"Professional" Aka "Competitive" Gaming a Waste of Time?

[Dan]

So recently I legit got beat up for saying I enjoy Competitive gaming. I do not understand why there was a need for physical force but I do not understand the minds of everyone. I was told it was a waste of time and that it would be better spent learning real world skills such as medicine and what not, personally I don't know, and I'm thinking my attackers may have a point even if it is something I love. Can you forum dwellers give me some insight, thanks.

 

[Salem]

If it earns you a prize in a tournament or competition such as money or other things, then it's not a waste of time.

 

[Sir Quaffler]

As far as being physically beat up and whatnot, they went way too far. If you know who your attackers were then you need to contact the authorities about it.

But as far as applying your efforts to something more productive, I agree with them. One should choose a career that allows them to contribute back to society, e.g. me and my engineering technology career, or them and their work in the field of medicine. It doesn't have to be high-profile professional jobs, heck you could even just be working at Walmart for all I care. It just has to contribute to society in some fashion, and professional gaming as a career choice simply doesn't do that (unless it's for charity work or something, I've seen a few of those).

Having said that, if you ARE doing something else on top of that, like you're in the medical field but also enjoy the more competitive scene of gaming, then that's perfectly fine. That's what games are for, and if you find enjoyment out of the more competitive experience then good for you.

 

[Dan]

As far as being physically beat up and whatnot, they went way too far. If you know who your attackers were then you need to contact the authorities about it.

But as far as applying your efforts to something more productive, I agree with them. One should choose a career that allows them to contribute back to society, e.g. me and my engineering technology career, or them and their work in the field of medicine. It doesn't have to be high-profile professional jobs, heck you could even just be working at Walmart for all I care. It just has to contribute to society in some fashion, and professional gaming as a career choice simply doesn't do that (unless it's for charity work or something, I've seen a few of those).

Having said that, if you ARE doing something else on top of that, like you're in the medical field but also enjoy the more competitive scene of gaming, then that's perfectly fine. That's what games are for, and if you find enjoyment out of the more competitive experience then good for you.

Here in England it is quite common to get a beating, the police here are useless, the only real choice you have is to fight back which most Brits agree is the right thing to do.
I do give back to society, I am working, but to them I am a pawn that needs to cure cancer or I don't have real world skills for their ideal world, this is the mentality here.

I do it for fun either way, but I am curious if others think as they do.

 

[Salem]

But as far as applying your efforts to something more productive, I agree with them. One should choose a career that allows them to contribute back to society, e.g. me and my engineering technology career, or them and their work in the field of medicine. It doesn't have to be high-profile professional jobs, heck you could even just be working at Walmart for all I care. It just has to contribute to society in some fashion, and professional gaming as a career choice simply doesn't do that (unless it's for charity work or something, I've seen a few of those).

Having said that, if you ARE doing something else on top of that, like you're in the medical field but also enjoy the more competitive scene of gaming, then that's perfectly fine. That's what games are for, and if you find enjoyment out of the more competitive experience then good for you.

Wait, so professional gaming is not contributing to society? If that's the case, so is most media and art careers, hell even professional sports, wrestling etc.

Really what's the difference?

 

[AGanonSlayed]

Wait, so professional gaming is not contributing to society? If that's the case, so is most media and art careers, hell even professional sports, wrestling etc.

Really what's the difference?

Not sure how professional gaming not contributing to society merits a comparison with media and art careers... to be frank, it needs revision. The latter comparison actually makes sense, and as long as people enjoy watching them and pay them, I don't see many problems whatsoever. That being said, the people in the OP have some serious aggression issues, holy ****.

 

[Firice da Vinci]

For this thread, I'm going to have to go with Quaffler. A job should contribute to society in one way or another. I can't think of many ways professional gaming really helps people outside of charity work. Of course, if paid Let's Players can also be considered "professional" then I would say they are a nice part of society. As for this:

Wait, so professional gaming is not contributing to society? If that's the case, so is most media and art careers, hell even professional sports, wrestling etc.

Really what's the difference?

I really do not care much for sports or the media, but art is about the only thing I am absolutely obsessed with and feel a need to defend it. Well, I want to defend realistic art. If you refer to abstract stuff like a Picasso or Pollock, then I'll agree with you. I'm also assuming that you are not referring to music, as everyone likes music, or literature, which should be an important part of everyday life, seeing as it is taught in schools. (Though I think drawing and painting should be brought into the curriculum, but to my dismay, it is not.) Anyway, here's some famous painters that have made immense contributions to society.

1. Jan van Eyck - At the beginnings of the Northern Renaissance, maybe more like the Proto-Renaissance, he imbued religious figures with such realism, that society (mostly Catholic) was filled with spiritual pride.
2. Leonardo da Vinci - One of the greatest minds ever known. For the sake of his paintings, he become arguably the first modern thinkers, invented flying machines centuries before the Wright brothers, made some of the most accurate anatomical and medical studies, and we are still studying his genius almost four centuries later.
3. Raphael - Let's just say Europe loved him so much that he was called "Divine" and his death was labelled as a martyrdom by the Pope and died as a mortal god.
4. Artemisia Gentileschi - One of the most influential women of the 17th century. Back before feminism was even a thing and women couldn't get jobs, she was able to become one of Europe's greatest painters, spreading he defiant views across the continent. When Women's Rights was brought around years after her death, she was an influential figure for the movement.
5. Jacques-Louis David - Around the years of the French Revolution, he painted monumental pieces to spread the ideas of Liberty and Freedom. He was even thrown in prison for his "propaganda" and, was exiled, and, when he died, was not allowed to be buried in France for being a "king killer".

 

[Wolf Sage]

I agree with Sir Quaffler for the most part; however, from a self-support standpoint, living off of competitive gaming can be quite effective if done correctly. Like they say, "it's not work if you're having fun." Sadly, video games are often seen as one of the worst form of escapism, overshadowed by the aforementioned 'positive' forms such as sports, art, and music. While that's not to say I agree with that sentiment, I get it. There's just that stigma attached to gaming, and it hasn't quite gone entirely 'mainstream' yet.

I'm sure that there are some unseen ways in which competitive gaming contributes to society, though. Hosting tournaments and other events are sure to provide substantial revenues for their respective locations, not to mention game developers, tournament commentators, [gaming] journalists, and a host of other contributors (technicians, testers, managers, planners, and organizers) to such occasions. What I'm trying to say is, I bet a lot of people would be out of a job if it weren't for competitive gaming. A lot goes into it, and it takes a shartload of manpower (i.e., employees).

 

[DarkestLink]

I personally see it as a waste of time, because I feel when you try to become professional, the game turns into work and it's not fun anymore. But to each their own.

 

[Wolf Sage]

I personally see it as a waste of time, because I feel when you try to become professional, the game turns into work and it's not fun anymore. But to each their own.

Most of the competitive guys and gals I know over on Dustloop actually enjoy the 'work' that comes with 'becoming professional.' Although, most of them got better at what they do simply because they spent hours upon hours playing fighting games for fun, while a handful of them are just naturals. Becoming professional needn't necessarily involve blood, sweat, and tears, even though it usually produces the best results. Improvement tends to come with repetition. Regardless of my observations, however, I see where you're coming from as well, because there's ALWAYS exceptions.

 

[A Link In Time]

Professional gaming or "esports" as its organizers prefer to call it, is not a viable career option in the Western world. There aren't enough supporters for this avenue because most people in North America and Europe don't see this as anything more than a stop gap to earn some quick cash before moving on to a better job or continuing education. Having watched a lot of competitive League of Legends, the funding isn't there either. Valve is trying to counteract this problem in DotA 2 by having players raise prize funds for the world tournament, but this $8 million dollar prize pool is only awarded to the winning team instead of being dispersed throughout the scene as a whole.

The reason competitive gaming is seen in an entirely different light in Asian countries, particularly South Korea and China, is because the necessary funding and infrastructure are there. Pro players are treated the same as athletes for physical sports. Over there, the hottest games are truly seen as "esports". Teams aren't composed of teenagers who want to grab a bit of money to jump start or resume their educational careers. Some players in the Asian scene remain competitive into their late 20s. Teams are assigned coaches and analysts and they treat "scrimming", or practicing against other teams in simulation matches very seriously. Gaming is a full time profession with players dedicating as much as 16 hours per day into improving. Events are also hyped and broadcast on major streaming services as well as television.

Cultural attitude is the primary factor in action here explaining why Asian teams are consistently top of the table realizing the self-fulfilling prophecy in the West that professional gaming is a waste of time.

 

[Mercedes]

If footballers and basketball players and game designers and movie directors and Formula 1 drivers are considered professionals and are respected as such, pro gamers should be treat no differently. There's literally no difference between professional gaming and professional sports in what they provide to people, entertainment and competition, except modern perception of their 'sport', "It's just a game", which I'm sure people said about football when it was first played, "It's just kicking a ball around". Ancient civilisations had sport too because human beings like entertainment and like competition, and we like to watch it. As technology and culture advanced we made new sports, and that's all we're doing now. Pro players pay their taxes just like anybody else, they play their sport for other's entertainment, they interview on other shows, they have sponsorship deals, etc. They are contributing to society just as much as any entertainment medium does, and probably more than anyone else here ever will.

I'm not even a particularly big fan of professional gaming, TI4 is the only tournament I've ever actually sort of kept up with since everyone exploded about it, prize-pool is easily going to eclipse $10 million now, but I see no difference between watching football and watching games in what they provide to me and anybody else; entertainment. Except one has really good character models and lighting, it looks almost real!

 

[Random Person]

If one believes competitive gaming is a waste of time, they must also believe competitive ANYTHING is a waste of time. Competitive gaming allows for one to test their mental/physical skills against others while providing entertainment for the rest of the world. Most agree that entertainment is a huge part of society as it allows one to reap the benefits of their hard work and recharge for the work to come. If you are providing such a service to the world, you deserve praise for it. So... no, I don't see competitive gaming as a waste of time anymore than I see professional sports, the spelling bee, or any other competitive venue as a waste of time. If someone else does... well... opinions.

 

[Dio]

You should have beaten them for not liking competitive gaming.

 

[DarkestLink]

Well a lot of professional sports players make a LOT of money. Not many professional gamers make money and the ones that do usually don't make a lot.