The Comparison for Esports

As they are engrossed on the screen, people intently watch the game progress. Fan are screaming and cheering in the arena as the teams walk out and have pre-game handshakes with each other as a sign of good sportsmanship. They get into their positions and quickly strategize how they will take on the opponent right before the clock starts. The game begins and they run out onto their battlefield to face off the opposing team.

The athletes have been training extensively for months to get to participate in this massive tournament. They have spent thousands of hours learning mechanics and perfecting their coordination skills and training for twelve hours daily to perfect teamwork, communication and to finetune their dexterity. They have a manager who creates strategies and preps them for their big game. These athletes strive to become accomplished in their craft whether it is running on a field or intensively practicing on a computer.

Take these two high school students who are aspiring to become successful in their game.

John Alexander Starkey is an athlete who is 6’2 with a rather stocky build. At first glance, Starkey does look like a typical gamer with his dirty glasses and laid back nature.

However, he has dabbled in traditional sports as well. Throughout high school, Starkey has participated in football, wrestling, winter track, boys volleyball, swimming, and rugby, but all of his attempts were unsuccessful lead by disinterest and overall lack of motivation. Starkey did eventually find a home, but this time, he became engrossed in Esports. His favorite game quickly became the widely successful game, Overwatch.

As described on their official website,“In Overwatch, you control one of several heroes in competitive 6-person team shooting matches. Battle over objectives, take down the other team, and achieve victory.”

Starkey plays a vital role for his Overwatch team, taking on the essential task of playing tank. As tank, he has the most amount of health and therefore protects his teammates while they play the objective. It is a hard role to fill and Starkey shines when it matters most. “Minor setback, major comeback,” is his favorite motivational quote.

Like a normal high school athlete, Starkey has a set time for practices and matches— practicing usually 12-15 hours a week. Professional Esport athletes usually practice 10-12 hours a day.

When asked about the legitimacy of Esports, Starkey believes Esports is, “within the realm of traditional sports. It adopts many tendencies of traditional sports.” When asked of his response to the critics of Esports, Starkey responds with a hefty,“1v1 me.”

Kieran O’Driscoll is your model athlete. He is a nationally ranked kicker for football, (number one kicker in the state of Massachusetts, thirteenth in nation) and is the only captain of a young and dominant hockey team. O’Driscoll was voted as the best athlete for his senior superlatives. As expected, he is proud of his accomplishments. After all, O’Driscoll does put in a huge portion of his life into sports. As a traditional athlete, O’Driscoll works out regularly and has to prepare for the physicality of each and every game. O’Driscoll estimates he spends 15-20 hours a week on hockey. O’Driscoll’s position in hockey is tough. Centers usually cover the most amount of ice meaning they move the most out of everyone. They have to be stronger and especially faster than everyone else. He cites his coach, Coach Gibbons as someone he looks up to. He believes Coach Gibbons is the leader this young team needs in order to succeed. Kieran is excited and looking forward for the hockey team’s playoff run this year.

When asked if he believes Esports is a sport, O’Driscoll responds instantly, “Yes! When you break it down to the simple bits, Esports is a sport.” O’Driscoll goes on to claim that the mental aspect of the sport can be greater than the physical— and that Esports’ mental aspects are comparable to that of traditional sports. When asked about his opinion of the rise in investments toward Esports and Esports teams, O’Driscoll responded positively. “Anyway you can make money and do what you want to do, do it.”

However, Mr. Hanson, a high school football coach, says a student like Starkey is very talented, but does not constitute a sports athlete. He states that sports require physical preparation and practice and that Esports players do not have the same physical skill set that gymnasts who consistently work out do. He does point out the fact that hand-eye coordination is an important factor in both Esports and traditional sports, however his opinion is unwavering because of the extent to which he believes the skill is practiced.

Although a coach and athlete like Mr. Hanson views Esports differently than he does sports, his general viewpoints of what a sport is like coincides with what Esports is about. Both talent and skill is required for both types of sports and when asked about the team environment, Hanson says “it is like a family.” “It has ups and downs. You have moments where you are arguing with each other and moments where you are all very happy and on the same page… you get closer with every good and bad experience you share and in the big picture of it you are all working towards the same goal.”

The way Hanson passionately describes what sports are about can easily be translated to the comradery of Esports where players like Starkey and O'Driscoll have to overcome challenges with their teammates to achieve success and in the end form bonds with those they have worked with in the process. They both have the innate talent and skills to thrive in their specific sports.

Sports is about the work ethic the athlete puts in to achieve a certain level of skill and success. Both Esports and traditional sports utilize teamwork dynamics and communication and hours of practice a week to accomplish perfection in their sport. Athletes must be able to think quickly for important split-second decisions that can cost them a game and must have good hand-eye coordination for a precision that makes them the best of their kind. Athletes of Esports and traditional sports create an unbreakable bond with teammates and coaches who support each other with positive mentalities. Every athlete wants to achieve something greater in their sport, whether it is to become well-known and climb the ranks or to win a large prize pool. In essence, the game and athletes of the two themes of sports have to endure the same trials and hard work. With this in mind, it is reasonable to recognize Esports to the same esteem of traditional sports.

Image credits to Redbull.