Electronic Sport

The electronic sport (in English E-sport for electronic sports ) indicates the regular practice, on Internet or in Lan-party, of a Video game obligatorily multijoueurs via a Ordinateur or a Game console. The best world actors of the electronic sport meet at the time of tournaments of reputation such as ESWC (world cup of the video games) or the Professional Ligue of Cyberathlètes.

Is the electronic sport a “sport”?

Some practical of leisures are devoted as a Sport, also called modern sport. It is a complex notion and multiple which exists in this direction only since the 19th century, with the emergence of the English middle-class sports and of the Olympic Games.

For example, for the current “hygienist” preaching a sport health, the electronic sport has little chance quite simply to acquire the label “sport” because it does not constitute, strictly speaking, an physical-activity.

Those which preach that this activity is a sport, emphasize its sportivisation - which began as from 1997 with creation from the Cyberathlete Professional League aiming at professionnaliser the competitions - and the acceptance of a system says “sporting”, of the teams (teams), made up players to which often come to be added advisers, coaches, managers, Sponsor S and regular drives.

Examples of play

All the video games supporting the parts as a multijouor are likely to become an electronic competition of sport. The Electronic Sports World Cup (ESWC) (World cup of the video games) 2007 saw to clash the candidates on the plays Counter-Strike (Male and female) , Quake 4 , Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne , TrackMania Nations ESWC , and Pro Evolution Soccer 5 .

The professional sport

History

The professional events clearly developed since the first tournaments in 1997. Tournaments which this year there, was accommodated by Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) founded by Angel Munoz, gathering approximately 300 competitors around a single play: Quake . Consequently, the service of the tournaments as their size developed considerably, and maintaining the thousands of spectators connect themselves above the Internet to look at the finales. The prices are also more important; in 2005, the CPL paid a total of: 1,500,000 $ in cash.

The CPL remained a pilot force in the electronic sport and in 2005 its activities moved in a format world turn . Round the world tour 2005 concentrated on the video game Painkiller exclusively in mode of play against one, and the distributed prices rose with a sum of: 1,000,000 $ for this only play, gaining it of the great final gained the sum of: 150,000 $. In 2006 the format world turn was re-used for other plays such as Counter-Strike or Quake 4 .

The professional tournaments most largely recognized are those of the Cyberathlete Professional League, of the World Cyber Games as well as the Electronic Sports World Cup. The prices for these events are provided most of the time by the large companies data processing which sponsorisent the events; these same companies also sponsorisent several of the teams. A sponsoring of team includes usually expenses of the voyage and some equipment that the company produced.

The pro gamers

The professional players, pro gamers , shortened English professionnal gamers , often shortened PGM or PG, nominates a person who earns her living while playing video games. They are named Gosu in South Korea, country where this activity is very médiatisée. By drift, this name is also used to congratulate a nonprofessional player after a very good service.

Only or equips some, the professional player involves itself daily, several hours per day, often with only one and single play to specialize. It is generally accompanied by a strator, to improve his Stratégie S and its general quality of play. It is necessary however that it can quickly handle other video games, to adapt quickly to the evolution of the products and plays headlights of the moment.

To be remunerated, the professional player and his team take part in important Lan-parties with the four corners of the world. In the event of victory, it gains a variable amount of money, but especially a reputation which can interest the sponsors. World cup (ESWC), edition 2005 with offered: 40,000 $ with the team first of the tournament Counter-Strike , American of the compLexity team. The total of the money distributed for this edition 2005 of the world cup was of more than: 265,000 $. The important teams are sponsored by the large manufacturers of computer material, like NVidia and ATI (AMD), manufacturers of graphics cards or Intel and AMD, manufacturers of Microprocesseur S.

The electronic sport utilizes the reflexes and the reflection, is not reserved to the men, and the tournaments are mixed.

Associations

If the electronic sport could be born in France, it is partly thanks to electronic organizing associations of events which organize since ten years of the meetings between players. Some of these events, also called Lan-party (started from network game), constitute today the keystone of the qualifications for national competitions in France. The lan-party gain each year in quality, proposing tournaments equipped always better, and opening more and more with the public.

Mediatization

In France, the professional players are not médiatisés too much, but in certain countries like the South Korea, where the electronic sport is recognized like a sport with whole share, the Gosu are true celebrities, comparable in France with the player of universally known Football Zinédine Zidane. The most obvious proof is surely the repeat broadcast of matches of Warcraft III , StarCraft or other strategy games on television.

French however is well represented, as with Yoan Merlo (ToD), one of the 5 best world players of Warcraft III which gained besides WEG 2006 in China, or Bertrand Grospellier, more known under the pseudonym of Elky which after having gained the money medal to WCG 2001 category StarCraft made a career in South Korea.

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