition, however pressing a button and sliding a mouse around does not count as physical activity in my opinion.
To answer the question of if video games are sports, my answer is that it is no, but I would encourage everyone to always think for themselves and decide. You should never allow someone's opinion negatively affect you, and that is why it is important to remember that everyone has different opinions, and to also respect those opinions.
- Jason
References:
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sport&defid=2706230 (Warning: I couldn't link the specific definitions, so I used this link, which has some non-school appropriate definitions)
https://www.oed.com/viewdictionaryentry/Entry/187476
I agree with your conclusion, and I find your points to be well supported. However, I think the issue is more complicated than that, especially because engineers and game designers have tried to incorporate the physical aspect of sports into video games through the use of motion controls and virtual reality.
ReplyDeleteI liked what you said in your conclusion. In my opinion, don't think video games are sports. You aren't doing much when you're playing any type of video game.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you used 2 definitions of sports and showed how video games could or could not fit in the definition. As a person who has played both I would agree they are both distinct activities that you would not associate one to the other, but as people change they might not be that different. There might be a time where we live in technology so social constructs could change.
ReplyDeleteI like how you used multiple definitions of sports and mentioned how video games would fit into each definition. Personally, I don't think video games are a sport but this can get complicated when you begin looking into things like virtual reality, because that can involve a lot of physical movement. For example, the game Beat Sabre on the Oculus Quest. That game would be considered a sport using most of the definitions you mentioned.
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