As the title says, chess is a sport. It requires strategy, is played worldwide, and is a competitive game. Those same principals can, and are - applied to video games. In my personal opinion, gaming takes much more mental prowess than say chess. You have to learn how your opponents play, you have to practice, and you have to understand the rules of each game - and how each game works. Unlike other sports, such as football, soccer, basketball, and etc. - gaming is not focused on one specific game. There are hundreds upon hundreds of individual games, all with completely different styles and methods of playing. From FPS' to RTS', both that are almost completely unalike - but they all go under the name of 'gaming'. Although some may not like it, and I am not sure why - gaming is now the most popular form of entertainment in the United States, going ahead of the movie and music industry. That's quite a feat to accomplish, and both the movie and music industry have been around for well over a decade - while gaming has only been around for around half of that. The difference between movies, television, and music - is that you aren't experiencing something that someone else is doing, but rather - you are the one interacting in a world where everyone is sharing the same experience with you. If we take all of this in, and add in the facts that there are formal teams, holding formal championships, and with monetary stakes and titles at hand, it would be absurd not to say that video games are a sport.
It's a virtual sport, perhaps not a physical sport. It requires just as much skill and mental focus. Gaming is incredibly competitive, just as much as any other sport. I guess it all just depends on what you want to make the definition of a sport. Does it have to involve physical movement?
If poker card games and chess both have the players sitting down and are considered sports, why not virtual gaming as well. There are two kinds of sports: one physical and one mental. There is no good reason to debunk virtual gaming as a sport, and I believe the participants of such virtual PvP events have the same mentality as physical athletes.
Because your doing something instead of watching tv which takes no skill. Playing video games teaches you how to do stuff like promblem solving or math or it teaches you the defination of words that other people wouldnt know . People just look at it the wrong way.. .. ..
It's a different category of sports.
Sure, sports like basketball or soccer requires skill and physical strength to play them, but what about table tennis or chess? Gaming is in a different category to these. Instead of comparing these two very different activities, we can look at the similarities. For starters, sports requires strategy, thought into each action, muscle memory, reflexes and reaction time, etc. Both activities require these. And to take into note that gaming is moving very quickly into Virtual Reality, which can put you into a world where you physically have to run, jump, crouch, reach and look at your surroundings in real life to achieve the same results in the game. This future is already here. Most of the arguments I can see here against this debate state things like "It's making us lazy" and "Sitting around watching a TV all day." Thees statements are very one sided, due to the fact that gaming is considered healthy for the brain, and can allow the development of our brain to increase. People are still active, but they can still play games. Gaming Shouldn't be considered a "physical" sport, but a "mental" sport. Sport is defined as an activity played competitively with set rules. The similarities between active sports and gaming is higher than most people think.Matthew .L, Nagle Catholic College.
Skills with Gaming
Some video games have a skill with hand-eye coordination, others prefer strategy, and some prefer sports on the different Wii consoles. So I say that, yes, video games are considered a sport in my opinion. To some people who think video gaming in not a sport, then try double-check it.
Are video games a sport
Video games are a sport. They involve mental focus, your playing against other people with your team. That is of course in e-sporting (electronic sporting) which is where a bunch of people gather up and play against each other. They contain the following types of games. Strategy, shooting, and fighting games. Most of you people are saying "Oh its not a sport it does not involve physical activity blah blah blah." news flash sports don't say in the definition they need to to involve physical activity or there not a sport. But not all video games are sports, but some are. Which means, you guessed it, video games are a sport
Video games take coordination as well.
Video gaming may not be considered a sport, mainly because people think of it as a way to slack off and become lazy. People think it has no good coming out of it, and nobody thinks that they are wrong. Video gaming may not be like real life sports, but it does take lots of spirit and fighting ability to become a call of duty player, as I am one. I spend 52 days on the X-Box a year, and it is very hard to control your microphone and controller at the same time... That's why Video Gaming is a sport.
A "public " sport
Video games should be a sport because any one can do it. It doesn't require training, it can be done anywhere and almost every single person has played a game if they're American. Plus it could be a sport for all ages. This should and will be done in time.
Performing well in video games requires skill.
Like all skill-based competition in society, video games have a sense of competitiveness that drives individuals to perform to their utmost ability. Not everyone can become an e-athlete and that title is reserved for those that put in the effort to train and dedicate themselves to their sport much like athletes in football, soccer, baseball, and other games that are commonly considered "sports".