Gamers Shouldn't Get X Games Medals, Veteran Skier Says

Freestyle skier Kristi Leskinen, who won a Bronze medal at X Games IX in 2005, has spoken up to criticize gaming's involvement with this year's Winter X Games. Writing on Twitter, Leskinen said she "totally respect[s] gamers," but claimed medals should only be earned through "through blood, sweat, and tears."

This year's Winter X Games, held this past weekend, saw Halo 5: Guardians teams battling it out at the Aspen Invitational on the grounds of the X Games and in partnership with ESPN.

Matches were streamed live on Watch ESPN and some segments aired on ESPN's national networks. The professional team Evil Geniuses won gold.

According to Leskinen, because the risk of injury when playing a game like Halo 5: Guardians is not on the same level of skiing or other physical activities, gamers should not be awarded with X Games medals.

"As athletes sometimes we risk it all to win X Games," she said. "No gamer in the world deserves an #xgames Gold Medal #couchgames #athletesonly"

You can see the rest of Leskinen's tweets on the subject below. For a decidedly different take on the matter, you can also read GameSpot's interview with Halo boss Kiki Wolfkill, who talked about how Halo 5's appearance at the X Games elevates the profile of competitive gaming.

The members of Evil Geniuses aren't the first to win X Games medals. MLG partnered with ESPN for Call of Duty and Counter-Strike events at the X Games event in Austin, Texas last summer, with the winning teams taking home gold medals and cash prizes.

What do you make of Leskinen's comments? Let us know in the comments below!