Gaming as a sport?

While attempting to download on of the video games for the paper, I came across a video that caught my eye.

Not having seen any gaming videos of the such, I couldn't help thinking this video was extremely familiar. The  video's personal presenter, the special and exciting graphics used to count down the different 'game plays', and commentary accompanying the action occurring in each segment were all attributes I have seen before. This style mirrors any sports count down, particularly NBA Top 5 plays of the week, like this one:

The extreme similarities between these videos got me thinking about the notion of the 'gamer' and the difficulties in defining the difference between those who consider themselves 'gamers' and those who play games. I think the difference is clearly shown in the first video, where a true gamer could not only watch the segments with complete understanding of the skill expressed, but could also express similar abilities as seen in the video to play the game themselves. A gamer would then be someone who is defined in having an extensive in-depth knowledge of the game and would have personally engaged and participated in the game space for a specifically large amount of time. For example, I may play basketball from time to time, but I wouldn't consider myself to be a 'basketballer'. On the other hand, my boyfriend not only plays the sport competitively, but engages frequently with the online basketball community, and watches videos constantly, similar to the one above. To a 'gamer', this IS their sport.

Both videos show a presentation and appreciation for the skill-set being produced through the games played.  However, to fully understand what you are watching, the viewer must have background knowledge of the game itself.When watching the IGN Pro-League Highlights, I did not understand one thing, as it requires the knowledge of the game, the rules, the characters used and the interface in order to appreciate the skill-set shown. Therefore, being a gamer requires a lot of knowledge and personal in-game experience, which is what may set 'gamers' a part from people who just play games.