Free Post - Why eSports Are Still Sports

          Recently, eSports have taken the world by storm. With the growing popularity of competitive, online video games, eSports were formed to create a global community and following of these games and their players. eSports covers almost any major online game, and it has grown tremendously with more game developers making games that might one day enter the professional scene. With this in mind, I shall enter my argument for this psot: eSports are sports.
          Many people easily contract the extraneous impression that video games are considered simple,  non-intensive, casual pasttimes; however, gaming can become more than just a hobby. Professional gamers dedicate their entire lives to (usually) one game (or game series). They train usually a minimum of 8 hours a day, and require a stable physical and mental state to insure that they are at peak performance in every match. To me, all this sounds like a type of sport. It requires commitment, dedication, and passion to play this sport competitively and well. However, many people I know would argue against my opinion. They would argue: "It's not physical," or "It doesn't require as much skill." I completely disagree with both of these. Pro players need to be in good physical condition, otherwise their bodies become weak and they don't consistently have as much energy. Not only this, but as with race car drivers, the human body needs to be trained to sit in a certain position for an extended period of time. As for the latter counter-argument stated above, gaming requires just as much hand-eye coordination and mental focus as any other sport, if not more. Players must always be focused, usually on multiple things at once, and are required to act and think properly and fast. Unlike other sports, instinct is not always your best choice, as it is hard to train your instincts to do certain things when almost every situation can be very different. With this evidence plus the existence of large organizations of gaming known as eSports, I can firmly make my statement that gaming is indeed a sport at most levels.