At first glance, electronic sports or eSports They are activities that do not require a large physical action as we are used to understanding sport from its physical aspect.
The question “are the eSports a sport?”, is part of the current debates related to .
What is considered sport?
The Royal Spanish Academy in its first meaning defines sport as “physical activity, exercised as a game or competition, the practice of which involves training and subjection to rules”; while the second meaning found says that sport is “recreation, pastime, pleasure, fun or physical exercise, usually outdoors.”
The definition of sport has been related to all forms of mild, moderate, vigorous, casual or organized physical activity with rules, which require motor actions in which competition is carried out and in all cases there are winners and losers.
What are the eSports?
The term electronic sports or eSportsrefers to video game competitions in which human players (humans vs. humans, non-humans vs. artificial intelligence) compete against each other using an electronic platform, and whose result depends on the skill of the players rather than chance.
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It is worth clarifying that not all video games are eSportssince in order to enter this category, the video game requires a structure that offers players a classification system and competitions that are monitored by regulatory entities.
From a global sector perspective, the eSports They are a reality of competition, performance, entertainment, social, economic and work (DEV, 2018; Hamari and Sjöblom, 2017; Stanton, 2015). Specifically, the eSports They are defined as the organized competitive play of video games. That is, a gamer (professional gamer eSports) compete individually or in teams against other players, depending on the video game, sitting in front of a computer screen, mobile phone or console monitor (e.g. Play Station). These competitions are played in person (at a common venue) or remotely (each from their own headquarters), and are broadcast through online platforms such as, for example, Twitch (Gerber, 2017).
It is true that the eSports They are activities that do not require a large physical action like athletics, for example. Perhaps it is this aspect that generates the most debate, and the most complicated to correspond from the eSports. However, in the first instance, the physical exercise involved in sports such as football or tennis seems different due to the energy expenditure they demand. The similarities of the eSports With other sports they are closer to those of a more mental nature, such as chess and Olympic shooting, which require physical preparation and are found in High Performance Centers.
From this perspective, the physical preparation necessary for eSports It has similarities with mental sports given the necessary resistance of professional players to endure the pace and duration of competitions, both physically (e.g., physical and mental exhaustion) and mentally (e.g., maintaining concentration). and cope with the stress of competition).
The eSports They also contain elements common to traditional sports (e.g., football, hockey and chess) from the mental aspect, traits that are relevant from applied psychology and its study:
- There is mainly mental performance, although to a lesser extent, also physical;
- Participation is organized and includes institutions that endorse it (e.g., clubs of eSports);
- there are regulated competitions (e.g. in league format during a season or cup between clubs);
- there are trainings (physical, psychological and technical-tactical);
- They are subject to rules; and
- They have a competitive nature.
Conclusion
According to the characteristics pertaining to physical activity, motor actions, rules and regulations, and also the social and psychological influence, we could conclude that eSports They should be considered a sport.
Playing certain video games and/or competing in eSports It can be a source of enjoyment, leisure and entertainment, as well as an excellent inclusive tool for promoting social relationships, physical activity and health. Achieve a better understanding of the human factors, dynamics and common challenges of traditional sports, video games and eSportscould help define and interpret esports and take advantage of the opportunities that arise from the similarities between traditional and esports.
The eSports They will continue to evolve, but “playing a video game” is not the same as participating in an electronic sport, since the competitive context is intrinsic to the term. eSports. For this reason, it is important to develop strategies where health and sports professionals are trained to implement alternative models of satisfaction of basic needs through eSports.
Bibliographic references:
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- García-Naveira, A., Jiménez, M., Teruel, B. and Suárez, A. (2018). Cognitive, psychological and personal benefits of using video games and eSports: a review. Journal of Psychology Applied to Sports and Physical Exercise, 3, E16, 1-14. https://doi. org/105093/rpadef2018a15
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- Royal Spanish Academy (RAE, 2021). Sport. Recovered from: https://dle.rae.es/?id=CFEFwiY