tired: esports aren't sports because they're video games
wired: esports aren't sports because they're proprietary artifacts tied to one specific manufacturer, rather than a set of rules anyone can make equipment for
I think this post genuinely hits upon a big reason why games-as-sports will never be as ubquitous as physical sports, and also the only reason why game publishers pour so much money into trying to make it happen; Game companies want a sport that they have a monopoly on, and players don't. Monopolistic practices are antithetical to the kind of accessible universality that makes a sport something anyone can pick up at any time or start their own organization for. Game companies will never allow that, and so we'll never have it.
what if you did an esport zhat had a game spec instead of a specific game? like zheres a document of exactly how an official tetris game should work in detail. what if you had a similar detailed spec about how zhe physics and interactions of say, an fps worked? any game zhat matches zhose specs would zhen be a valid version of zhe game, not necessarily tied to any company? pressumably zhe spec wouldnt be owned by any one entity, just out zhere in zhe open. could it zhen be a real esport?
