What's a Sport? The Rise to Prominence of eSports

Description

There has long been a debate about the difference between a sport and a game, a gamer and an athlete. With the increased interest in competitive gaming from both spectators and advertisers, many are advancing the idea of the professional gamer as an athlete. With rigorous physical and mental training regimens and progressively higher stakes prizing, professional gamers are challenging the image of the gamer as couch potato. Representatives from GameSpot and from Major League Gaming will debate the legitimacy of eSports and what the future holds for players, fans, and advertisers.

Questions Answered

1. Who are the pro gamers?
2. Who is the pro gaming audience?
3. Does sports media really consider eSports a legitimate authentic athletic field?
4. How did eSports evolve to its current state?
5. Is this a fad?

Tags

esports, sports, games

Meta

Event

Interactive

Category

Panel

Theme

Gaming and Game Development

Level

Beginning

Speakers

• John Davison GameSpot
• Sundance DiGiovanni Major League Gaming
• Sundance DiGiovanni Major League Gaming
• Andy "Reginald" Dinh Team Solo Mid

Organizer

John Davison CBS Interactive

Additional Supporting Materials

SXSW Interactive 2013

Share This Idea