With the growing popularity of competitive gaming, some have questioned the legitimacy of e-sports. Many individuals, 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 computer games. Is it fair to think about a person 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 within the same way that somebody who plays in the NFL is an athlete, but is it really that different?

On the surface, you can argue that the two are nowhere close to being similar. Athletes in traditional sports have been honing their skills since childhood and also 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 just about any weakness that can give them an advantage. They've fought their way over the minor leagues of their particular sport to be considered one of the best. Not only anyone can pick up a football, baseball, basketball, etc. and become a professional, there's a whole lot of hard-work, dedication, and sacrifice that goes into reaching that level. However, many of these things also can be said for professional gamers. Many gamers claim to happen to be playing online games since they were young kids, most beginning to pursue the competitive side of gaming in their early teens. They spend hours learning every facet 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 determine 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 will be 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 be given the possibility to prove themselves. While millions of folks all around the world play games in certain 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 to be able to reach a common goal. Apart from several 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 all played by teams of at least four players. In many esports, teams are comprised of players that will fill a given role. Much like in a sport like football in which you have some players whose job is to receive, whilst others will be accountable for blocking for the quarterback, many team-based games have similar roles. For 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. Also love in traditional sports, even though a player may have a primary role, the most effective players will be able to fill whatever role is necessary. This really 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 the best team player is one of the greatest attributes a gamer may have. It doesn't really matter how good a player's shot is if they're unable to communicate to their teammates what they're seeing or help force players to spawn in a specific place so that you can capture a flag. How someone 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 a greater risk for injuries like broken bones, torn ligaments, concussions, etc., electronic sports aren't completely risk free. Whenever 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 things like eye strain and carpal tunnel should the right precautions aren't taken. While it may not be totally fair to compare these seemingly minor injuries to those suffered by traditional athletes, they may still affect someone both in and out of game and could potentially be career ending.

Unlike most professional athletes, many professional gamers also have other responsibilities such as school and jobs. Gamers in the smaller electronic sports are not typically under salary, so must typically depend bet on esports; Highly recommended Online site, tournament winnings. Although making a name for yourself on platforms for example YouTube and Twitch will surely help supplement that income, many professional gamers must hold other jobs outside of gaming. Consequently they must learn to balance gaming with work and might have to sacrifice time with family and friends 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 more legitimate industry, I am not so sure, especially with colleges for example the University of California in Irvine offering esports scholarships. In spite of whether esports will ever be considered in the same space as more traditional sports, the future definitely looks bright.