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Zachary Allinger 1 Zachary Allinger Professor Herald WRTG 101 10/8/2011 Competition and e-Sports We live in a world that

is constantly changing. This change is brought about by each individual's drive to succeed. It is written into our most basic genetic code to be competitive. This competitiveness is in our nature, everyone has it to some extent. Some people are obviously more competitive than others, but the will to succeed whether it be in life, or in sport, is apparent in all of us. In ancient times people would display their competitiveness by battling to the death in a roman coliseum, with thousands of spectators watching by and experiencing intense emotion from what they were witnessing. The feeling a person can get from devoting themselves to something completely mentally and physically to achieve an end result of victory is not comparable to any other feeling. In modern times the most common form of entertainment involving competition is professional sports, the world's most popular being soccer. Recently though the definition of what defines a professional sport has begun to change. With the modern era has come a new venue for people to compete, through technology. No longer is the art of battle restricted to the physical world. Games like Starcraft create a virtual arena where opponents can compete to the death without ever leaving their desk. Many people disagree about whether or not the virtual battles that take place in a game of Starcraft can compare to the battles that take place in a soccer stadium, or whether they are deserving of having the word sport in their title and consequently whether or not e-Sports participators could be called athletes.. Because the types of training are so different many people are inclined to believe that e-Sports are not as difficult. It is true that

Zachary Allinger 2 e-Sports and traditional sports have very different physical requirements. Because the type of training required for traditional sports is so much more physical, many people hold the opinion that e-Sports cannot be as gratifying as traditional sports. There is some weight to the arguments that defenders of traditional sports make. The result of competition is not the same for someone who is involved in an E-sport, and someone who plays professional soccer. The amount of physical training that it takes to prepare for a soccer match is not comparable to that of a Starcraft match. Because of this, the feeling of winning is much different. Because the sport is so physically demanding from start to finish, by the end of a soccer match the players might be on the brink of collapse. This exhaustion coupled with intense joy creates the feeling of overwhelming emotion that we witness when a team wins a World Cup match. On the contrary, for the losing team it can be equally as emotional but obviously in the negative sense. Differences in the type of training that it takes to prepare for a soccer match are also very obvious, some would say it is obviously more demanding. In this sport athletes must physically condition themselves to an extremely high level. These athletes must be able to run for long periods of time, pushing themselves to the limit of their physical ability. This type of physical conditioning is not necessary for a Starcraft player. In addition to this, the ability for a soccer player to push themselves to complete the rigorous physical training necessary is evidence not only of physical strength, but of great mental strength as well. It is not easy for an athlete to train until their bodies break down, simply because they know they need to. Most people would not be able to withstand such intense physical training, nor would they be able to mentally push themselves to complete it. It is also true that the basic physical requirements to be a soccer player are much more specific. Becoming a professional E-gamer is normally not dependent on a person's size.

Zachary Allinger 3 Whether they are tall, short, fat, or thin, they can still use a computer. We see professional Egamers of all sizes in the most prestigious of tournaments. This is not true for a professional soccer player though. Because the physical demands of playing soccer are so much more intense, it is necessary that the athlete have a basic set of physical skills available to him. Height, weight, muscular build, and speed are all things which are completely necessary for a professional soccer player. And although coordination is necessary for both Starcraft players and soccer players, the type of coordination necessary is much different. While it is true that the result of competition is much different between that of a soccer player and that of a Starcraft player, it would be difficult to prove that either is any less emotional. Because of the physical nature of soccer it is no surprise that any celebration for victory will be more physical as well. Soccer players spend all game running around the field, and when they win they run around some more, this is no surprise. Just because a Starcraft player doesn't get up and run around the venue after winning a match, doesn't mean that it is any less overwhelming for them. Shouts for joy, and tears are common occurrences in high stakes Starcraft matches. Playing Starcraft requires full concentration. If a professional player were to blink and miss something, it could cost them the game. The ability to be aware of what is going on in several places at once takes great mental control. A Starcraft players can spend over an hour in a single match constantly on the brink of victory or defeat. Each match is decided by the tiniest mistakes, a player must be near perfect to win at the highest level. Every action a player makes will determine his fate and can ultimately cost him his livelihood, most players don't get paid unless they win. When the moment of victory finally comes, it can be difficult to really comprehend until the player is given a chance to calm back down into reality. I can assure you though, the feeling of victory is no less potent for that of a Starcraft player than that of a soccer player.

Zachary Allinger 4 The second claim that critics of e-Sports would make is that the training required is not as strenuous or challenging for a Starcraft player as it is for a soccer player. As I stated before, the physical requirements are obviously different, but that does not mean that they are any more or less difficult. It is common for Starcraft players to spend upwards of 12 hours a day training. It takes nothing less than 100% dedication to focus on something for 12 hours straight. Doing this day in and day out for the chance of victory somewhere down the line is amazing. This training includes practicing with teammates in custom maps, competing on the public ladder, and devising and perfecting strategies. Players must prepare for every possible map and every possible match up, whereas a soccer player will know exactly what to prepare for. The mental training that is required to play Starcraft at a high level is huge. Swedish professional gamer Jonathan Walsh described the typical training when preparing for one of the major tournaments, I practiced every hour I didn't eat, shower, or sleep during the GSL. One day could start at 2pm and end at 7am. In both e-Sports and traditional sports there are two sides, the mental and the physical. While soccer players spend the majority of their time training for the physical aspects, Starcraft players spend the majority training for the mental. You would never see a soccer player studying plays or formations on a blackboard for 12 hours, and then running for 1 hour, it wouldn't make sense. This is because the requirements for performance at a high level are entirely different. Starcraft players must spend countless hours studying the game and preparing for every situation that could occur. Preparing for these situations does not require the ability to run across a 300 yard field in 30 seconds, it requires the split second decision making that only comes from understanding the dynamics of the game in the most complete way. Zeke Philips in an article about e-Sports potential to overtake traditional sports stated, An E-sport...is more like professional chess than the NFL.(5) I find this statement very difficult to support. Unlike chess which

Zachary Allinger 5 requires, 1, or maybe 2, moves per minute, a game of Starcraft can require up to 300. This makes the difference in physical requirement between chess and Starcraft almost equal to the difference between Starcraft and soccer, huge. Popular e-Sports blogger Dantranimal said it best, This rate of decision making is almost unheard of compared to any other sport.(3) Although the differences in physical requirements are much different, Starcraft does require some rare physical skills. Growing up everyone has heard someone say, Hey, can't you do more than one thing at a time? For most people the answer is yes, for some people the answer is no. For Starcraft players the answer is, I can do dozens of things at one time. Starcraft players must be able to constantly cycle through a to-do list in their mind, rapidly moving around the screen accomplishing tasks. All this must be done with a complete map awareness. If your competitor interrupts you in the middle of your routine, you can't ask them to wait while you finish. Starcraft players must be able to respond quickly and accurately to any of a thousand unexpected occurrences. As I said earlier accomplishing these tasks takes hundreds of actions per minute, most people are lucky to manage one. Also, a Starcraft player must be able to endure long hours of intense focus. For someone who is not physically conditioned this will be impossible. The more and more fatigued a player gets, the slower their response is and the less clear their mind is. The best players must be able to perform at the highest level without faltering during the latest, most important hours. As I previously admitted, the differences between e-Sports and traditional sports are huge, but I don't believe either can be described as more rewarding, or more challenging. Each type of sport requires unique physical and mental requirements, but their reason for being is still the same, to give competitors a chance to face off against each other in battle until one emerges victorious. The types of training may be different but in both e-Sports and traditional sports athletes commit themselves fully to the task of achieving victory. This

Zachary Allinger 6 commitment to success and drive for greatness is the common factor between all athletes, whether they be e-Sports athletes or traditional athletes. For this same reason I argue that eSports athletes be held in the same high regard that athletes of any other sport would.

Bibliography: 1"Pro Gamer Shawn "Sheth" Simon Talks MLG, StarCraft II and the Future of ESports - Forbes." Information for the World's Business Leaders - Forbes.com. Web. 12 Oct. 2011. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/johngaudiosi/2011/09/23/pro-gamer-shawn-sheth-simon-talksmlg-starcraft-ii-and-the-future-of-esports/>. 2"Chad "Minigun" Jones Weighs in on International Scope of StarCraft II Pro Gaming Forbes." Information for the World's Business Leaders - Forbes.com. Web. 12 Oct. 2011. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/johngaudiosi/2011/10/10/chad-minigun-jones-weighs-in-oninternational-scope-of-starcraft-ii-pro-gaming/>. 3"Why e-Sports Will Rival Traditional Sports." DanTranimal. Web. 12 Oct. 2011. <http://www.dantranimal.com/why-e-Sports-will-rival-traditional-sports/>. 4Rogers, Carter. "StarCraft: A Game of Chess, Played at Hundreds of Moves per

Zachary Allinger 7 Minute." Tufts Daily - Tufts University. Web. 12 Oct. 2011. <http://www.tuftsdaily.com/starcraft-a-game-of-chess-played-at-hundreds-of-moves-perminute-1.2210106>. 5Phillips, Zeke. "Will ESports Ever Become As Popular As Real Sports? - Business Insider." Featured Articles From The Business Insider. 17 Aug. 2011. Web. 12 Oct. 2011. <http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-08-17/sports/29992868_1_esports-kasparovgaming>.

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