Halo 2 gamers go pro
According to videogame news site TeamXBox, Major League Gaming -- the first professional sporting league for videogamers -- has signed a four-man Halo 2 team to a $1 million contract. Described as "by far the largest" deal ever for professional videogamers, news of the multi-year exclusive deal came as MLG also announced that Red Bull would become the league's official drink. All this has, not surprisingly, provoked discussion on Digg about whether gamers should be considered athletes. Commented one wag, "Gamers are not athletes. Try and have an ounce of respect for the people who wear that title. Except baseball players." Foul ball!
Should gamers be considered athletes? Tell us what you think. Gamers are athletes.
Quick fingers and fat bellies :-) I think Pro gaming will emerge as the next "sport" to watch in the next 5 years. I love Halo just as much as the next guy, but calling video gaming a sport is ridiculous. It's like calling chess a sport. It's a game and should be called a game. Great for the guys who are getting paid millions now but calling it a sport based solely on money is just wrong. Money doesn't determine if something is a sport.
Gaming has the potential to become a sport. The competition, that which is the basis of any respectable sport, is there for any person to see. However to place it in the same catagory as professional athletics is just silly. Gaming first and foremost is a mental activity. One along the same lines as chess or any other game created and passed down throughout the centuries.
Gaming in general should not be placed on the same level as professional athletics. If anything a whole new and separate level should be formed. The competition is there. The audience potential is undeniable. Someone simply has to put it all together. If poker and darts are considered "sports", why not video games?
People actually have fun watching someone playing a video game?
A sport, by definition, should include some physical activity. If you're someone who can't walk up a few stairs without passing out, you definately are NOT an athlete. I suppose if gaming will be considered a sport, so should sitting and/or sleeping. I'd be considered a grand master then! Interested in offering me a $1 million contract for watching me sit? In my humble opinion, no. But then again, ESPN thinks that Spelling Bee kids are worthy of air time.
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