There has been a long debate as to whether competitive gaming can be considered a sport; with the main argument being: there’s no physical aspect to it. But according to The Oxford English Dictionary definition of a sport, it is, “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.” Under this assumption, video games or Esports are most definitely sports.
Though games like League of Legends and Overwatch are not being broadcasted on ESPN like poker, respective game publishers have invested into quality productions through video game streaming services that could rival their quality. This investment is proving to be profitable.
Newzoo, the leading provider of market intelligence, forecasts that the Esport economy will generate $1.1 billion in 2019.
One might be wondering how an industry making so much money can still be so niche. However, through waves of local tournaments with a large fan base, the idea of Esports is not as niche as one might think.
Nintendo is a well known Japanese electronic and video game company. Their gaming consoles include the Nintendo64, Gamecube, Wii, and most recently the Switch. They also developed handheld gaming devices such as the Gameboy Color, Gameboy Advance, and the DS and 3DS. High profile game titles like the Mario series, Pokémon, Metroid Prime, Animal Crossing, and the infamous Super Smash Brothers. Super Smash Brothers Melee was the first title in the Nintendo series to create a competitive scene.
Fast forward years later, where vast majority of gaming companies and softwares are being promoted as an Esport event, a new venue located at Quaker Bridge Mall in Lawrence has brought the competition closer to the Mercer area.
Hyper Space Gaming, is a virtual reality arcade with mounted colorful and powerful gaming rigs connected to multiple large screens that line the walls. Families with varying ages enjoy playing games with VR (Virtual Reality) headsets. In the back of the venue, Nintendo Switches are loaded up with Super Smash Bros and hopeful winners and spectators gather for a day of heated matches.
Monday, February 18, the venue hosted their third tournament with 22 entrants competing for a cash prize. After many rounds of colorful combos, one competitor, Chris Reubel comes out on top of the competition.
After the tournament was over, the winner, Reubel, runner-up Jay Santiago, and competitor Russell Malko huddled together to share tips and tricks for their next tournament.
All three were in agreement that Hyper Space was a great tournament for players looking to dip their toes into the competitive world. Santiago noted that getting constructive criticism for match improvement is not something that would typically be possible at a larger event.
Matthew Fox, the venue’s Tournament Organizer said, “I think Super Smash Brothers is a great game for a community event like this because everyone here is friendly and the game is welcoming to that friendly, yet competitive environment. I think this is overall a great experience.”
