Video Games are not Sports

The advancement of computers in the 21 st century has tremendously affected the
definition of sports. Specifically, it has led to the emergence of a new game genre, eSports. This
genre entails a popular category of computer games played by people of different age groups.
The popularity of eSports has led to a great debate on whether or not video games are a sport.
Like conventional sports, esports attract massive audiences, require players to apply rigorous
skills and strategy, and earn money. These similarities have been used to support the view that
video games should be grouped as a form of sport. However, video games should not be
categorized as sports because the athletic ability, physical activity, and skill level do not match
conventional sports requirements.
Video games do not require athletic ability. Players participating in such games do not
need to possess any athletic ability (Bowman and Gregory 20). The same cannot be said about
conventional sports such as swimming, basketball, football, or tennis, which require unique
athletic ability, outstanding commitment, and rigorous training. Players acquire great athletic
ability through mental conditioning and intensive physical training. However, video games have
no such requirements. Any person, regardless of their athletic abilities, can become successful in
video games. The only movement necessary to play video games is moving fingers to press
buttons on a controller (Kane and Brandon 2). These games require skills that a player develops

mentally as opposed to physically. Expertise in video games relies on mental prowess. However,
expertise in conventional sports relies on athletes’ physical and mental prowess. Players engage
in rigorous training sessions as a way of sharpening both their physical and mental abilities.
There is mental and physical exhaustion when one engages in conventional sports, which has
numerous health benefits. Video games, on the contrary, do not require the application of athletic
ability and are thus not considered a sport.
Video games require some physical activity, but the level of physical activity does not
meet the threshold accepted in mainstream sports. According to Kane and Brandon, the accepted
physical exertion in sports is directly associated with the outcome (3). The actual movements
made by a player determine their success in the game. In conventional sports, the domain of
execution and application coincide. There is a difference between computer games and sports
because the former has a technological nature that separates the two domains (Bowman and
Gregory 23). The physical exertion in video games is executed in the actual domain, and they
must be transferred into a virtual one for the outcome to be realized. Thus, video games’ lack of
physicality supports the idea that computer games are not sports.

While all sports require applying some level of human skill, not all skills can be termed
sporting skills. Skills required to play a musical instrument, garden or engage in art production
are not sporting skills. This is because some skills are necessary for an activity to be considered a
sport. Thus, the claim that video games require human skills and are thus sports does not hold.
According to Holt, it is essential to draw a line between fine and gross motor skills (8). Athletic
sports require the involvement of gross motor skills or whole-body skills. Pressing keys on a
computer game controller or moving a mouse cannot be compared to kicking a ball on the field
for ninety minutes. The latter requires more whole-body skills than the former. Olympic sports

require whole-body engagement and intensive human skills. On the contrary, computer games
require soft human skills and cannot thus be classified as sports.
However, while computer games do not require rigorous human skills, and a player does
not need the physical ability necessary in conventional sports, these games have been
institutionalized and require practice and dedication to win. Some rules govern the various video
games, and the same applies to conventional sports. Further, for an individual to become a
professional gamer, much dedication, practice, and training are necessary (García and Carles
170). It is the same case with becoming a professional basketball player. One must dedicate time
and practice a lot. Thus, a computer game player requires the same commitment as an Olympic
athlete, which means that video games, like conventional games, are sports.
Despite video games requiring some practice, they do not qualify as sports. These games
do not meet the minimum threshold required in conventional sports. Video games require a low
level of human skills since the player is very dormant and the physical activity required is
minimal. Furthermore, no athletic ability is required to be a professional gamer; therefore, video
games cannot be considered a form of sport.

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Works Cited

Bowman, Nicholas David, and Gregory A. Cranmer. “Can video games be a
sport?.” Understanding eSports–An Introduction to a Global Phenomenon (2019): 15-31.
García, Jaume, and Carles Murillo. “Sports video games participation: what can we learn for
esports?.” Sport, Business and Management: An International Journal 10.2 (2020): 169-
185.
Holt, Jason. “Virtual domains for sports and games.” Sport, Ethics and Philosophy 10.1 (2019):
5-13.
Kane, Daniel, and Brandon D. Spradley. “Recognizing ESports as a sport.” The Sport
Journal 19.05 (2017).