Electronic sports, or eSports, include competitively playing “League of Legends,” “Starcraft 2,” “Dota 2,” “Call of Duty” and other popular online player versus player games. Although there is a lack of physicality, professional video gamers should be credited for their performance under pressure, mental capabilities and continual work despite opposition.
At the top of the gaming charts, “League of Legends,” or LoL, acts as a representative for eSports. This October, the LoL World Championship went down in history as the largest eSports event yet. The finalists played under the intense pressure of a live audience of 7,000.
In addition, the games streamed in 13 different languages to 145 countries where amateurs all over the world eagerly watched on sites like twitch.tv. Many aspiring gamers look up to professional players as role models, just as high school athletes may look up to professional athletes.
For professional George “HotshotGG” Georgallidis, a renowned player in the LoL community and leader in the eSports movement, this equates the pressure of the audience at eSports competitions to that of live sporting events.
“The most intense thing is that there are millions of people watching you compete,” Georgallidis said. “The amount of people watching makes it very stressful.”
Even though professional gamers don’t require physical fitness, they face a challenge that basketball or soccer players don’t. Mental fatigue is unavoidable amongst skilled players who are constantly strategizing to overcome their continually increasing competition. This often leads to headaches and sluggish moods.
The LoL player base has grown to 12 million daily players, a 185 percent increase from 2011 according to an infographic published by Riot games, the game’s developers. It’s rapidly growing as it should, but some consider it a joke.
It is unfortunate that people disregard each eSport as “just a game” when it should be encouraged to thrive. Neglect discourages professionals and amateurs alike. To Freshman Evan Phu, one of the highest ranked LoL players at Temple City High School, who might take on professional gaming, eSports is something he is considering.
“If people took eSports more seriously, it would open an opportunity for not only me, but many others that commit their life to playing,” Phu said. “eSports has changed the lives of people that are dedicated to playing competitively.”