E-sports, also known as B次元官网网址渕ultiplayer video games played competitively for spectators, typically by professional gamers,B次元官网网址� came under fire after ESPN aired Dota2, which irked ESPN fans worldwide.

Many of those individuals argued that E-sports do not count as a sport, as they donB次元官网网址檛 follow the definition of the word. Others claimed E-sports donB次元官网网址檛 require the physical or mental prowess of typical sports, such as soccer or chess, and donB次元官网网址檛 qualify as sports.

According to the Oxford Dictionary, a sport is B次元官网网址渁n activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.B次元官网网址� This definition would make video games qualify, as many require extremely high dexterity and fast thinking to play at a high level, such as the Super Smash Brothers series. Many E-sports have teams or groups, such as EHOME and Evil Geniuses in Dota2, and playing video games is usually done for entertainment.

While most E-sports donB次元官网网址檛 require the physique of a bodybuilder, nor the mental ability of a chess player, E-sports do require adaptation of the mind and body depending on the game. In the two-dimensional fighting game Street Fighter, you need to be able to execute combo attacks repeatedly without fail, while being able to block, counter and predict your opponentB次元官网网址檚 moves.

A game such as StarCraft, a top-down strategy management game, differs in execution. The base concepts are the same: predict, counter, attack, but the play is different. Instead of commanding one character who fights another, both players battle using an army and encampment and attempt to conquer the opposition.

Despite these differences, both games demand many diverse inputs to defeat the opposing player. Street Fighter requires a simple fight-stick with a few buttons, making timed inputs on each button essential to execute a combo. StarCraft uses a keyboard and mouse and uses almost every button, each used for a unique task, from ordering units to attack and building bases to producing units from a building.

Some people point out that with E-sports, interaction between opposing players is not there; unlike with most traditional sports, youB次元官网网址檙e not face-to-face. YouB次元官网网址檙e separated, often playing against each other in closed rooms.

E-sports have only been around for 44 years, while many traditional sports date back thousands of years. While some communities have adapted to them, there is still backlash from those that fear the unknown. But this argument grows weaker by the day, as E-sports advance more into society. It seems that in order for people to be comfortable with classifying E-sports as sports, it will require time.

But, does it really matter if we call E-sports traditional or not? It doesnB次元官网网址檛 change a thing about the main concept. As long as we can have fun playing sports, thatB次元官网网址檚 all that really matters.

Oly Fisher is a student in Lauren FrodshamB次元官网网址檚 Writing 11 class at Belmont secondary.