Humanity failed the moment we made eSports acceptable.

[Schmellements Clawk]

Ultimately, the reason people like sports is because it's fun to watch. Everything else is just a post-rationalization. People don't watch sports because it's inspiring or because its such hard work. They watch it because it's an enjoyable spectacle.

Did you just assume my gender?  Yes, fun is part of it, but it's not the whole reason why some people enjoy watching sports so much and have favorite players/teams.  Many people admire the effort athletes put in as well.  Some admire action movie stars for the same exact reason.

[PhantomCatClock]

I wouldn't watch a video of a sweatshop because reality is depressing. Fantasy is fun and cool and gives me the good brain chemicals. It's the same reason I'd watch a movie. See famous actors act. Sportman get famous, sportman get advertising money—whether directly or from his team owner. Not everything has to be awful and shitty WHY CAN'T WE BE NORMAL

[FLOUNDERMAN_CLOCK]

There are plenty of poor people that work way harder than sportsmen. If that's the value in watching it, why aren't you watching videos of chinese sweat shop workers?

Forced manual labor is different than living a extremely strict lifestyle that begins at 5 AM and doesn't even stop once you're ready for bed.

horseshit. the clock crew aristocracy has been racing and battling our sweat shop workers since time immemorial. it's the sport of kings!

also the only sporting events that matter are those times when a guy gets his neck sliced open during a hockey game and this particular street fighter match.

[Thor]

There are plenty of poor people that work way harder than sportsmen. If that's the value in watching it, why aren't you watching videos of chinese sweat shop workers?

Forced manual labor is different than living a extremely strict lifestyle that begins at 5 AM and doesn't even stop once you're ready for bed.

horseshit. the clock crew aristocracy has been racing and battling our sweat shop workers since time immemorial. it's the sport of kings!

also the only sporting events that matter are those times when a guy gets his neck sliced open during a hockey game and this particular street fighter match.

people get stabbed and shot sometimes at fighting game tournaments

[PhantomCatClock]

didnt one guy get a raw crab thrown at him

[Clocktopus]

hungry box

[Clocktopus]

In what way is watching people doing sports better than watching people doing any other arbitrary activity?

Obviously doing sports is better than playing video games in many ways, but I don't see how that applies to sitting down and watching somebody else doing an activity.

Because it's absurd.  There's a disparity in skill between playing in a chair and being out on the court.  Professional sport players put all their physical and mental fortitude working as a unit for their team.  Professional eSport players twiddle their thumbs and get mad when they couldn't press the buttons fast enough.

I'd rather watch people play something I enjoy than watching people play sports.

You don't think they really enjoy what they're doing, do you?  They're not there for the eSport, they're there to be crowned the next neckbeard king and you know it.

You also have to think tactically for games. It's not just pressing buttons fast.

Regardless, there's nothing wrong with people enjoying watching others compete in video games. It can be exciting as hell. Video games mean a lot to people, they mean a hell of a lot more to me than sports, which I hate playing and watching. Why should watching people compete in sports be my only option when I don't like it?

Why do you even have to compare the two? Why can't both be enjoyed separately?

[Clocktopus]

also yeah life is pointless let me watch video games and get naked in public wooooooooo

[Clocktopus]

and do all the drugs

[GreyClock]

I watch chess matches sometimes. I'm a terrible player myself, I've only been playing against a low level computer opponent for a few months, so 99% of the subtleties and strategies are lost on me. Still I watch. It's enjoyable to me somehow, for reasons I don't fully understand. To use a creepy phrase: it pleases me.

Esports is more like chessboxing. To be competitive, as in chess, you have to know a bunch of stupid shit about how the game works that nobody cares about outside of your community. But unlike chess, you still have to be able to do quick reaction time fine motor skills bullshit. I disagree that "how fast you can press buttons" isn't a factor, even if we're strictly talking multiplayer gaming and not people who do speed runs. The number of times you can depress a key during a time window usually doesn't matter, thankfully, but it does matter how quickly you're able to see something coming and react.

Someone's unfamiliar with blitz chess (games with a time limit of 3 to 10 minutes). In fact, those form the bulk of the matches I watch. There are hours of streams of world champion Magnus Carlsen playing online rapid chess against international- and grandmasters and annihilating them all. So it's very similar to eSports, filmed on a shoddy webcam and all, oftentimes it even falls over mid stream.

BUT YOU SEE BECAUSE CHESS IS AN ANCIENT, ELEGANT, NOBLE GAME FOR INTELLECTUALS MY PURSUIT IS SUPERIOR TO YOURS, WHERE YOU WATCH SOME LOSER IDIOT PLAY A LOSER IDIOT GAME LIKE MAPLESTORY 2.

Actually...

[Schmellements Clawk]

You also have to think tactically for games. It's not just pressing buttons fast.

This video proves you wrong.  It's scientific.

[Thor]

You also have to think tactically for games. It's not just pressing buttons fast.

This video proves you wrong.  It's scientific.

This is an unfair depiction of gamers. I only rarely act like that.

[Schmellements Clawk]

This is an unfair depiction of gamers. I only rarely act like that.

You're right, it was unfair of me.  What about this video, then?

[Clocktopus]

You also have to think tactically for games. It's not just pressing buttons fast.

This video proves you wrong.  It's scientific.

Ah, yes, this was during the 2018 Overwatch League finals, right?

[Clocktopus]

also lol, thats a skit, i always thought that was real

[Thor]

I got 3 bottles of monster energy drink, some microwave burritos, it's 1 AM, and I'm naked.

Time for sports.

[BinaryClock]

I agree with you, which is why it shouldn't be a spectacle on TV, nor should people try to compare it to actual sports.  I have no problem with people that enjoy streaming it, it's only when they think eChamps are comparable to actual sport professionals and worship them as such.

There's no good reason "real" sportsmen should be worshiped and payed massive amounts of money, either. These days being a top level sportsman isn't even healthy; they usually end up with may crippling injuries and often brain damage by the time they're in their mid 30s. Thankfully they're able to live a good life still due to their ridiculous income. The only positive of sports being popular is that it encourages some kids to get up off their fat ass and exercise.

Not that I particularly dislike sports, I just don't see how it's somehow a "good" thing. Just seems like a neutral thing that some people like to watch, like eSports or cat videos.

as an outlet for regionalism, sports is a healthy alternative to war

Ultimately, the reason people like sports is because it's fun to watch. Everything else is just a post-rationalization. People don't watch sports because it's inspiring or because its such hard work. They watch it because it's an enjoyable spectacle.

better for bystanders too

[VCRClock]

as an outlet for regionalism, sports is a healthy alternative to war

it's also less personal cuz most of the guys on your team aren't even from your region

[NintendrCkolc]

Imagine an olympics where each event involved farting in some way.

Fart darts
Farting underwater and measuring the amount of bubbles
Loudest fart
First fart to make someone gag
Baby Powder

the list goes on and on.

[Thor]

Imagine an olympics where each event involved farting in some way.

Fart darts
Farting underwater and measuring the amount of bubbles
Loudest fart
First fart to make someone gag
Baby Powder

the list goes on and on.

okay I'm imagining it, now what? It's pretty great