“I need a gank on top.”

This phrase is one used specifically in video games. It is used in no other activity or sport. It basically means “I need help, come to me.” It’s proof of the team based, and strategic nature of gaming today.
It’s the type of thing that you would hear if you were to take part in a League of Legends game. League of Legends is what is called a “real time strategy” or ”RTS” game. Recently, R.T.S. games have been getting more and more attention by serious sports organizations. One of which being the Olympic Committee. It’s currently under question whether or not “esports,” or professional video games, deserve the title of “sport,” and a position in the olympics.

Esports have every right to this position.
The main argument against the addition of esports into the olympics is the fact that during play, you are not physically exerting yourself. It doesn’t take physical stamina to compete. In olympic sports, athletes have to live a completely healthy life. Athletes have to make sure that they are as physically and mentally healthy as possible. If they aren’t, their opponents will have an edge on them before the competition has even started. The problem with this argument is that these characteristics are part of esports as well. If a competitor is not mentally and physically ready to make the most minute, but important movement as quickly as possible, they’re going to get beaten. The rigorous training and second nature muscle memory necessary to be able to compete at the olympic level as a gamer is just as if not harder to master than a lot of the sports in the olympics. Esports take not only mental but physical well being to master.
A huge reason that esports are being seriously considered for a position in the olympics is actually because the olympics are losing views. Apparently, younger people are getting bored of Track & Field and Women’s Volleyball. Although the Olympic Committee did try to pull back these views with olympic snowboarding, they're still not getting the views they need. To solve this growing problem, the Olympic Committee thinks the addition of video games would create a following in younger people. But because of people’s pre existing views on video games, the notion still isn't in full areenece. When people think of videogames, they think of an overweight, unattractive antisocial eating pizza while sitting on a couch. While this isn’t completely inaccurate, just like a group of people following the same religion, or living in the same place, we can’t look at the entire population of a group by the actions of just a small minority. People need to let go of their views on video games and take another look.
If you were to compare it to the “real” sports in the olympics, you’d actually find quite a few similarities. For one, as I touched on before, it takes tons of team cooperation and personal excellence to be able to succeed in professional gaming. Teams have to be able to make maneuvers and plays without any sort of hesitation or hitch. This is very similar to physical sports like Football or Soccer. As well, a gamer’s individual skill must be top notch. A gamer must be able to instantly react to anything that comes his or her way, making the decision that will benefit him or her and his or her team the most. One wrong decision or hesitation could cost the team the game. This is similar similar to personal excellence based games like Basketball. Video games are able to successfully bring these two sides of games together into one sport. This can actually make it more fun to watch than a sport that is just about personal skill, or just about working with a team. Esports bring the two sides of all games together.
Chris Kluwe, a kicker on the the professional football team the Baltimore Ravens agrees that esports should be taken more seriously. You would think that someone who takes part in a sport as physical as football would be completely against any “mind sport” as they’re called, being taken at all serious. Being an athlete himself, he can see the sport in professional gaming. As times avance we’ll see more and more people that are completely for video games. This is because more and more children across the globe pick up video games every day. Statistics show that 67% of the households in America today play video games. Children are growing up with video games, being raised with a Wii or an Xbox to have fun on. In 2009 video games brought in $10.5 billion in revenue. This means it’s not only a good source of entertainment but video games are also a huge market, creating well-paying jobs in the ever declining job market in America. All, in all, video games are a growing part of our everyday lives.
Video games and esports deserve to be taken more seriously. They require just about everything that a physical sport does. They deserve to be considered a sport. The definition of sport is already being bent to accommodate things like Curling and Ping Pong. Why should other, seemingly less serious games, be held higher than pro gaming? Why should we look down upon gamers instead of up? Esports deserve a place alongside the other sports of the world in the Olympics.