Doing real sports does not always mean you have to run or jump. Chess is a sport as well. Sports is about competition, about achieving the best results within a given set of rules. Therefore I think, that e-sports is absolutely comparable to real sports. I remember how I was sweating, while playing Starcraft at 160 actions per minute (with peaks of over 200 apm).

That is quite some time ago...

For me it was the competition, the league, my team, the friendships, the nights on teamspeak, and of course it was about being the best.

However, life isn't endless, and I'm not sure what advice to give to young gamers. Spending too many years in virtual worlds can turn into a huge loss eventually, since there is only one youth! I guess, it's always about keeping a certain balance in life.