Video games are a sport

Sounds like this will be an interesting discussion. My opponent brings up the argument that video games are not a sport due to lack of physical activity. Pro argues that other activities with little physical activity are considered sports, but he does not challenge the fact that video games lack physical activity. Since we are agreed on this, I will use it as my Contention 1: Video games lack physical activity. Video games, such as Star Craft, which Pro mentioned, can require a variety of mental skills, as well as good vision and hand-eye coordination. However, one thing they do not require is physical activity, which is something Pro confirms. My opponent uses dictionary.com, which is not at all a problem in the context of this debate. However, if we dig deeper, we can find that Pro trunucated his definition of "sport". Normally, this is not a problem, and such an action can often be justified for the sake of brevity, but in this case, the full definition has more useful information to consider: "an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc." This definition provides not only criteria for inclusion, but a variety of examples, including racing, (maybe not auto racing, but this works just as well) which is considered a sport due to the physical stamina that is necessary on account of the moderate G-forces that riders experience, and golf, which requires physical skill to control the ball with a wide variety of clubs and in many circumstances. This can be expressed as Contention 2: Sports require physical activity. I could stop right here, but it might also be very useful to return to dictionary.com. If a sport is an "athletic activity..." the definition of "athletic" might be useful here: "of or relating to athletes; involving the use of physical skills or capabilities, as strength, agility, or stamina" These are our established criteria for a sport. Sports involve physical activities or capabilities. We could discuss why video games do not meet these criteria, but that is unnecessary, since Pro argues that they do not, and we are in agreement on this. To conclude, let me explain my stance on the other four activities my opponent mentioned: Curling, chess, competitive eating, and poker. Curling involves the physical abilities to release a stone with vital accuracy in speed and direction, and to manipulate its trajectory by shaving the ice with technique and accuracy. These are physical activities. Conclusion: Sport. Chess is said by some to be a sport because professional games, which can last for six or even seven hours, require stamina and endurance. However, chess has always been a primarily mental activity, and it can be enjoyed just as well at faster time controls, in which games can be done in under two hours. The physical aspect does not play a role in most contexts. Conclusion: Not a sport. Competitive eating involves at its core a physical skill, the ability to ingest large amounts of food in a short time. Conclusion: Sport. Poker, like chess, involves mental skill and decisions. One could argue that it also involves the ability to psychologically interpret opponents, and keep them from doing the same to you. However, this again is a mental activity, not a physical one. Conclusion: Not a sport. The word "sport" can mean a wide variety of things. It does not only involve brute force, as in American football or wrestling, or endurance, as in long-distance running or soccer, but more subtle physical abilities, as in archery or golf. Video games are not a sport, since they primarily involve mental and not physical abilities.