Riot Games hugely popular MOBA title, League of Legends, has been recognised as a legitimate sport by the US government, and its players as professional athletes. This is the first video game to be given the distinction, and Nick Allen, eSports manager at Riot Games, told Gamespot why it's an important development for all gaming.
"The United States government recognizes League of Legends pro players as professional athletes and award visas to essentially work in the United States under that title," said Allen. "This is groundbreaking for eSports; now we can start looking at international players when they come over. It's a much easier process because they're actually recognized by the government. This is a huge thing."
It wasn't easy though. "This was a lengthy process," Allen explained. "We had a lot of people fighting for this. It wasn't something that happened overnight."
This opens the door for other competitive games to be given professional status. Are we getting close to a time where the world's best Call of Duty players or Starcraft II masterminds are ranked alongside the likes of Usain Bolt and Sergio Aguero in the millionaires club?