I love video games. The problem I have with recognizing video gaming as a sport is mainly that the rules and playing fields change too often, and with no regulatory bodies to provide checks and balances to these changes. The developer of the game being played can change and patch whatever they want, whenever they want, with no oversight.<p>Not to mention, the sport being played is essentially whatever the "cool" game is at the time, which changes year after year. It would be difficult to maintain interest in a game for even 2 Olympic cycles, let alone hundreds. Can Starcraft 1 still generate massive world-wide interest in 2013? How will LoL be doing in 2023?<p>Meanwhile traditional gaming and sports haven't changed a whole lot over the hundreds or even thousands of years we have played them, they have stood the test of time and are still capable of generating massive world-wide interest. Video games cannot claim to have done this.<p>With that said Im not against awarding visas to pro gamers.
Heh. So they can get a P-1a visa now? That is an improvement over the mess of an O-1 or a dicey Tourist visa. A long time ago when the robotics club invited some Japanese Sumo robot competitors over there was a tremendous fuss over what sort of Visa they could get.
I've actually been watching the current LCS despite not playing LoL for a while (it was too addictive).<p>Games spectatorship pushes all the same buttons that real sports do, and Riot is very intelligently pushing it in the same direction, with the excitable commentators and highlighting the personalities of the top players.<p>The kids are making money by training to be the best at something that is fun to watch, and businesses are making money off marketing them. Seems analogous to sports in the important ways.
I am not surprised, this is the government that also recognizes pizza as a vegetable.<p><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/id/45306416/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/t/pizza-vegetable-congress-says-yes/#.UeH9zRZHYb8" rel="nofollow">http://www.nbcnews.com/id/45306416/ns/health-diet_and_nutrit...</a>
Maybe I should be a cyberathelete.... How crazy is this. Recently parents everywhere discouraged the amount of time spent playing games. Now it could be argued by the kid they're working on their professional skills.
Hah. Back in 95 i was the guy people laughed at for claiming that one day games would be considered a pro sport and guys would be able to score girls by being good players.<p>Should have betted on that.
When Oculus Rift gamers start running all day long in their Virtuix Omni's, they will indeed become athletes who optimize food intake and workout schedule.