Long considered juvenile entertainment, video games have gradually invaded every screen on the planet, with an industry generating higher revenues than those of cinema (96.6 billion dollars for the year 2016).
It is therefore not surprising to see that matches once played anonymously online have become competitions and have given birth to an unpredictable phenomenon called Esport. With South Korea as its cradle and the game Starcraft as its platform, the phenomenon has spread across the globe with international competitions and a matching audience. “Esport,” you read that right. A sport considered full-fledged by its main actors and yet unconventional as it does not meet any of the codes of traditional sports. For others, esport remains entertainment. These two viewpoints have long been and are still debated today.
This debate has been partially officially settled since the EGAMES, the equivalent of the Olympic Games for eSport which were held in RIO during the period of the Olympic Games in RIO itself. This event, initiated by the British government and the International egames Committee (IEGC), provided a first answer in favor of eSport. Teams from the four corners of the globe came to defend their colors like any athlete engaged in an international competition. Added to this is the integration of esport into the Asian Games by the Olympic Council of Asia during the 2018 Indonesian edition. Following this momentum, pro gamers will compete as full-fledged athletes and therefore be medal-eligible during the 2020 Tokyo edition. It should be noted that these Asian Games are recognized by the IOC and rank just behind the Olympics in terms of importance and audience for a multidisciplinary competition.
Repeated gestures at an impressive speed and a hand-brain synchronicity never before seen in any sport. Thus, 400 movements per minute were recorded by researchers observing pro gamers on the game Starcraft (the famous blockbuster that allowed the phenomenon to emerge in South Korea) as you can see here:
Researchers from the German Sport University Cologne conducted these studies. They delivered their findings after 5 years of study on pro gamers and the conclusions are clear: pro gamers are indeed athletes in their own right. http://www.dw.com/en/science-shows-that-esports-professionals-are-real-athletes/a-19084993
Professor Ingo Froböse, who led this research, was impressed by the results. He had never observed asymmetrical movements at such a speed because both hands move simultaneously, thus leaving no pause between each movement. They also noted that pro gamers had a heart rate between 160 and 180 beats per minute, which is the heart rate of a marathon runner. All of this on games such as Counter Strike and League of Legends which, according to these same researchers, require exceptional concentration to integrate the opponent’s tactics and defeat them, making them games of great complexity contrary to what one might believe. Finally, it turned out that pro gamers underwent the same physical strains as a racing driver.
Professor Ingo Froböse gives his impressions here:
Still not convinced? See you in the upcoming second part…
