Athletes And Gamers Have More In Common Then One Would Think
Have you ever considered that sports and competitive gaming are actually very similar? I know it may be hard to believe, but it actually is true, sports and video games share more similarities then differences. Now you must be thinking, in what ways are they similar? Well they share three qualities: Team work, Practice, and Skill.
Team work
This is probably the most obvious one, most sports require some form of teamwork, either through actual teammates or through a player and coach relationship. Well in Esports, also known as competitive gaming, teamwork is essential in almost every setting for a competitive gamer. As a fan of Call of Duty, a major first person shooter video game franchise, I have been watching the competitive scene since I was 13 years old. My favorite team being Optic Gaming, I watched as these four man teams dueled each other for control of the 'B' flag in a game mode known as Domination. From callouts to positioning, competitive gaming requires the whole team to be firing on all cylinders in order to succeed, just like any other sport. In football you need excellent communication in order to execute the play, well you need that same type of communication when playing Search and Destroy on Call of Duty, a game mode where you have two objectives to either defend or destroy and you are only given one life.
Practice
This one most definitely isn't as obvious, because of stereotypes for gamers. In sports they have the saying, " Practice makes perfect", well that saying applies to competitive gaming as well. Continuing with Call of Duty, teams need to practice in order to gain experience and chemistry within their team. There are many maps in rotation with a pro circuit, as a result each team has to take time to understand the map like the back of their hands. It is vital to know different positions for countering the enemy or secret little paths you could take to give your team the advantage. Just like in soccer, you have to be able to mesh with your teammates play style and that requires practice and lots of it! Gamers invest so much time in perfecting their technique or skills in order to be able to compete at the highest level.
Skill
Lastly, I would have to say is skill. Professional Athletes are the best of the best and no one could truly argue that. The same is in the gaming world, it takes a huge amount of effort, time, and money to dedicate yourself to becoming a professional gamer. People may say that playing video games is way too easy, but I would love to see any athlete try and face off Optic Scumpy, one of the most renown Call of Duty players to date. It is not easy to drop 50 bombs (50 kills in one 10-15min game) on a daily basis. Not just that, but there are millions of gamers out there, so becoming a profession means you have to be able to stick out, just like any college athlete would need to in order to enter a profession league. For example, quick reaction time is essential in making clutch plays in any sport, and for a gamer that is a necessity. Gamers constantly have to be aware of their surroundings and that requires a great amount of concentration.
In Conclusion
Whether you think sports and gaming have similarities or not, they are not obviously exactly the same, the major difference being the physical aspect of sports. Despite that, I do believe that they share many some similar qualities and that the work and talent of gamers should not be overlooked or downplayed. Being a gamer and an athlete has shown me the best of both worlds and I absolutely love the thrill and experience each one provides. If you are a gamer just be open to doing a sport and vise versa for athletes. This could help create new friendship and a deeper appreciation to for both sides.
