Lots of students at SLOHS play video games. Most of them believe that it’s a sport. They are delusional. Photo courtesy of freshman Zara Sedeek. 

  At San Luis Obispo High School, a quite controversial topic has been coming up. Is playing video games a sport? Your answer will vary depending on the people talkin. Yet one opinion seems to reign supreme. 

  Video games aren’t a sport. 

  “Video games definitely aren’t a sport because they aren’t a physical activity. When you think of a sport, you think of something that gets your heart rate up, and video games don’t really do that,” said sophomore Addi Woods. 

  The definition of sports according to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary is as follows, “physical activity engaged in for pleasure.” While people do play video games for fun and as a pass time, no physical activity is involved other than the small movement of fingers. 

  Sports also help bring people together and create new friendships. While you can meet people playing video games, the relationships aren’t nearly as close and as easy to maintain as in-person relationships. The bond that comes from losing and winning together, practicing together, and spending a lot of time with each other is incomparable to any other online relationship. 

  Not only are video games not a sport, but they can actually be unhealthy. Sitting for hours staring at a screen while eating junk food is not ideal to stay healthy, while sports are definitely a great way to keep fit.  

  “I feel like video games could be a sport if played the right way, like virtual reality. You can play tennis and ping-pong with online people, and talk to them,” said junior Tristan Candelas.

  Apps on VR headsets do include a wide variety of sports games meant to keep people as active as possible while still playing video games, or to simulate the real sport. While some may think that virtual reality sports, or eSports, are considered real sports, they still don’t quite have the amount of physical exertion required to qualify as one. 

  Instead of trying to recreate the suspense, the teamwork, and the collaboration of sports through online games, why not play the sport in real life instead? 

Sources: mcgilltribune.com, merriam-webster.com