- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
Posted by: Navillus13
Now lets be honest here, according to the definition of 'Sport', according to the dictionary, playing video games whether for competition or not, falls under the category of being a sport. By that SAME definition, so does whacking off, taking a dump, swinging from trees... etc etc. We all know how the American society sees things, if some people cant grasp it, then you honestly have to be blind. You can't deny societies effect on everything around us, can you? Do you guys think society sees professional gaming as a 'Sport'? I.e. This means you should be able to take a 10,000 person random survey, and more than 50% of the people would say yes, it is a sport. Hypothetically, I just don't see that happening.
This is exactly the kind of perception I think most people on the MLG = sport side are arguing against. Society needs to accept pro gaming as a sport, or it will never grow beyond what it is. Remember, the general public once considered video games a fad, but we proved them wrong on that opinion, so why should this be any different?
Posted by: Navillus13
Now onto Athlete. Is it possible that a Halo 2 gamer is an athlete solely because he plays Halo 2? According to me - No. According to society - probably not. Can you deny that? Can a Halo 2 player ALSO be an athlete? OF course they can! The offensive line for the Arizona Cardinals play all the time (maybe they should concentrate more on their blocking skills though since they are terrible). Playing Halo 2, playing cards, playing board games, taking a dump, whacking off - these are all non-athletic activities. Would you agree that the general public agrees with this? I think its undeniable.
I don't really have an argument against this one, other than, why are we letting society decide this for us? I think, under the broadest definition of athlete, pro gamers can be included based on the amount of skill required to play, the stamina they have to exhibit during tournaments, and the sheer dedication they've put into the game.
Posted by: Navillus13
Why Playing Halo 2, or any other type of recreational game for money, is not work or a job
Now lets start off by saying this... If these select elite MLG guys are being paid to show up at conventions, train other people, speak at conferences, all for a paycheck.. then yes it is a job. The actual playing of Halo 2, is not, because they are not just getting paid to play halo 2. Agree?
Winning tournaments is not a job, winning money in competitions is not a job. If this was true, then almost everyone in Vegas would be considered 'working' at their 'job'.
The only reason they're doing all of these other things is because they get payed to play Halo. The gaming lessons aren't part of that, it's something these kids do on the side for supplemental income (correct me if I'm wrong). Endorsements, conferences, whatever else all come about because of their pro gaming career. I'll agree, not all of the people on the pro circuit are making the majority of their income from playing competitively, but if they're making money from being in the tournament, I think it's fair to say that playing Halo is their job.
Posted by: Navillus13
Is it hard work? not in the slightest. Why?
My opinion: Doctors, construction workers, bankers, IT consultants, lawyers, mcdonald's employees, janitors, professional athletes (from the sports category above) all work hard. You cannot combine the mental exhaustion of being a halo 2 player to that of a doctor, banker, or IT consultant. They've gone through years and years of schooling, anxiety, work pressure, deadlines etc etc... things of which a Halo 2 player will never have to endure. Construction workers, pro atheletes, (mcdonalds, janitors on a lesser level) must have extreme physical endurance to do the same thing everyday, 8 hours a day, 300 days a year. Ask any one of them if playing Halo 2 is hard work. You guys have said it yourselves, when these guys are done playing, they will concentrate on a career. If Halo 2 is a job and hard work, and they are good at it, then why don't they just do that forever?
I've worked in several fields, and while I can say I've never worked as hard as I did in construction, that was just physical labor. What constitutes hard work is debatable by itself, but I wouldn't hesitate to say that the top pros in gaming worked their asses off to get there.
Posted by: Navillus13
Even though I know I can't speak for society as a whole, I believe we can all agree on the general interpretation of what people would view MLG as being. We can't be that naive... can we?
*Side note, I just threw all my thoughts out here as quickly as possible, if you see flaws in my argument, please point them out and I will respond. I was typing this up and attempting to work at the same time*
Like I've stated before, we can't let society decide for us how pro gaming should be treated. While it's important to be accepted into the mainstream, it's never gonna happen if we just sit back and hope for the best. I for one don't want to see that happen. I've been playing games too long to see this chance at legitimacy be denied.
That's just my two cents.