Video Games are Sports

Thank you for setting up this debate, I accept to argue that video games are not sports, that eSports are seperate from physical sports.Your definition of sport leaves out the bit about physical exertion that is prevalent in just about every online definition I've ever read, from Google to Merriam Webster to Dictionary.com. The definition of the noun "sport" according to Dictionary.com is:"an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of acompetitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc."The key word here is, of course, athletic. Video games are not an athletic activity, no matter how quickly you can move your fingers. You said in your argument that professional gamers are athletes but not physical athletes, and if we take a look at the definition of "athlete": Merriam Webster:"a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina" Dictionary.com:"a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physicalagility, stamina, or strength;a participant in a sport, exercise, or game requiring physical skill."Prize pools are impressive in eSports, but this does not contribute to the argument that eSports should be considered physical sports, I don't see how this helps your argument. Sports are competitions requiring physical exertion, and in the definition of "sport" listed above salary is not mentioned. How much professional gamers are paid has no bearing on whether or not video games are sports. eSports do appear on sports channels and sports news, but it is seperated from all of the other sports and addressed as "eSports". ESPN, the world's leading sports news source, has a section for eSports, but it is addressed just as eSports (http://www.espn.com...). This is because eSports are a subcategory of sports, they aren't the same thing, but they have a very similar competitive format.You brought up chess, saying that it is widely regarded as a sport. This is true, but there are good reasons for this. Chess requires peak mental condition, which requires one to also be in peak physical condition. To quote London Chess Conference: "Peak mental condition requires being in good physical condition. Players need to concentrate totally for up to seven hours. As the stress and tension builds up, blood pressure, pulse and respiration rates all increase. Contenders for the world championships have nutritionists and fitness coaches."There are numerous other reasons chess is considered a sport on that website, for example chess has been recognized as a sport by the International Olympic Comittee since 2000.In conclusion, video games are not sports, they are eSports. This is a subcategory, not the same thing, different in ways that prohibit eSports from being sports. I feel like I should clarify that I have no problem with eSports, I love eSports. I follow CoD eSports (since it's the game I discovered eSports on) and right now I'm trying to get into CS:GO and Halo's professional scenes.Sources:http://www.dictionary.com...http://www.merriam-webster.com...http://www.dictionary.com...http://londonchessconference.com...