Can we consider e-sports a sport?
This is a question I get asked a lot. I can understand that people don’t see it as a sport, because you don’t sweat and you don’t use your body to do sports work. But apart from these two aspects, I think we can consider eSports as a sport. The mental, competitive, tactical aspect and even good food and sleep are taken, like real athletes. We are official figures in the club. Montpellier has a handball, basketball, football, rugby and gaming team and we compete through a tournament sponsored by Ligue 1.
Why is FIFA the reference football game?
FIFA has more licenses for clubs, players and leagues. It is more organized at the level of international tournaments and competitions. Moreover, it is a game that has FIFA as a historical partner, which is nothing when you think about it.
Is there a sport you enjoy other than gaming?
I love basketball whether playing or watching. My first name with an English connotation means that I am very connected to American culture, so I love everything about American sports. My team is the Lakers and franchise player LeBron James. They are a legendary team, they have this extra spirit because of their history.
Tell us about the training courses and how do you prepare for the matches?
We do a lot of video sessions to learn how to analyze our game and the opponent’s game. We watch how opponents play. For example, I tell them “Be careful, he often attacks on the right” “He often plays 4-4-2, so we prefer to use this formation or this way of playing” “He is someone who defends more with his environments”…
Esports in the Olympics one day, do you believe in it?
I want to believe it, it would be amazing! We have a French eSports team and many other countries around the world have their own national team. It’s a team sport and it has a lot of good players, especially in France. These numerous and growing organizations lead me to believe that the next logical step would be the Olympics.
What would you say to someone not interested in video games to take this field into account?
As society has become digital, you have to know how to live with the times and it is also a matter of adapting to the times. It allows you to have fun and escape! There is one side because you can play with everyone and on any platform. Educational games can also bring cultural baggage and for movie lovers, there are video games with achievements and scenarios worthy of great movies. Sometimes instead of watching a movie, I watch a video game on YouTube.
“Tv geek. Certified beer fanatic. Extreme zombie fan. Web aficionado. Food nerd. Coffee junkie.”
