I am a filthy casual player. I play co-ops, MMOs, and single players. I do not partake in competitions, or try to practice and hone any skills to their utmost. However, something I saw is starting to change that. I watched a video of something that fixated my gaming soul. A young Japanese male competing in a Street Fighter 3 tournament, on the brink of losing, blocks a full series of blows while at his last pixel of health in order to return his own combo to win it all. It was a movie-magic moment, but it was real, and that made it better. I watched a few more videos of this kid and it’s not the only time that that level of “beasting” has happened by him. This kid was the recognized world champion of Street Fighter.
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This wasn’t the first time I’ve been amazed by competitive gamers though. There is also the PC crowd, whom, perhaps ever since Quake, have always held tournaments for various games. Perhaps none is more popular today than StarCraft 2. Day[9], a celebrity among the community and tournament winner, has been hosting his own web-show for a while, known as the “Day[9] Daily”. I came across another video through a friend who was trying to show me a different side to the campaign mode I knew. I was shown this video, and I began to feel an urging to be a better player. Day[9] truly captures the story of himself entering the world of competitive gaming, the fears, the love, and the inspiration behind it all. The video features Day[9] as he explains his life of StarCraft and how it’s affected him, his family, and most importantly, how it is affecting people all around the world. He reveals that competitive gaming is bringing people together in the same way that classical athletic sports do.
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I urge you to watch Day[9]’s video with the same attention you would give to an interesting documentary. I actually believe this video is part of a key to the future of gaming and sports in general. I pondered for a long time after seeing both of these videos. I had several discussions with close friends about the subject of competitive gaming, and no one could really grasp what I was rambling about. However, I would watch my friends cheer and discuss their favorite basketball or football stars in the same way I would read forum posts discussing the next greatest competitive gamer, and they were the same mindset. The same expressions revealed on two different levels. Competitive gaming carries with it the notion that the gamers don’t undergo the same physical pressure and training as the classical athletic sports, however, I would argue the point that they do undergo the same overall pressure as a professional athlete.
I also urge you to re-watch that Street Fighter video I linked above. The caliber at which the two fighters are playing is way above that of an average gamer, much the same way that a professional basketball player should be expected to school any rookie on the court. I also urge you to reconsider what you know about sports and competition. Where does the fun of watching sports come from? Well, I happen to think it comes from the community, and the feeling you get watching when something amazing happens within that said community. Therefore, I actually see no difference between competitive gaming and classic sports. I expect that, someday, more will also feel the same way, and we will begin to treat competitive gamers much the same way we treat professional athletes.
