With the growing popularity of competitive gaming, some have questioned the legitimacy of e-sports. Lots of people, including athletes and late-night talk show hosts have questioned whether a term including the word "sports" can really be used to describe something like video games. Is it fair to consider someone who sits at a computer or gaming console all day an athlete? While most gamers would probably agree that somebody who plays a game like Halo or Call of Duty professionally is not an athlete in the same way in which somebody who plays in the NFL is an athlete, but is it really that different?

gamble on esports (linked web page) the surface, you can argue that the 2 are nowhere close to being similar. Athletes in traditional sports are already honing their skills since childhood and have put in many hours working to get in the best physical shape possible. They spend hours every week studying the playstyle of their upcoming opponent, keeping a lookout for any weakness that can give them an advantage. They've fought their way through the minor leagues of their particular sport to be considered one of the best. Not just anybody can pick up a football, baseball, basketball, etc. and be a professional, there's a lot of hard-work, dedication, and sacrifice that goes into reaching that level. On the contrary, many of these things could also be said for professional gamers. Many gamers claim to happen to be playing games since they were young kids, most beginning to pursue the competitive side of gaming within their early teens. They spend hours learning every component of their preferred game, learning things such as secret jumps, nade points, and different angles for sniping. They additionally review film and watch streams of other players and teams to find out what they do in certain scenarios so they can be better equipped to counter that strategy. They have worked their way up from teams that are often comprised of neighborhood friends or people they've met playing online, to better teams hoping that they will be noticed by among the top players and receive the chance to prove themselves. While millions of men and women all over the world play video games in certain capacity, only a small portion of those have the talent and dedication required to be considered a professional.

But traditional sports require teamwork. Athletes must work together in order to reach a common goal. Aside from a few single player esports titles, most games that will be played on the competitive level are team-based. Call of Duty, Halo, Counter Strike, League of Legends, Dota, Overwatch, etc. are generally played by teams of at least four players. In lots of e-sports, teams are comprised of players who can fill a given role. Much like in a sport like football the place you have some players whose job is to receive, whilst some will be accountable for blocking for the quarterback, many team-based online games have similar roles. As an example, in a game like Halo you could have one player whose primary role is to go for the objective, while another player may mostly concentrate on getting kills. As well like in traditional sports, even though a player may have a primary role, the most effective players are able to fill what ever role is necessary. This is similar to a football player who primarily plays defense, but should also be able to catch and run the ball if given the opportunity at an interception. As is the case with other sports, being a good team player is one of the greatest attributes a gamer can have. It does not really matter how good a player's shot is if they are unable to communicate to their teammates what they are seeing or help force players to spawn in the specific place so that you can capture a flag. How a person plays as part of a team may make or break their career.

One of the main things people will argue is that athletes in traditional sports face a lot greater risk of injury than professional gamers. While athletes are at a larger risk for injuries like broken bones, torn ligaments, concussions, etc., e-sports are not completely risk free. When you spend ten hours or more of your day staring at a gaming monitor and rapidly tapping buttons on a controller or pressing keys on a computer keyboard, there is a risk for things such as eye strain and carpal tunnel should the right precautions are not taken. While it may not be totally fair to compare these seemingly minor injuries to those suffered by traditional athletes, they may still affect a person both in and out of game and could potentially be profession ending.

Unlike most professional athletes, many professional gamers in addition have other responsibilities such as school and jobs. Gamers in the smaller electronic sports aren't typically under salary, so must typically depend on tournament winnings. Although making a name for yourself on platforms such as YouTube and Twitch can definitely help supplement that income, many professional gamers must hold other jobs outside of gaming. Therefore they must learn to balance gaming with work and might have to sacrifice time with friends and family to make certain they can be up to speed with the competition.

Is it possible that one day there will be Little League gaming teams or that kids will say they want to be the next Walshy or Ogre 2 rather than wanting to be the next Peyton Manning or Michael Jordan? Not long ago I might have said no, but with esports continuing to gain popularity and becoming recognized as a far more legitimate industry, I'm not so sure, especially with colleges for example the University of California in Irvine offering e-sports scholarships. Regardless of whether e-sports will ever be considered within the same space as more traditional sports, the future definitely looks bright.