it's funny that Starcraft 2 was an olympic event (sort of)

"gin-san - shitpost specialist" (gin-san-)
02/07/2018 at 19:01 • Filed to: OLYMPICS... SORT OF

I share the opinion that esports aren’t really sports. Physical prowess along with mental toughness is what differentiates sports from other activities, whether it’s hockey, MMA, or golf.

In SC2, while the game itself may manifest in physical changes (e.g. increased heartrate from stress/adrenaline) it doesn’t require physical exertion.

However, that’s not to say that gaming doesn’t have it’s own unique set of skills - what pro Starcraft 2 players can do is far beyond what I’m capable of doing. You’re continuously under pressure to react, outsmart, defend, attack, manage an economy for an entire war. I believe

That being said, if esports can be tied into the Olympics, why not chess? It’s a sport with tradition, rules, and is much more about reacting, outsmarting, defending, attacking, and managing an army for an entire war.

It’s cool that it was actually broadcast as an Olympics-supported event (online, anyway). In the Canada vs. Korea final, the Canadian won and became the first woman to win a pro SC2 tournament. I thought for sure I was going to see Korea slaughter this event (which I found out about yesterday) so as a Korean-Canadian, I guess I would have been happy either way.

(Side note: Koreans are fucking ridiculous at Starcraft 2, they’ve been playing live games on TV since 1999 when it was still just regular Starcraft: Brood War.)

I’m still not convinced that esports or chess should even be Olympic events, but they require such a high level of skill in such a weird specialization that a I wouldn’t really care if they both became official Olympic events. I mean, I don’t give a shit about fencing or skeleton but they’re all events that I suddenly become interested in every four years, and that’s alright with me.

On a side note, I wonder if Russia esports team would be banned from a Counter-Strike event due to their enhancement of athletes.

If you’re a total fucking nerd, you can watch the grand final match (best of 7) on Twitch like I’ve just done:

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DISCUSSION (7)

punkgoose17 > gin-san - shitpost specialist
02/07/2018 at 20:47

Dang I missed it. I’ll have to find it and watch a replay online.

StudyStudyStudy > gin-san - shitpost specialist
02/07/2018 at 20:58

Not sure why this is on oppo, but I’ll play.

I mean, it has rules like other sports, it requires more mental exertion than many many many other sports. I mean if physical exertion was a requirement, a lot of other events really shouldn’t be apart of it (equestrian sports, air pistol, shotgun, archery, sailing). Riding a horse you are not physically running the course, air pistol, shotgun, archery are all about hitting a target or reaction speed and marksmanship, technically not physically exerting say compared to running a marathon. Even if it was a requirement physically games can be exhausting, there are people who have died while playing as lame as that sounds.

That is not to say watching those events are boring, to me there are things that are even more ludicrous. Floor routines and speed walking just to name a few.

Frankly in some ways it is fun to think about, think about olympic boxing and what a sham that was and most likely will continue to be. Think about fencing and Tae Kwon Do, they are trying to do right with sensors and such, but remember the young lady who lost because the person manning the clock forgot to call time, that was heart breaking? Imagine a sport where you couldn’t play outside the boundary lines because it was all computer controlled and monitored. That where the only thing that mattered was not how much your country paid to bribe the judges, which country was hosting, or what not, but your skill.

I don’t think it needs to be a part of the olympics, frankly the US coverage is so painful I’ve rarely watched any, but someday in the future maybe interesting to think about.

Wheelerguy > StudyStudyStudy
02/08/2018 at 00:13

eSports is more like chess, I think. It’s a more inherently mental slant than it is physical.

Wheelerguy > gin-san - shitpost specialist
02/08/2018 at 00:25

There’s a greater emphasis on mental skill than physical skill (which the Olympics highlights), which is why chess has a different world championship and EVO, a tournament for fighting games, is a thing (this year will be hot), even if eSports has a degree of mechanical skill required.

Another thing that sets most eSports apart from chess is ease of viewing. Shooters are easy (guy fires gun, other guy dies, kill the other team to win), fighting games are easier, MOBAs and RTS are a bit more difficult but when you get the hang of it you get the point. The only real knock against eSports is the perception that THEY PLAY VIDEOGAMES LUL and the stigma isn’t really gonna go away because video games are still treated as toys, a want, a vanity.

StudyStudyStudy > Wheelerguy
02/08/2018 at 04:06

Playing devil’s advocate here, but I don’t know too many chess players with carpal tunnel, nor do I know how many loose on reaction time.

gin-san - shitpost specialist > Wheelerguy
02/08/2018 at 08:40

I generally enjoy watching esports. Like I said, it’s a very specialized skill. I don’t think that perception of competitive gaming will go away easily, but the entertainment value speaks for itself. It’s relatively commercial-free (for now) and doesn’t require me to purchase a cable package. Games like LoL, Counter strike and Overwatch are all way more fun to watch than baseball and less annoying to watch than advertisement-bowls.

Wheelerguy > gin-san - shitpost specialist
02/08/2018 at 08:46

FGs for me. Super straightforward, really, and they end rather quick so it’s easy to move on. Also I don’t know anything about MOBAs, their mechanics, the works, and yet I watched quarters of both TI7 and Worlds 7, somehow. I still know nothing.

BTW, SKT finally won something. Never thought it’d be news.