Guy ‘Dr DisRespect’ Beahm has never been one to keep his mouth shut when he has an opinion about something, and his latest hot take is no different. The target of Dr DisRespect’s disrespect this time around? The term ‘esports gamers’.
“You’re not an esport gamer,” Dr DisRespect writes on Twitter, to no one in particular. “You’re a Professional Video Game player. I’ll always be right about this. The word ‘esport’ is a nerdy, lazy approach that can always be reverted at anytime if we choose to do so.”
As with everything Doc says, the responses are mixed. Some agree, adding that the term esports conflates gaming with regular sports and gives the wrong impression, while others are more critical. These voices point out that ‘Professional Video Game player’ is a much wider circle, and is a label which covers Doc himself as a streamer, in a way that ‘esports gamer’ does not.
Interestingly, the current top two replies both take different views of the same problem: the word esports itself. One suggests the stigma around the word esports will disappear in time, while the other thinks the current stigma is all the more reason to rebrand.
You’re not an esport gamer.
You’re a Professional Video Game player.
I’ll always be right about this. The word ‘esport’ is a nerdy, lazy approach that can always be reverted at anytime if we choose to do so.
— Dr Disrespect (@drdisrespect) August 27, 2020
Doc is an influential voice in gaming, and somehow seems even more prominent following his ban from Twitch. He’s not powerful enough to change the name of an entire industry overnight though, not even close. It will be interesting to see if any top ‘esports gamers’ respond however, and what the fallout from that will be.
