To the general public, the idea that those who play video games for a living have much in common with high level professional athletes might be laughable. But those involved with the scene understand the unique talent, skill and determination of the players mirrors that of “real” athletes, even if their physical fitness is different.
But it’s not just the eSports community that views players as athletes now, the U.S. Government does as well. For the past few years, it’s been rather nightmarish for foreign players from Asia, Europe and elsewhere to enter the United States to play in tournaments. Visas are notoriously tricky, and coming to a country to play a video game isn’t always the easiest sell.
Well, now according to Riot Games eSports manager Nick Allen (speaking toGamespot), after a long back and forth with the government, the U.S. finally now recognizes eSports players as professional athletes, and will grant them visas under that identifier. This will dramatically streamline the process for foreign players to enter the U.S. for events, and it’s a big victory for the scene. Allen describes the difficulty of getting the government to take them seriously:
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