With the growing popularity of competitive gaming, some have questioned the legitimacy of e-sports. Lots of people, including athletes and late-night tv show hosts have questioned whether a term such as the word "sports" can really be used to describe something like online games. Is it fair to think about a person who is around a computer or gaming console all day an athlete? While most gamers would probably agree that someone who plays a game like Halo or Call of Duty professionally just isn't an athlete in the same way that someone who plays within the NFL is an athlete, but is it really that different?

On the surface, you could 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 several hours working to get within the best physical shape possible. They spend hours every week studying the playstyle of their upcoming opponent, keeping a lookout for any weakness that could provide them with an advantage. They've fought their way through the minor leagues of their particular sport to be considered among the best. Not just anyone can pick up a football, baseball, basketball, etc. and be a professional, there is a great deal of hard work, dedication, and sacrifice that goes into reaching that level. However, many of these things could also be said for professional gamers. Many gamers claim to are already playing games since they were young children, most beginning to pursue the competitive side of gaming within their early teens. They spend hours learning every element of their preferred game, learning aspects such as secret jumps, nade points, and different angles for sniping. They also 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've worked their way up from teams that can be often comprised of neighborhood friends or people they've met playing online, to better teams hoping that they'll be noticed by among the top players and receive the possibility to prove themselves. While millions of people all around the world play online games in some capacity, only a small percentage of those have the talent and dedication necessary to be considered a professional.

But traditional sports require teamwork. Athletes must work together in order to reach a common goal. Aside from a couple of single player esports titles, most games that are 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 esports bet information (simply click conani.gov.do), teams are comprised of players that will fill a given role. Much as with a sport like football in which you have some players whose job is to receive, while others are responsible for blocking for the quarterback, many team-based video games have similar roles. By way of 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 focus on getting kills. Also like in traditional sports, even though a player may have a primary role, the best players will be able to fill whatever role is necessary. This really is much like a football player who primarily plays defense, but must also be able to catch and run the ball if given the opportunity at an interception. As is the case with other sports, being the best team player is one of the greatest attributes a gamer may have. It will not really matter how good a player's shot is if they are not able to communicate to their teammates what they are seeing or help force players to spawn in a particular place so that you can capture a flag. How a person plays as part of a team might make or break their profession.

One of the main things people will argue is that athletes in traditional sports face a significantly greater risk of injury than professional gamers. While athletes are at an increased risk for injuries like broken bones, torn ligaments, concussions, etc., esports are not completely risk free. When you spend ten hours or maybe 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 aspects such as eye strain and carpal tunnel if 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 career ending.

Unlike most professional athletes, many professional gamers in addition have other responsibilities such as school and jobs. Gamers within the smaller electronic sports aren't typically under salary, so must typically rely on tournament winnings. Although making a name for yourself on platforms such as YouTube and Twitch can actually help supplement that income, many professional gamers must hold other jobs outside of gaming. It means that they must learn to balance gaming with work and might have to sacrifice time with family members to make sure 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 would have said no, but with esports continuing to gain popularity and becoming recognized as a far more legitimate industry, I am not so sure, especially with colleges such as the University of California in Irvine offering e-sports scholarships. In spite of whether e-sports will ever be considered within the same space as more traditional sports, the future definitely looks bright.