MLG’s co-founder/president says pro gamers "have an agility that even Michael Jordan didn't have"

[Deleted_171835]

The federal ruling was based on a gaming metric known as APMs, or actions per minute. In StarCraft, for example, a military strategy game, the average player can generally reach about 70 APMs. The world’s most accomplished gamers — like the celebrated BoxeR, who lives in South Korea — can execute as many as 400. That means BoxeR, a master of the game, is able to perform more than six separate keystrokes or movements of the mouse every second.

“The dexterity and visual acuity that takes is just incredible,” Mike Sepso, M.L.G.’s co-founder and president, said. “When people say it doesn’t take athletic prowess, I tell them they should try it. Ordinary people just can’t do what professional gamers do. They have an agility that even Michael Jordan didn’t have.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/11/nyregion/seeking-to-be-both-nfl-and-espn-of-video-gaming.html?hp

 

[Zetta_x]

Well I didn't want to brag, but I do have 90 agility on RuneScape

 

[Black-Ice]

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/11/nyregion/seeking-to-be-both-nfl-and-espn-of-video-gaming.html?hp

Its called....skill

 

[Ethevion]

So being able to click and push buttons really fast means you have more agility than a basketball player?

 

[BlackWizzard17]

Because playing a game and playing a sport are exactly comparable.
Or are they saying that micheal Jordan was terribl at video games

 

[Foxi4]

So being able to click and push buttons really fast means you have more agility than a basketball player?

Yes, yes it does - in a particular area of "agility".

Eye-to-hand coordination as well as precision are both actual skills.

 

[mrtofu]

deleted

 

[TripleSMoon]

So being able to click and push buttons really fast means you have more agility than a basketball player?

Yes, yes it does - in a particular area of that skill.

Eye-to-hand coordination as well as precision are both actual skills.

Precisely, Foxi4. And Ethevion, it's more than pushing buttons really fast. It's about actually pushing buttons in a way that seriously matters to the game. I can easily boot up Super Smash Bros., start training mode, and just sit there and mash the attack button a couple hundred times in a minute. But that's not the same as pulling off hundreds of button mashes that actually matter in a real competition against someone else. That's what sets these professional gamers a step above the rest. It's not as simple as how many raw button presses one can make so much as how those button presses are used.

 

[Rydian]

Yeah, you guys need to watch some pro gamers play, it's crazy.

And by "pro" I mean "professional", as in it is their "profession", it is something they do that earns them money (either sponsored to show off hardware like Nvidia sometimes does and Alienware used to do, via competitions like with Warsow, etc.) that they use to live.

 

[Black-Ice]

Yeah, you guys need to watch some pro gamers play, it's crazy.

And by "pro" I mean "professional", as in it is their "profession", it is something they do that earns them money (either sponsored to show off hardware like Nvidia sometimes does and Alienware used to do, via competitions like with Warsow, etc.) that they use to live.

I watch the League of Legends Professional Leagues of EU and NA, in some countries its aired on TV.
But i have to stream it coz fuck UK

 

[AceWarhead]

Some people don't understand the mental strength and dexterity that is required to play professionally. Look at some of the Korean SCII progamers, or some SSBB players, even DOTA2. It's not all press-buttons as alot of people make it out to be.

 

[Sop]

Yeah, you guys need to watch some pro gamers play, it's crazy.

And by "pro" I mean "professional", as in it is their "profession", it is something they do that earns them money (either sponsored to show off hardware like Nvidia sometimes does and Alienware used to do, via competitions like with Warsow, etc.) that they use to live.

I have a CSGO team in an open league ATM, and it does require a lot of skill, teamwork, communication, co-ordination, strategy etc.

 

[Hells Malice]

I wonder if MLGs president is aware that MLG is a casual group full of scrubcakes.
its just a gaming community that got full of itself.

Anyway I'd say mental strength needs to be a good one too. There's plenty of times where I'll get overwhelmed and fuck something up where I could have easily made a comeback had I just calmed the fuck down and pressed the right buttons.
Agility seems minor in comparison to that.

 

[EzekielRage]

I watch a lot of StarCraft 2 por games and am still amazed by some of the incredible plays. Some strategies alongside the skill and effectiveness of those players is fantastic. I couldn't ever be as good. I do think this is a dumb comparison though. Its not even apples and oranges anymore, its apples and rubic cubes, really...

 

[Dork]

Regardless of what it takes to play eSports, it's still in no way on par with regular sports. Not only are athletes using agility, but are physically moving around at all times, requiring physical fitness.
Christ what a dumb statement.

 

[CompassNorth]

Heheh.
All of a sudden gamers are to be considered the ubermensch.

 

[Deleted User]

Have you seen them hit their macros, It's insane. Oh how I wish to have the agility of a Korean.

 

[FireGrey]

Well I didn't want to brag, but I do have 90 agility on RuneScape

I don't mean to brag, but I can get to that in 2 minutes on Dota 2.

 

[Gahars]

How was he able to deliver this quote in between all of the noogies, wedgies, and swirlies he must have been receiving?

“The dexterity and visual acuity that takes is just incredible,” Mike Sepso, M.L.G.’s co-founder and president, said. “When people say it doesn’t take athletic prowess, I tell them they should try it. Ordinary people just can’t do what professional gamers do. They have an agility that even Michael Jordan didn’t have.”

Jesus, I bet he doesn't even slam, let alone jam.

 

[exangel]

Regardless of what it takes to play eSports, it's still in no way on par with regular sports. Not only are athletes using agility, but are physically moving around at all times, requiring physical fitness.
Christ what a dumb statement.

You don't think playing games like that is exhausting? It may not be comparable to cardio, but a certain level of physical control and fitness IS necessary to play at that level without going numb/sick from the tension that's caused by intense focus.

add: It's mostly mental but I feel it's mental on the level that Yoga or Tai Chi is, when calling it a sport.