Does eSports Need Regulation?

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The question of the day is "does esports need regulation?" I think that it does need some form of regulation if it ever wants to be taken seriously. Your thoughts?

Triple-A publishers are investing heavily in the space. And the prize pools are growing in size, with players competing for massive piles of cash. As these sums grow, so does the pressure and desire to win. To this end, we’ve seen reports of players using drugs such as ADHD medication Ritalin to aid focus, or utilizing software to hamper their opponents. Thus the question of whether pro-gaming requires regulation has arisen.
 
Any time there is big money on the line there needs to be some form of regulation. You need to make sure guys aren't throwing matches or taking bribes or anything like that. If eSports keeps growing it will get there, and with the amount of bad press Pro-Gamers have been getting lately it will probably get there sooner rather than later. If Pro-Gamers had their wits about them they would be trying to get their Player's Union together before the regulatory committees form. They should be ready, so they can stay in control of their sport like baseball, and not have the owners in control like football.
 
Regulation of what? "E"sports is hardly a sport. But, there is big money in it so something needs to give (or people need to stop being stupid and betting on something so easily fixed).

sport
noun
Simple Definition of sport
  • : a contest or game in which people do certain physical activities according to a specific set of rules and compete against each other
Jerking off between rounds of CS:GO is not the physical activity they are describing.
 
doz said:
Regulation of what? "E"sports is hardly a sport. But, there is big money in it so something needs to give (or people need to stop being stupid and betting on something so easily fixed).

sport
noun
Simple Definition of sport
  • : a contest or game in which people do certain physical activities according to a specific set of rules and compete against each other
Jerking off between rounds of CS:GO is not the physical activity they are describing.
Click to expand...

Video games require great hand-eye coordination, and that mouse is always moving. I would say the average Pro-Gamer is being more active than a baseball right fielder.
 
Shmee said:
Video games require great hand-eye coordination, and that mouse is always moving. I would say the average Pro-Gamer is being more active than a baseball right fielder.
Click to expand...
You must not understand PHYSICAL sports and the practice it takes to get to a level to be playing in right field. This is typical logic of an "e"sport player. What happens when your hand makes your eye meet the other eye's goo? Do you go on the Disabled List?
 
doz said:
Regulation of what? "E"sports is hardly a sport. But, there is big money in it so something needs to give (or people need to stop being stupid and betting on something so easily fixed).

sport
noun
Simple Definition of sport
  • : a contest or game in which people do certain physical activities according to a specific set of rules and compete against each other
Jerking off between rounds of CS:GO is not the physical activity they are describing.
Click to expand...
I guess Chess is not a sport at all then, and all these championships and stuff are just a scam.
 
If there's money involved there will be cheating involved.

I am, however, looking looking forward to the emergence of lines of cocaine as a performance enhancer.


doz said:
Regulation of what? "E"sports is hardly a sport. But, there is big money in it so something needs to give (or people need to stop being stupid and betting on something so easily fixed).

sport
noun
Simple Definition of sport
  • : a contest or game in which people do certain physical activities according to a specific set of rules and compete against each other
Jerking off between rounds of CS:GO is not the physical activity they are describing.
Click to expand...


I can make sport of your comment, but I'll be a sport and skip it. What do you think of that, Sport?
 
doz said:
You must not understand PHYSICAL sports and the practice it takes to get to a level to be playing in right field. This is typical logic of an "e"sport player. What happens when your hand makes your eye meet the other eye's goo? Do you go on the Disabled List?
Click to expand...

Spoken like someone who has never put fourth the hundreds and thousands of hours of practice, the 12-14 hour days of practice and review it takes to be a professional E-sport player. I have, so, you don't really need to bother responding, you have nothing to say.
 
Shmee said:
Video games require great hand-eye coordination, and that mouse is always moving. I would say the average Pro-Gamer is being more active than a baseball right fielder.
Click to expand...


Yea, benching doughnuts is real man's work.
 
Vercinaigh said:
Spoken like someone who has never put fourth the hundreds and thousands of hours of practice, the 12-14 hour days of practice and review it takes to be a professional E-sport player. I have, so, you don't really need to bother responding, you have nothing to say.
Click to expand...
I actually played competitive CS back in the day (before all this shit blew up). I would practice with a team everyday and we would goto lans and win prizes (before cash prize was a thing at CS tournaments). I didnt put in 12 hour days, but I would put in about 40+ hours a week playing and was pretty good back then. That said, I would never consider it a sport. The only reason ESPN picked it up is because they see the money coming. Playing video games competitively is far from a sport...............
 
doz said:
You must not understand PHYSICAL sports and the practice it takes to get to a level to be playing in right field. This is typical logic of an "e"sport player. What happens when your hand makes your eye meet the other eye's goo? Do you go on the Disabled List?
Click to expand...

Rick Fox a retired Professional Athlete and now Esports Team owner would disagree with you entirely. He has seen first hand how these kids work and practice and has compared it Directly to sports. rick fox on esports - YouTube Going to local lans and comparing that to full on major competitions is like comparing your Church baseball team and saying that it competes with MLB. In other words, utterly Laughable.
 
Dekoth-E- said:
Rick Fox a retired Professional Athlete and now Esports Team owner would disagree with you entirely. He has seen first hand how these kids work and practice and has compared it Directly to sports. rick fox on esports - YouTube Going to local lans and comparing that to full on major competitions is like comparing your Church baseball team and saying that it competes with MLB. In other words, utterly Laughable.
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I am not trying to compare my weak 40 hour a week play to professionals. I know it wasnt shit. I am saying that I hardly feel its a sport. That is my opinion. But at the same time, the local churches kids baseball team will do more physical activity than these "e"sports players.
 
Hey Doz, you can be close minded all you want. Until other "sports" are canned from the description, I think you are going to lose this battle.

IE: Other "sports" that have professional level coverage
Poker
Pool (billards)
Darts
Arm Wrestling
Golf
Auto-Racing (all forms)
Paintball
Bowling
Curling

You should just proclaim you do not personally consider e-sports a real sport, and accept that it will be covered as such irregardless of your viewpoint.
 
Its not a sport. Its an e-sport. A huge difference. I mean... e-mail...isnt mail...but it brings us information as e-sports brings competitiveness as sports do.\

Pretty cool Rick Fox has a team though!
 
iQuasarLV said:
Hey Doz, you can be close minded all you want. Until other "sports" are canned from the description, I think you are going to lose this battle.

IE: Other "sports" that have professional level coverage
Poker
Pool (billards)
Darts
Arm Wrestling
Golf
Auto-Racing (all forms)
Paintball
Bowling
Curling

You should just proclaim you do not personally consider e-sports a real sport, and accept that it will be covered as such irregardless of your viewpoint.
Click to expand...

Yes, you are right I will lose the battle. Thats ok though as I have nothing against gaming :) ANd I see the money in it so I understand the situation. I do not agree Poker is a "sport" but the rest of what you listed are all more physically demanding than video games :) (with darts and pool being on the week end of things). And to say auto-racing is not a sport? Id like to see you drive a car that does not like to handle well in the conditions they deal with for 2-3 hours. Far more physically demanding than most people understand.
 
iQuasarLV said:
Hey Doz, you can be close minded all you want. Until other "sports" are canned from the description, I think you are going to lose this battle.

IE: Other "sports" that have professional level coverage
Poker
Pool (billards)
Darts
Arm Wrestling
Golf
Auto-Racing (all forms)
Paintball
Bowling
Curling

You should just proclaim you do not personally consider e-sports a real sport, and accept that it will be covered as such irregardless of your viewpoint.
Click to expand...

I don't mind canning those from the description either. I'd encourage it actually.

Unless you can attain or maintain fitness from an activity, it isn't a sport and most people crying foul on the ridiculous "e-sports" moniker would agree. Shakespearean acting is not a sport. Piano playing is not a sport. Nor is video gaming. Nor is competitive bonsai. Not hot dog eating. Same for cellphone texting.
 
It's definition as a sport or not shouldn't have anything to do with whether we need rules to safeguard the integrity of competitions. There have been a lot of negative cheating stories in the last year. For something trying to be more popular and mainstream that is a killer. This arena needs to sort that out and that will involve rules and organizations designed to enforce them.

Doesn't necessarily need to be new laws or anything. All the major professional sports associations are mostly self regulated.
 
doz said:
Regulation of what? "E"sports is hardly a sport. But, there is big money in it so something needs to give (or people need to stop being stupid and betting on something so easily fixed).

sport
noun
Simple Definition of sport
  • : a contest or game in which people do certain physical activities according to a specific set of rules and compete against each other
Jerking off between rounds of CS:GO is not the physical activity they are describing.
Click to expand...
I don't actually see what they're describing in that definition, maybe I'm blind. Please point that out.

Also.... Nascar.
 
illram said:
It's definition as a sport or not shouldn't have anything to do with whether we need rules to safeguard the integrity of competitions. There have been a lot of negative cheating stories in the last year. For something trying to be more popular and mainstream that is a killer. This arena needs to sort that out and that will involve rules and organizations designed to enforce them.

Doesn't necessarily need to be new laws or anything. All the major professional sports associations are mostly self regulated.
Click to expand...


Uh. Nope.

Baseball, NFL, NBA...all fall under the Commerce Clause and are regulated ultimately by Congress, whenever they feel like it. Now, due to massive industry purchasing of laws, they've been basically exempt from antitrust laws mind you.... Nevermind all sports (other than the ultra-juiced NFL) report to WADA for doping controls (as well as their regional/national doping authority such as USADA).
 
doz said:
I actually played competitive CS back in the day (before all this shit blew up). I would practice with a team everyday and we would goto lans and win prizes (before cash prize was a thing at CS tournaments). I didnt put in 12 hour days, but I would put in about 40+ hours a week playing and was pretty good back then. That said, I would never consider it a sport. The only reason ESPN picked it up is because they see the money coming. Playing video games competitively is far from a sport...............
Click to expand...

Chess is a recognized sport of the International Olympic Committee;[3] some national sporting bodies such as the Spanish Consejo Superior de Deportes also recognize chess as a sport.[4] Chess was included in the 2006 and 2010Asian Games.
 
I have noticed this group here gets very bent out of shape on what word people use to describe something. Pick a better fight guys lol.
 
Skripka said:
Uh. Nope.

Baseball, NFL, NBA...all fall under the Commerce Clause and are regulated ultimately by Congress, whenever they feel like it. Now, due to massive industry purchasing of laws, they've been basically exempt from antitrust laws mind you.... Nevermind all sports (other than the ultra-juiced NFL) report to WADA for doping controls (as well as their regional/national doping authority such as USADA).
Click to expand...
You've got it backwards. Anti trust exemptions make them exempt from most regulation and it's been that way for a while. As I said they remain primarily self regulated, e.g. the recent appellate court ruling tossing a fed district courts attempt to overturn the privately arbitrated discipline of Tom Brady. Congress doesn't make the rules for cheating in baseball or deflated footballs in the NFL, the leagues ownership in negotiations with their unions do.

Day to day rulemaking and regulation, compensation, even rules for agents of athletes is all entirely within the universe of the associations, not the government. Basic foundational stuff like unions is governed by US law but that already applies to esports in the USA. Even performance enhancing drugs are not uniformly regulated by Congress beyond their scheduling by the FDA. (For example baseball could decide to just stop testing people for certain drugs, or enact less severe punishments for steroids, or ban shortstops from eating lettuce.) What esports lacks is a cohesive and effective national association for standardized competitive rules and enforcement.
 
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doz said:
I am not trying to compare my weak 40 hour a week play to professionals. I know it wasnt shit. I am saying that I hardly feel its a sport. That is my opinion. But at the same time, the local churches kids baseball team will do more physical activity than these "e"sports players.
Click to expand...

The point you seem to continue to miss is concerning the physical activity. You have no idea what kind of practice regimen these top players are going through. If a former Pro Athlete states "Their training is every bit as intensive as any professional sport" I tend to defer to his experience verses yours. As i said, he has actual experience with how hard they practice..you Don't.
 
I don't think anyone will ever take "esports" seriously, as long as they call it "esports". It just pisses off too many people.
 
Honestly, I don't really care what people think of it.... more so people outside the scene. I mean, why give a damn to people who probably won't ever come close to participating in anyway?
 
Government regulation already happens on e-sports in S.Korea. I imagine it'll happen in the states eventually.
 
Quix said:
I don't think anyone will ever take "esports" seriously, as long as they call it "esports". It just pisses off too many people.
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If you call it "esports" people take it more seriously than calling it "video gaming".

thesmokingman said:
That's ironic, doping for an advantage in esports.
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You see it today, people want to spoof GPS data so they can collect Pokemon in Pokemon Go without getting off the couch...but the damn game designed to make you get outdoors-well-requires you to stop benching doughnuts.
 
pothb said:
That's hardly doping.
Click to expand...

It sure as hell is cheating...which ultimately is what doping is about. Unfair advantage and all that.

Even when absolutely nothing is on the line monetarily people will cheat.
 
Not saying it's not cheating, but it isn't doping. Doping is a certain kind of cheating though. Now, if you used an example of taking red bull to run longer... then yea... maybe that works.
 
pothb said:
Not saying it's not cheating, but it isn't doping. Doping is a certain kind of cheating though. Now, if you used an example of taking red bull to run longer... then yea... maybe that works.
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Go read the WADA Code. Anything that gives an advantage and or is dangerous to people is considered a PED. In this situation it hits both requirements.
 
thesmokingman said:
Go read the WADA Code. Anything that gives an advantage and or is dangerous to people is considered a PED. In this situation it hits both requirements.
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I don't think things like adding a hidden motor to your bike would be classified as a PED in the tour de France. The definition really only covers substances you put in your body to give you an advantage.
 
NickJames said:
I don't think things like adding a hidden motor to your bike would be classified as a PED in the tour de France. The definition really only covers substances you put in your body to give you an advantage.
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Actually the UCI (The top-level bicycle racing international organizational body) has classified it as, and I'm translating from French/Dutch here, "mechanical doping". And this year they were checking bikes for it in TdF.
 
^^Yep.

NickJames said:
I don't think things like adding a hidden motor to your bike would be classified as a PED in the tour de France. The definition really only covers substances you put in your body to give you an advantage.
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What's your point? Does it make it not cheating or something if its not a PED?
 
thesmokingman said:
^^Yep.



What's your point? Does it make it not cheating or something if its not a PED?
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My point is that a mechanical form of cheating is NOT a drug. It makes absolutely no sense for it to fall under the same classification.

Wiki said:
In competitive sports, doping refers to the use of banned athletic performance-enhancing drugs
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Mechanical doping sounds like some bullshit term made up by people with bad language skills and journalists.
 
NickJames said:
My point is that a mechanical form of cheating is NOT a drug. It makes absolutely no sense for it to fall under the same classification.



Mechanical doping sounds like some bullshit term made up by people with bad language skills and journalists.
Click to expand...

And again what's your point because these guys are taking drugs besides software cheats.
 
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