E-Sports and computer games

It is worth noting that games as such are as old as human civilization itself. For example, in the well-known I know chess, the territories of present-day Persia were played as early as the 6th century. When it comes to the basic rules for determining whether something is a game, it can be hard for us to distinguish between a monopoly board game, a soccer game, and the Starcraft World Cup.

All the examples given have clearly defined, arbitrary rules and allow the participants of the game to compete with each other in a discipline that allows you to objectively determine who was the winner and who was the loser, and this is what fans of sports emotions want.

Naturally, not all computer games meet the requirements of a fully-fledged sports discipline, in many cases it is even impossible. The computer games industry is quite difficult to define and it combines all the other components of popular media. Games allow us to listen to the soundtrack, and it is often a quality in itself, enjoy the atmosphere and graphic design, which in many cases is cinematic, play a role in the virtual world, like an actor in a theater, get acquainted with the plot, how novels, or to experience the thrill of sports while competing against other players during the games over the Internet.

The intertextuality of computer games certainly distinguishes them from other cultural creations. However, a similar argument can be made for the interpenetration of competition and art in the world of sport. Each sporting event is not just about winning and losing. Tournaments, Olympics and matches are important cultural events related to specific aesthetics, music and fan involvement. Therefore, it is hard to say without a doubt that E-sport is a completely new form of practicing sport.

Computer games during quarantine

Computer games as a sport discipline have become more popular in times of the pandemic. Our expert, Irenka Zając, comments on this topic as follows:

“The world of sport has suffered a lot recently. The compulsion to keep distance in public places made it impossible to organize most of the mass sports events in 2020. In this situation, E-sport was able to provide a solid dose of emotions to hungry fans. It was also a lifeline for the bookmaking industry. In the era of the ban on organizing mass events, bookmakers' bets were specifically supplemented by e-sports tournaments. Betting fans could also find an alternative to betting on matches played in the real world. To organize a tournament of this type, all you need is a computer and an Internet connection, and fans can watch their favorite players struggle during broadcast, on platforms such as Twitch "

Where did E-sport come from

Computer games are quite an interesting Creation. Equally interesting is the role they play in our culture today, and even more interesting is the change in their status in the eyes of the public over the past few decades. The beginnings of this new form of entertainment date back to the 1980s, but their first incarnations were quite primitive and definitely did not have such significant cultural value as they do today.

At the turn of the 1990s and 2000s, computer games also found a place in the minds of people who were not interested in the subject itself. Computer games were primarily the domain of young people, and the enormous popularity and immersion, which was becoming more and more visible with the development of technologies that enable losing oneself in the virtual world, became a source of anxiety for most parents, both in Poland and abroad.

Controversy in the computer games industry

The gaming market, for a very long time, could be compared to the wild west of entertainment, this meant that the developers often had a free hand to implement their artistic vision. In many cases, this has proven to be creating an even greater amount of controversy surrounding the entertainment industry. The lack of censorship often resulted in the content of the titles being brutal and taboo.

As of today, the stigma associated with computer games is much smaller. It can be concluded that the initial reaction of the concerned parents was a novelty and a lack of understanding. In addition, fuel to the fire was certainly added by the fact that at a time when the industry was gaining popularity, mainly children and teenagers were interested in games.

Guardians feared that the offspring would be distorted in one way or another, while ignoring the fact that exactly identical content had long been widely shown in the cinema and on television. The only difference was that we were dealing with a new, foreign medium.

Change of attitude

The first generations of players are now adults, and many of them now have their own families. Along with gaining their voice and independence, games ceased to be an incomprehensible enemy, destroying the minds of young people, and became just another manifestation of pop culture.

In this context, it is easy to notice that at the turn of the last dozen or so years, they have been much quieter about them. In retrospect, it is easy to conclude that the controversy that was originally associated with the gaming world contributed significantly to the development of this industry and made it popular, especially among rebellious teenagers. After all, the forbidden fruit tastes best.

Star players

The status of professional athletes at the Esports Games is particularly impressive. Until recently, the world of computer games was associated primarily with counter-culture and social mismatch, but with the acquisition of a full-fledged status as a sports discipline, the position of outstanding players has also changed, and they are often treated with similar reverence as classic sportsmen.

Recently, the most-watched games include such titles as:

• League of Legends
• Dota
• Counter Strike
• Starcraft