Should Video Gaming be considered a Sport?

This essay debates whether video gaming should be considered as a sport or not, discussing the arguments for and against. It explores the popularity of video gaming, the existence of gaming tournaments with prize money, the competitive nature of video gaming, and the need for practice to become a professional gamer. On the other hand, it also considers the lack of fixed rules in video games and the concerns about addiction and negative effects on children's development.

Running head: SHOULD VIDEO GAMING BE CONSIDERED A SPORT?
Should Video Gaming be considered a Sport?
Name of the Student
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Author Note

1SHOULD VIDEO GAMING BE CONSIDERED A SPORT ?
Video games are something that almost all individuals love to play. Whether it is
computer games or hand held gaming consoles or a PlayStation, it does not matter to a true
gamer. He/she will play the game no matter what kind of consoles he/she finds it in. Video
games is a pleasure for many people as it takes them to a virtual world where they themselves
are the king of their own decisions. There are no problems or tensions in that virtual world.
Despite this however, some people condemn video games that they ruin children’s minds due
to their excessive violence or content not suitable for everyone. Nowadays, however, there
are demands of turning video gaming into an official sport, although this demand also has its
supporters and opposition.
The purpose of this essay is to make a debate on whether video gaming should be
considered as a sport or not.
The concept of video gaming is not new. People indulge themselves in playing video
games since the times the games were introduced. People love playing video games because
it gives a means to escape the daily boringness of their lives. When a person starts playing a
video game, it takes them to a world where they can control their own destinies. Whether it is
an action game or strategy game or a horror game or a MMORPG, a pro gamer would find
interest in any sort of game. However, now there are increasing demands for video gaming to
be turned into an official sport. Gamers are claiming that since there are gaming tournaments
held in major cities as well as gaming parlours, therefore video gaming is a sport in itself and
hence it should be given the status of a sport (Dos Santos, 233). However, there are also
oppositions to this claim, the ones to oppose this idea claims that video games should not be
considered as a sport as then children will start getting addicted to the games and that will
ruin their development.

2SHOULD VIDEO GAMING BE CONSIDERED A SPORT ?
However, there are various factors that prove video gaming should be considered as a
sport. One of the reasons is popular mass multiplayer role playing games (MMORPG) like
League of Legends have been creating gaming tournaments in major cities with prize money
which can count to $1 million for their national League of Legends tournament. Similarly,
games like Do Ta 2 and others like Overwatch, World of Warcraft and Counter Strike have
been organizing tournaments with similar prizes (Crawford 172). Since all these are being
done legally, then there should not be any problem in declaring video gaming as an official
sport. If they are made into an official sport, then it will also earn more profit for the
companies that make them as that would mean more people investing in these games. There
are other reasons why video gaming should be considered as a sport. This is because it is
extremely competitive like any other sport. This point is supported by the fact in video game
tournaments, where gamers compete against each other to win the first prize. As stated by
Bourgonjon (1032), video gaming should also be a sport as they require effort and strategy
just like any other sport. It is by applying strategies, the gamers are able to get out of a tough
situation whether it is being cornered by terrorists or solving a puzzle. Last but not the least,
video gaming should be considered a sport because it requires a lot of practice and only then
can a gamer become a pro at video gaming. Not everyone can become a pro. This is also like
any other sport where only a handful of players become well known to the world. Therefore,
these points prove the fact that video gaming should be considered a sport.
Similarly, there are also claims which oppose the claim of video games as a sport.
One of such reasons to oppose the idea is the fact that video games do not have any particular
set of rules to play and as such, they cannot be compared or considered to be a form of sport.
As stated by Johnson (433), these claims are also true as one plays video games according to
their own choices. There are no fixed rules that a person needs to follow in such games.
Hence the causes of the opposition to the idea. Apart from that, there are several other

3SHOULD VIDEO GAMING BE CONSIDERED A SPORT ?
reasons that oppose the concept of video gaming as a sport. Another reason for such
opposition is the fact that since video gaming is an indoor activity, it is not a sport as then
other indoor sports like chess and carrom should also need to be considered as sports. Other
reasons to consider why video gaming is not a sport is the fact that many parents are of the
opinion that video gaming ruins their children’s development. Therefore, if it is considered to
be a sport, then their children would spend more time in playing the video games which will
further hinder their development and make them addicted to video games. There are also
studies that says video games make kids and teenagers more violent as they become
aggressive and violent by seeing the excessive violence in the video games. All of these facts
point out the reason why some people oppose the claims of the gamers that video gaming
should be considered as a sport in itself (Seth, 10).
Thus, the above debate states that although there are plus points that prove video
gaming is a sport in itself, there are also other factors that prove at the same time that video
games should not be considered as a sport. However, sport or not, it is undeniable that video
gaming is an excellent way of spending one’s leisure time as such games makes an individual
forget about his daily problems as such games takes them to a world free of real world
problems. Therefore, it is true that playing video games is indeed as an excellent way of
spending one’s leisure time although one should not become addicted to it.

4SHOULD VIDEO GAMING BE CONSIDERED A SPORT ?
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5SHOULD VIDEO GAMING BE CONSIDERED A SPORT ?
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