There are even eSports which are now pushing for recognition from the traditional sporting world, although that is a battle that other non-athletic pursuits such as darts, pool, and snooker have been waging for decades to no avail.
Here we take a look at those classic games of the past, which have gone from being seen as nothing more than games, to becoming bona fide mainstream brain sports, to now being in the mix as genuine eSports or perhaps even traditional sports.
Many games played via keyboard or controller are now vying for recognition as genuine sports in their own right.
Gruelling Tournaments And Dedicated Training Set Card Games Apart
There is one form of classic game that has not only flourished since being taken online but has completely reinvented itself in the eyes of gamers. That is, of course, card games, many of which now rank as eSports and are knocking on the door of being accepted as proper sports.
The most obvious of these are old classics like Bridge and poker, although there are other card-based games like Magic: The Gathering Arena and Gwent: The Witcher which have all come from humble offline beginnings to now be seen as genuine sporting pursuits. Much of what has brought these games into the sporting spotlight is the amount of dedicated training and study that top level players need to do in order to be successful, matching the levels of training that regular sports stars demand of themselves. This has led to some classic games and their gruelling tournaments competing with the biggest traditional sports and eSports for who can garner the most viewers and followers on streaming platforms such as YouTube Gaming and Twitch.
From a more business orientated viewpoint, there are plenty of online gaming companies which are pushing for their products to be recognized as genuine sporting pursuits, as it will give them broader appeal with people who may not class themselves as hardcore gamers. If the popularity of classic eSports like Magic: The Gathering and poker continues to grow, the clamor for such acceptance will only increase.
Games like chess are now seen by many as genuine outright sports, buoyed by the emergence of young gun grand masters such as Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura
Grand Masters Are Serous Sports Stars
For the longest time, the only pro board game player any member of the general public could ever name was Garry Kasparov. This persisted until very recently, when the likes of Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura came on the scene, not only playing the game at an impressively high level, but also documenting their heroics on live streaming platforms and social media.
The response from the gaming and sports worlds was incredible, as both men and others like them became stars overnight, much like a top athlete does when they make the NFL draft or get signed by a huge European soccer club. And it is not just chess players who are gaining widespread recognition, with players of board games like Backgammon and Scrabble also finding their names forming part of headlines in some of the world’s top media outlets. Who knows, perhaps board game players could become the sports stars of tomorrow!
Retro Games That Never Grow Old
While it is hard to compete with the longevity of classic games such as chess and poker, there are those modern classics from the retro arcade era of gaming which still persist as some of the most highly played eSports around.
Some great examples of this are Super Mario Kart, Super Street Fighter II: Turbo, and Super Smash Bros. Melee, all of which continue to draw throngs of new players and viewing fans alike. Just like regular sports, such classic titles are so beloved that no matter how fast the world changes, the sports and eSports people love will always endure.
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