Cybersport, or competition in virtual (computer) space, is a sports niche that is available to everyone who has a computer and the Internet, regardless of gender, age or physiological ability. Like any other sport, it has not only players and tournaments, but also special sports organizations, teams, spectators and fans, fanclubs and much more.
The sport is young. The first tournament was held in 1997, but its final development has not yet found. The original idea for this activity belongs to Angel Muñez, who created the company called “Cyberathlete Professional League” (Cyberathlete Professional League). The idea paid off – the competition really got a huge media coverage, interested entrepreneurs, fans, sponsors and players. But in those days, eSports could not yet be called a sport, because there was no official recognition of video games as a sport discipline, which means that all the “sports” clubs and tournaments were not official.
Over time, cybersport was popularized: it began to actively develop in the US regions as well, there were registered all-US physical education and sports associations, which led to the fact that in 2016 this discipline received sufficient grounds for its inclusion in the “official”.
Cybersport – a temporary pastime or a sport of the future
I guess cybersports are about the future. As previously stated, cybersports are “blurring the lines.” Cyber tournaments are gaining an incredible number of viewers, for example, in 2021, the English-language broadcast of PGL gathered 1 865,000 fans.
According to PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers) for 2019, cybersports were among the top 3 promising areas of the entertainment industry.
On top of that, cybersport players earn decent money: for example, The International 2019 Dota 2 championship raffled off $34 million, and in 2018, the global cybersport market was $775 million. In comparison, the prize pool of the Champions Volleyball League superfinal was only $1.3 million.
And it is the players who receive more than 70% of the prize money. In addition to the prize fund, they also receive a percentage of sales of souvenirs and promotional products, wages from the club (in the case of employment), etc.
What is the potential of eSports
A fairly common opinion among the older generation video games are evil and cybersport is stupid. Partly this opinion has its reasons, which we will talk about next. Among the advantages of this type of activity are the following:
- Development of volitional qualities and mental abilities. Video games improve spatial thinking, help develop fine motor skills, reaction and visual memory. As in any sport, cyber sport teaches discipline and self-control. Professional gamers, contrary to popular belief, are very organized and disciplined even in terms of their daily routine. After all, a chaotic schedule, overworking will not help you succeed.
- Communication and social skills. From a social point of view, video games increase self-esteem, because the player will be able to see not only his progress, but also the result of his activities. The skills an athlete learns while playing definitely help him or her in real life as well. The most trivial – the player is well versed in the workings of computers, he has a high speed typing on the keyboard. Not the least important aspects: speed of reaction, knowledge of the language.
- Ability to work in a team and solo work. Cyber tournaments come in both team and solo. This means that players can both pump up their personal growth and gain skills for effective teamwork. I don’t need to tell you how useful this is in real life.
- The possibility to choose an appropriate format of participation. Competitions are held both in person and remotely. This is a great opportunity for people with disabilities. And also it is a chance to combine study/work and sport without detriment to the former. Besides, face-to-face tournaments are a good chance for traveling and networking.
- Cybersport is not just about the players. Drawing an analogy with regular sports, the cybersphere also has managers, video editors, streamers, tournament organizers, coaches, etc.
Social connections in cybersports
It is hard to say how cyber sports affect communication skills and socializing in real life. On the one hand, even the shyest people can find a friend online. Moreover, computer games – a tool for the development of youth policy, because it is something that can unite people from different countries, a convenient guide to track events in the world esopts this Play Score.
On the other hand, the well-known addiction to the Internet and video games develops partly because of the inability of man to communicate offline. Therefore it is important to combine live communication with the Internet friendship.
What are the dangers of cyber sports?
Of course, everything has its own disadvantages:
- Deterioration of health. In any sport, athletes can get injured one way or another. But while in athletics athletes most often have problems with their knees and joints, in cybersports players over time get problems with their vision, spine, etc. The constant strain of vision and light from the monitor can cause migraines, lack of sleep and have a negative effect on the entire body. Long hours of training at the computer cause problems with the spine and musculoskeletal system. Skin diseases or obesity may develop if you do not eat properly.
- Damage to your studies or work. Not without reason there are special sports schools, training in which allows the athlete to devote more time to training than to study. Cybersport also requires a lot of time and hard training, which can be to the detriment of studies/work, so if you are planning your future exactly in the status of an athlete, it is necessary to work out a clear schedule of games and strategy of getting education.
- I’m not a gamer. I’m an athlete. In the case of cybersports, it is also worth distinguishing between a hobby and a professional sport. If a person plays video games 24 hours a day, it doesn’t mean that he is an athlete and is preparing for a tournament. In this case it will be about the addiction to computer games.
Psychologists note that video games excite the nervous system and therefore are contraindicated to hyperactive adolescents; game addiction leads to nervous system exhaustion and early mental disorders.
Moreover, the hour-long training is addictive. Man ceases to live in reality, for him reality – in a computer game. In order to achieve success, regular and long hours of training are necessary, which will negatively affect the person’s behavior outside of the game. - Doping in cybersports. Any sport uses its own stimulants to increase performance, it can be either protein nutrition or banned substances. Cybersport is no exception – basically, an athlete needs substances that would increase his performance, concentration and reaction. The most “harmless” in this case would be energy drinks. However, in practice, there are cases when players took drugs to improve their performance.
