The Importance Of E-Sports

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Are video games a sport? “According to Newzoo, the eSports global audience grew from 204 million to 292 million between 2014 and 2016 -- a 43% increase in just two years -- and it's projected to exceed 427 million around the world by 2019.” (Young, 2016, para.8). This quote proves that e-sports is no small business and is growing to be viewed by half a billion people in just a couple of years. E-sports are like traditional sports as they are comprised of exceptional skill who work for a team, and the games they play in are watched by many adoring fans. Some reasons why e-sports should be considered a sport is that e-sports similar to traditional sports, it is very popular with many fans watching, and the e-sport gaming industry is very similar of that to traditional sports industries. The article “The Overwatch video game league aims to become the new NFL” written by Nathan Hill, explains the e-sport industry and looks at one athlete and compares him to a traditional sports athlete. It is …show more content…

The reasons why are e-sports are just like traditional sports, they are very popular with many fans, and the e-sport and traditional sports industries are very similar. The American government has recognized e-sports as a real sport as e-sport athletes can be granted a p-1 visa, which is what type of visa an Olympic athlete would need to apply for if they wished to compete in the United States. The overwhelming popularity and support for e-sports is a huge reason e-sports should be considered a sport. The government already seeing it as a sport is also another big reason. Also, e-sport athletes are not like nerds in any way, as some people might see them. These athletes are people with real jobs, many fans adoring them and have many friends and trusting teammates. Lastly, Twitch, which is a popular streaming website where professional or casual gamers can play with people watching live, reached up to almost 300 billion viewers in just

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