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I still can't get this around my head still. The U.S Government allowing people who play video games be classified as Professional Athletes, so they can get Visas so they can play in Video game tournaments. Yes I know this was done last year, but after reading all these "tournaments" topics I was thinking about it again. All these people who attend Tournaments can become professional athletes.

What do you think if this happened to 40K? Imagine if we had sponsored Tournaments like they do in Video games and we became professional athletes now. Just trying to lighten up the mood a bit.

I think professional gaming is stupid but apparently there is a market for it. So... I guess we are athletes as soon as there is a good market for watching us play with man dollies.

I don't think traditional wargaming is really going to ever make it as a sport.

Though if we did I imagine the commentary would be done in the kind of hushed whispers that Golf commentators talk in.

Magic the Gathering is a good example of this as well. MTG has a pro circuit, with sponsors and such; so is it possible yes. However, in order to be considered a "professional athlete" you would have to have the tourney or professional resume to back it up which 99% of 40k players do not.

Fat guys who play softball on the weekends, or MTG, or 40k are not athletes lol. hate to say it.

Not because I play, but it think watching 40k tourneys would be more fun than watching video game tourneys.

The only reason why any sport even exists is because or the people who watch it.

Athlete might as well mean professional competitor in this context.

Getting prissy because you think it degrades athlete as a concept is stupid.

You're not going to get anyone to disagree that athletics and sport are different from board games and tactical gaming.

This is simply a rough and ready term that they can quickly apply so e-sports have enough of a legal ground work for things like visas and other such things.

I bench press a land raider daily, it's about time my dedication was recognized.

If you can get paid to play 40k (not sure what the minimum amount would be) and do it for a living ... then yes I would consider players athletes that get paid to play 40k.

 ClockworkZion wrote:
I don't think traditional wargaming is really going to ever make it as a sport.

Though if we did I imagine the commentary would be done in the kind of hushed whispers that Golf commentators talk in.

Star craft (professional played) Is commentated outside, so that the players cant hear that. I see no need to whisper if the gamers cant here you

These athletes that play professional video games have sponsors who pay them a salary and then a large portion of the tournament winnings are theirs, the tournaments depending on the game typically range from 10 thousand dollars for winning up to a million. So if people are bringing in that kinda money and don't have a separate job then that is their profession, so it's easy to see them getting a work visa the markets there and the money is there.

lol no. Then you could call knitters an athlete.

Gamers and eSports being termed professional athletes is I'm guessing a lot like professional poker, chess, or MtG players. When it comes to earned income, winnings, and taxes it might be the closest group to put them in. Also, alot of pro gamers, especially in the Starcraft 2 get paid salaries, major sponsorships, etc. Heck, there are professional RC racers.

As far as could 40k ever get to that level, it would take a great deal of work. Making it more "mainstream", easy to start, so that it could be learned by the gaming comunity at large and build up on that. Then they'd need proven balancing across the board, and promoted as such for the intent of being able to support a highly competitive scene. This isn't even getting in to sponsors and prize money, because really it comes down to money. Who cares if it's competitive unless there is something to gain and bragging rights only go so far.

The idea of calling video games "eSports" is really silly, and ultimately not great for the gaming scene. They've done a great job carving a spot for themselves, but this nonsense about trying to get it into the Olympics is just silly. Gaming is its own thing, it doesn't need to be a sport to be popular and interesting.

The best musicians don't get together and lobby to be in the Olympics. They have concerts where all the fans show up and have an awesome time. To me, gaming is more like two guitarists shredding some face-melting guitar lics trying to out-do one another. In that situation, everyone is having a great time, and it's not city team X vs city team B.

Gaming should be its own thing, and stop trying to be something it's not.

hobojebus wrote:
I bench press a land raider daily, it's about time my dedication was recognized.

Do you even lift bruv?

fakin oaf i lift matie i fuckin lift a forkin' godhammer every day all day for dem chisseled 'ceps know what I'm sayin bruva?


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 TheSilo wrote:
The idea of calling video games "eSports" is really silly, and ultimately not great for the gaming scene. They've done a great job carving a spot for themselves, but this nonsense about trying to get it into the Olympics is just silly. Gaming is its own thing, it doesn't need to be a sport to be popular and interesting.

The best musicians don't get together and lobby to be in the Olympics. They have concerts where all the fans show up and have an awesome time. To me, gaming is more like two guitarists shredding some face-melting guitar lics trying to out-do one another. In that situation, everyone is having a great time, and it's not city team X vs city team B.

Gaming should be its own thing, and stop trying to be something it's not.

I hate the language you used, but agree completely.

The U.S government also ruled that pizza and tomatoes are vegetables.

Tomatoes are fruit.

Pizzas are made from flour, yeast, milk, ect which are herbs / dairy and such.

It doesn't make sense, it just smooths out bureaucracy.

When I play 40k, I take a lap for each guy I lose. I am now an athlete.

I'm going to maintain George Carlin's assertion that the only 3 sports we have are baseball, basketball, and football. Everything else is a "game" or an "activity".

Davor wrote:
I still can't get this around my head still. The U.S Government allowing people who play video games be classified as Professional Athletes, so they can get Visas so they can play in Video game tournaments. Yes I know this was done last year, but after reading all these "tournaments" topics I was thinking about it again. All these people who attend Tournaments can become professional athletes.

What do you think if this happened to 40K? Imagine if we had sponsored Tournaments like they do in Video games and we became professional athletes now. Just trying to lighten up the mood a bit.

Well they did make pizza a veggie some time back.

I'd say that if you get paid to do it professionally, you can go ahead and call yourself an athlete. (Hell, call yourself the king of boogaboogastan! Who cares? You get to play 40k for a living!)

Actually, I'd kinda like a soccer-style comentator:

"He's picking up the dice. DOUBLE SIX!! HE'S MADE THE CHARGE! UNBELIEVABLE!!!!"

Then we just wait until they make licenced sports games, complete with simulated players.