Philosophy of Sport. David W. Agler. David W. Agler Philosophy of Sport 1/21

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1 Philosophy of Sport David W. Agler David W. Agler Philosophy of Sport 1/21

2 What are esports? David W. Agler Philosophy of Sport 2/21

3 What are esports? Esports refer to a variety of video games that are played competitively (and professionally). these games are played on a computer (using a keyboard, mouse, monitor) or video game console (using a television and a controller) the majority are team-based games where groups of players compete against each other (either face-to-face, online, LAN), to achieve some objective. There are a number of esports / games played competitively: 1. Hearthstone 2. League of Legends 3. Smite 4. Super Smash Bros. 5. Dota 2 6. Heroes of the Storm 7. Halo 8. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) 9. Overwatch David W. Agler Philosophy of Sport 3/21

4 Esports: Examples League of Legends (LOL) LOL is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game Two teams of five play against each other with the aim of destroying the other team s base Individual players control different animated characters Game is played with a gaming computer, keyboard (abilities are activated using different keys), headsets to communicate, and with a gaming mouse (has more buttons than the normal mouse) David W. Agler Philosophy of Sport 4/21

5 Esports: Examples Counter-Strike: Global Offensive 1. objective-based, multi-player, first-person shooter video game 2. Players are split into two teams, one playing as terrorists with the other team playing as counter terrorists 3. Players compete in a number of rounds. At the beginning of the rounds, players purchase weapons and then attempt to complete objectives (e.g. disabling a bomb) or eliminate (kill) the other team. David W. Agler Philosophy of Sport 4/21

6 Arguments against esports David W. Agler Philosophy of Sport 5/21

7 Issues involving esports A number of the philosophical issues that pertain to traditional sports also pertain to esports: 1. PEDs 2. women in esports 3. commercialization 4. issues associated with injury However, one of the most common questions asked about esports concerns whether it should be classified as a sport. David W. Agler Philosophy of Sport 6/21

8 Arguments against esports While there are a number of arguments against classifying esports as real sports. Some of the most prominent include: David W. Agler Philosophy of Sport 7/21

9 Arguments against esports While there are a number of arguments against classifying esports as real sports. Some of the most prominent include: 1. Real sports take place in the real world and not in a virtual (online, constructed, computer) world 2. In order for some physical activity to be a sport, it must move beyond a mere local interest and have a broad, diverse following (e.g. a competitive snowball fight among the neighborhood kids is not a sport) 3. the primary argument relies upon the widespread view that esports lack the same physicality / athleticism of traditional sports. Esports are, for some, better classified as games. We will focus on the latter two arguments. David W. Agler Philosophy of Sport 7/21

10 Argument from popularity David W. Agler Philosophy of Sport 8/21

11 Argument from popularity Argument from popularity 1. In order for an activity to be considered a sport, it must be participated in (or seen as) by a somewhat large, non-local group of people 2. For example, neighborhood kids engaging in a snowball fight would not make snowball fighting a sport 3. While many people play esports, this play isn t coordinated enough to qualify as a sport (just because a lot of people engage in snowball fights doesn t mean there is a world snowball championship). David W. Agler Philosophy of Sport 9/21

12 Objections Esports is wildly popular. The above argument is problematic because esports is more popular than a number of traditional sports. David W. Agler Philosophy of Sport 10/21

13 Popularity: Fan-base Sports have fans (spectators) who watch to see certain individuals display their superior skills at the sport If video games involved no real display of excellence involved, then we would expect viewership to be low. David W. Agler Philosophy of Sport 11/21

14 Popularity: Fan-base Sports have fans (spectators) who watch to see certain individuals display their superior skills at the sport If video games involved no real display of excellence involved, then we would expect viewership to be low. Competitive esports rivals traditional sports in terms of viewership (fans) The 2015 LOL finals had 36 million viewers (in comparison, the final game of the 2015 NHL finals had 8 million viewers, while the NBA had 23.25M viewers) Total viewers of 2015 Finals (in millions) NFL LOL NCAA NBA NHL David W. Agler Philosophy of Sport 11/21

15 Collegiate Recognition A number of universities recognize esports as a varsity sport (with athletic scholarships), e.g. Robert Morris University, University of California, Irvine, Miami University (Ohio) NCAA leagues / conferences are in place, e.g. Pac-12 David W. Agler Philosophy of Sport 12/21

16 Collegiate Recognition A number of universities recognize esports as a varsity sport (with athletic scholarships), e.g. Robert Morris University, University of California, Irvine, Miami University (Ohio) NCAA leagues / conferences are in place, e.g. Pac-12 Universities devoting full facilities to esports, e.g. UC Irvine built an esport arena (3,500 sq. ft. space, 80 gaming computers, and a live broadcasting studio) David W. Agler Philosophy of Sport 12/21

17 Broader Recognition There is some broader recognition and acceptance of esports as real sports: debate concerning whether they should be included in the Olympics esports events sometimes broadcast on ESPN (even though the owner of ESPN noted that esports are not real sports) teams owned by a variety of former athletes who contend that esports are real sports, e.g. Shaq, Rick Fox, et alia. U.S. government recognizes esport players as professional athletes (can receive visas under athlete identifier) David W. Agler Philosophy of Sport 13/21

18 Former Los Angeles Lakers (Shaquille O Neal and Rick Fox) own esports teams.

19 Arguments from physicality David W. Agler Philosophy of Sport 15/21

20 Esports are not real sports: athleticism Argument from athleticism 1. just a competitive way of playing video games 2. no real physical (athletic) component to video games 3. better athlete is not decided by the individual with the better physical skills (like chess, the individual with the better strategy, tactics, etc.) David W. Agler Philosophy of Sport 16/21

21 Esports are not real sports: athleticism Argument from athleticism 1. just a competitive way of playing video games 2. no real physical (athletic) component to video games 3. better athlete is not decided by the individual with the better physical skills (like chess, the individual with the better strategy, tactics, etc.) What type of physicality is required? Certainly, lifting a checker piece is a physical act, but checkers cannot be considered a sport. Rather, people tend to point to two aspects of sport: David W. Agler Philosophy of Sport 16/21

22 Esports are not real sports: athleticism Argument from athleticism 1. just a competitive way of playing video games 2. no real physical (athletic) component to video games 3. better athlete is not decided by the individual with the better physical skills (like chess, the individual with the better strategy, tactics, etc.) What type of physicality is required? Certainly, lifting a checker piece is a physical act, but checkers cannot be considered a sport. Rather, people tend to point to two aspects of sport: 1. high-level of physicality is required (some sort of physical prowess) 2. the superiority of the athlete is primary due to their physical skills rather than their tactical or cognitive skills David W. Agler Philosophy of Sport 16/21

23 Esports and the lack of physicality At least on initial analysis, we don t think individuals that play competitive esports are athletes. We conjure up the act of sitting in front of a television or computer screen passively playing games There isn t any running, lifting, jumping, throwing, etc. Athletes are not dripping sweat when they are done with their workout In real sports, the development of physical skills needs to be essential to winning, but in games the better player is determined by the person with the better strategy or understanding of the game (e.g. similar to chess) David W. Agler Philosophy of Sport 17/21

24 Imaqtpie (Michael Santana), a former League of Legends professional.

25 Objections Physical aspects of esports The better player is determined by certain physical skills, often referred to as mechanics In particular, one study done by a set of German researchers found: David W. Agler Philosophy of Sport 19/21

26 Objections Physical aspects of esports The better player is determined by certain physical skills, often referred to as mechanics In particular, one study done by a set of German researchers found: 1. esports require more actions per minute (APM) than any other sport (400 actions per minute) - more than table tennis 2. the APMs are also asymmetrical (doing different things with different hands) 3. playing is stressful: releases the same amount of cortisol (stress-hormone) as a race-car driver 4. heart rates go up to beats per minute (similar to if you were running a hard, but not all out, run 5. requires precise hand-eye coordination, timing, quick reflexes, and dexterity (skill in performing tasks with hands) David W. Agler Philosophy of Sport 19/21

27 Objections Physical aspects of esports The better player is determined by certain physical skills, often referred to as mechanics In particular, one study done by a set of German researchers found: 1. esports require more actions per minute (APM) than any other sport (400 actions per minute) - more than table tennis 2. the APMs are also asymmetrical (doing different things with different hands) 3. playing is stressful: releases the same amount of cortisol (stress-hormone) as a race-car driver 4. heart rates go up to beats per minute (similar to if you were running a hard, but not all out, run 5. requires precise hand-eye coordination, timing, quick reflexes, and dexterity (skill in performing tasks with hands) Because of these physical demands, esports teams work out, get nutritional advice, and even warm-up prior to events. David W. Agler Philosophy of Sport 19/21

28 Gross vs. Fine motor skills Traditional sports, however, seem to be dominated by: the use of gross motor skills to achieve some result: use of large muscle groups to run, lift, jump, kick/throw. David W. Agler Philosophy of Sport 20/21

29 Gross vs. Fine motor skills Esports, by contrast, seem to be dominated by: the use of ne motor skills to achieve some result: use of smaller muscle groups to engage in precise movements, e.g. typing, moving a mouse, etc. traditional sports have some fine motor skills involved (e.g. spin on football, flick on a header, twist put on a racket, etc.) but the bulk of competition surrounds the use of gross motor skills Figure: Lee Sang-hyeok, also known as Faker, Korean gamer known for his mechanics David W. Agler Philosophy of Sport 20/21

30 Are esports sports? While we haven t definitively answered the question of whether esports are real sports, we have clarified this question to something more understandable. David W. Agler Philosophy of Sport 21/21

31 Are esports sports? While we haven t definitively answered the question of whether esports are real sports, we have clarified this question to something more understandable. Question Are activities that are similar to sport in every way but emphasize fine motor skills over gross motor skills (esports) real sports? David W. Agler Philosophy of Sport 21/21