Video gamers compete as X Games athletes for second year in a row

Nicholas “Classic” DiCostanzo, 23, is one of the more stationary athletes at this year’s X Games, the annual ESPN-sponsored extreme sports competition, which kicks off Thursday in Austin. While there will be everything from skateboarders, to BMX bikers, to off-road truckers at the three-day event, DiCostanzo will be playing “Call of Duty” with eLevate, his electronic sports (eSports) team. This is only the second year that eSports has had a presence at the competition, and players like DiCostanzo and his teammates are working hard to quiet the skeptics who question whether they are athletes.