From horse riding to weight lifting and soccer to sailing, what is defined as B次元官网网址渟portsB次元官网网址� includes a broad variety of activities. But whether professional video gaming falls under that wide umbrella remains up for debate.
Esports has ballooned in popularity in recent years, drawing fans and professional video game players from around the globe.
This weekend, thousands of people are expected to attend the International Dota 2 Championships in Vancouver, while millions more stream the event online.
Anyone tuning in will see similarities with traditional sporting events, from a stadium packed with cheering fans to well-dressed analysts in headsets offering commentary between matches.
Some of that structure has been borrowed from other sports, said Erik Johnson of Valve, the company that created the B次元官网网址淒ota 2B次元官网网址� game and runs the tournament.
But thereB次元官网网址檚 a difference when it comes to competition.
High-level gamers are being tested on how they handle the pressure of being watched by millions of people as they compete for enormous amounts of money, Johnson said.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not a physical test, itB次元官网网址檚 a mental test for a lot of these players,B次元官网网址� he said.
Victor Goossens is the co-CEO of Team Liquid, which won the B次元官网网址淒ota 2B次元官网网址� championship last year. He said his players spend up to 12 hours a day practising and studying their game, and take care of their physical and mental health in the same way a traditional athlete does.
Like any pro team, GoossensB次元官网网址� group is always looking for a competitive advantage, so earlier this year they teamed up with technology company SAP to develop software that would allow them to analyze their training and in-game performances.
SAPB次元官网网址檚 Milan Cerny worked with competitors in sailing and tennis before turning to the esports project. Gamers and traditional athletes have a lot in common, he said, including that both are B次元官网网址渞eally, really good at what theyB次元官网网址檙e doing.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淭hey have a lot of knowledge about the discipline that theyB次元官网网址檙e good at,B次元官网网址� he said.
Anyone who thinks gamers arenB次元官网网址檛 athletes is misunderstood, said Dan Cybak, CEO of the Gaming Stadium, a group thatB次元官网网址檚 looking to build esports facilities across Canada.
Players spend countless hours honing their eye sight, learning to control their heart rate and perfecting their skills, and they follow strict eating, sleeping and training regimes, just like traditional athletes, he said.
B次元官网网址淭hey have to be on top of their game, they have to choose the right champions,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭heir skill set and where their mind is at a level that a lot of us canB次元官网网址檛 play at.B次元官网网址�
Cybak believes esports will make it into the Olympics in about a decade, and when they do theyB次元官网网址檒l become mainstream.
Justin Simpao with the University of British ColumbiaB次元官网网址檚 esports association doesnB次元官网网址檛 see professional video gaming as falling under the same category as hockey or basketball.
B次元官网网址淓sports is not a real sport, but it is still a competition,B次元官网网址� he said, adding that both traditional sports and gaming all come down to competitive entertainment.
Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
Like us on and follow us on .
