Just flicked through the channels and came across 2 players playing a match on FIFA or equivalent . Can't they find any proper sport to show? What next Fantasy Racing Channel? I've subscribed since Sky started and have loved watching the reds last 3 away games, as well as the Super League, golf, darts etc. but FFS virtual football!!! I won't be subscribing for much longer if this carries on
What has the time it's being shown of any relevance? My point is that it's not a sport. I don't subscribe to the kids channel as I have no intention of watching it, and didn't expect to find kids playing games on the sports channel
It's known as eSports and I think it's here to stay. There's even talks of putting them in the olympics, from some people. They fill 70,000 seat arenas and have prize pools for 10s of millions, in some of these events. Don't like it, don't watch it.
Despite the fact that it isn't played by athletes, it is a competitive game of skill that requires a lot of practice, is watched by millions, involves huge prize money and attracts lucrative sponsorship deals. If that constitutes as a sport, then yeah, darts is a sport. Also eSports.
Agree. it's not particularly my scene, but I can see the appeal to it. Just been looking actually, and there was serious talk for eSports to be a part of the 2024 Olympics, but they decided it was a little bit too soon. The 2022 Asian Games will feature eSports as medal events. The world is changing, don't get left behind!
Work colleague's son won 35k in Sweden as a professional gamer. Goes forward to Sweden for a world comp with a first prize of one million! Big money in gaming and they gross more money than film industry
I play games online, not competitively, but the money involved in sponsorships and prize for competitions is getting bigger and bigger. I also watch quite a lot of gaming on Twitch.tv where lots of people of play games daily as a living by earning money from donations and subscriptions. It's getting insanely bigger every year and it can't be ignored which is probably why a sports channel on sky is covering it.
Is darts in the Olympics or snooker? Surely you need to have some kind of physical activity for it to count as an Olympic sport.
They’re more precision, accuracy and timing; aspects that can be argued are even more prevalent in esports I’m not saying that they should be in the olympics, but I’ve yet to hear a good argument why they shouldn’t
? How is it any more second hand than any other sport? The excitement comes from seeing players that are the best in the world in a battle of skill. As a side note, I can’t believe I’m here advocating for eSports, something I have only watched in passing a couple of times, but there we are. I think it gets a bad rap.
Loads of kids now say they want to be a professional gamer when they grow up it’s the new footballer default answer and you can do it whilst sat on your bum in the warm.
I think I somewhat understand what you mean now I don’t think so, though. I believe you’re thinking of it as the players are already playing second hand sport, ‘pretending’ to be footballers? If so, that’s not the case, the game (in this case FIFA) is just a vessel for the players to execute their skills. Not sure how else to explain it, but I know I’ve done a bad job of it! Think of it as the game is like the snooker table, or the race track.
Just asked my son about it and he's not bothered about watching it. He loves to play computer games though.
