The Rise of Profesional Gaming

[Toucan]

I was watching 60 Minutes tonight, they had an article on a fellow called Jonathan Wendel (aka Fatal1ty), who is being hailed as the worlds first video game superstar.
In the last 4 years he has won more than $300k US dollars from tournaments around the world. He has now been sponsored by several different companies to sell PC peripherals with contracts that are worth millions. All because he is a damn good gamer.

In Europe, South Korea, Australia and America gaming is becoming a serious sport and those that participate are becoming the world’s first cyber athletes.
Last year the World Cyber Olympics had more than $400k US in the prize purse, this year it will boast a prize purse of more than one million US dollars, add to that the newly born US World Series gaming world championship that is also going to have a total prize pool of more than one million US dollars.

Now don't get the wrong idea, none of these guys sit behind the PC 24 hours a day, they work out, do out door sports, the idea being sharp body, sharp mind. They eat well, they get there sleep and fit in 10 hours practice a day. Like any athletes life it is extremely demanding and requires allot of commitment. But it seems, for those that have the gift, the money is now there.

I can't help but wonder if any of the young folk around here will be joining those ranks of the worlds gaming elite. There travelling the world, all expenses paid, being paid a bundle in there sponsorships and going for great prize money as well. Seems like fun to me.:D

Sources:
The World Cyber Olympics (http://www.worldcybergames.com/main.asp)
World Series Video Gaming (http://www.thewsvg.com/news/1)
60 Minutes article on Johnathan Wendel (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/01/19/60minutes/main1220146.shtml)
Johnathan Wendel's home site (http://www.fatal1ty.com/)

[BlackHawk]

I was wondering when someone would bring this up. It is really cool how professional gaming is moving forward. I actually have a fair amount of movies for CS Clans, some are from Team3D (http://www.team3d.net) who are CAL-I and play professionaly -- they have sponsors such as Intel and Nvidia. There's also the Complexity clan (http://www.complexityclan.com/) which are currently supposed to be America's National Team or something of the sort.

Oh, and for those that don't know what CAL is (I'm assuming most of you) it's the Cyberathlete Amateur League (http://www.caleague.com) then there's also the Cyberathlete Professional League (http://www.thecpl.com/league/). I was in a clan sometime ago and we were going to enter CAL-O (open); however they fell apart over the summer while I was at camp.

There's also a lot of good information about Professional Gaming at GotFrag (www.gotfrag.com), you can also download some movies of the professional teams there.

[pixels]

professional gaming is pretty interesting. ive also played in a cal-o team (for cs:s). we didnt do too spectacular, but usually first time teams dont ;P

if theres a measurable skill theres competition.

[SmoothWare]

professional gaming is pretty interesting. ive also played in a cal-o team (for cs:s). we didnt do too spectacular, but usually first time teams dont ;P

if theres a measurable skill theres competition.

yes, i play on a cal-o team right now, we should be 6-2 but we had a 27-3 win overturned because some one didnt record a demo.

it is quite fun, especially, last night, we did pick up games for like 5 hours. much fun.
our game of people we'd never played together before, won 4 scrims in a row.

[KexMex]

Professional gaming? I don't do that... but occasionally some people from our town arrange tournaments in different games. I always lord in fighting games.

[Sikawtic]

Interview: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3448885409875619295&q=fatal1ty

[CODEZERO]

THats Awsome as soon as my clan organizes were gonna make a cal-m team but that will be later

[pixels]

yes, i play on a cal-o team right now, we should be 6-2 but we had a 27-3 win overturned because some one didnt record a demo.

it is quite fun, especially, last night, we did pick up games for like 5 hours. much fun.
our game of people we'd never played together before, won 4 scrims in a row.
still csx or ... ?

[dunchy]

If Team fortress classic was a game which made lots of money, guaranteed I'd be on team Canada if not North America.

That said I still don't see any chance of these kids hitting the mainstream of western society anytime soon at all. Most folks think gamer = gaymer, a kid who stays in his parents basement and dreams about getting big from video games. Don't let me get in anyone's dream though :)

Anyone watch little venom at all? The 7ish year old gamer who plays Halo 2 (quite well). I could kick his ass from his TV highlights, if that was indeed him playing.

[Battlecruiser]

Anyone watch little venom at all? The 7ish year old gamer who plays Halo 2 (quite well). I could kick his ass from his TV highlights, if that was indeed him playing.
It's Lil poison. Not venom.

But I think the fact that people are actually going into this professionally is a little out of hand. I mean some of these people are dropping out of high school or college to play and train for a particular video game, and make a living out of it. But what happens when the next new game comes out and they can't keep up? What happens to their future? I personally think that people should compete for money in games, but only for some extra money here and there. It shouldn't be a career by any means.

[BlackHawk]

But I think the fact that people are actually going into this professionally is a little out of hand. I mean some of these people are dropping out of high school or college to play and train for a particular video game, and make a living out of it. But what happens when the next new game comes out and they can't keep up? What happens to their future? I personally think that people should compete for money in games, but only for some extra money here and there. It shouldn't be a career by any means.

Actually, although CS:S came out, CS 1.6 is still in CAL and actually has a much larger tournament and payout then CS:S I believe. It all depends on the game and how many people follow it.

And although it seems wierd, I think that if someones good enough and has a team that is also good enough to win and keep winning enough events (and therefore gaining enough money) to have it as their career then all the power to them.

[Battlecruiser]

Actually, although CS:S came out, CS 1.6 is still in CAL and actually has a much larger tournament and payout then CS:S I believe. It all depends on the game and how many people follow it.
Yes, but even with the most popular games in the world. The payout isn't that great. Here's a chart I found which is current up to November 2005 for PC.
# Earnings Name Game
1. $118,000 Sander Kaasjager (Vo0) PainKiller
2. $86,000 Jonathan Wendel (Fatal1ty) PainKiller
3. $81,500 Jae Ho Jang (Spirit_Moon) WarCraft 3
4. $60,000 Park Sung-Jun (JulyZerg) BroodWar
4. $52,750 Benjamin Bohrmann (zyz) PainKiller
5. $49,500 Alexander Ingarv (Ztrider) PainKiller
6. $46,300 Manuel Schenkhuizen (Grubby) WarCraft 3
7. $45,000 Alessandro Avallone (stermy) PainKiller
8. $40,000 Park Tae Min (GoRush) BroodWar
9. $30,500 Andrew Ryder (gellehsak) PainKiller
10. $30,000 Hong Jin Ho (YellOw) BroodWar

These are the top earners for all PC games combined. Notice the huge difference in the profit these guys are making. That's because only the top 2 in any game can actually make a living playing solely games (Which is what most do). These games are so competitive, and in a few years after they're prime (For most this is around 20 years old) they'll be out. Then what will they do? They've dedicated their lives to playing games, and they can't do it anymore. Not only that, but there are so many people below this list who have dedicated their lives to play videogames, and they won't even make a profit.

I don't even know how this is considered a career. If these guys even mess up in one tournament, they're out. There aren't any contracts or anything like that (Excluding sponsors). The only person that CAN make a living out of this is Fatal1ty, and only because of all the products he has under his name. But he's a bad influence to other people who think they can pull off what he has done.

Overall, the point I am trying to make is that people should play games, and if they are good, then go to tournaments and win money. But they shouldn't be dropping out of college or sacrificing their life for this.

[Toucan]

I would be horrified to think kids would be dropping out of school to attempt to be a professional gamer.
People that aspire to become basketball players, baseball players or football players would not do that, and if kids think they are going to beat educated fit people with practice alone, they are wrong.

But to say not many people will make a career out of this is the most ridiculous thing I have heard in a long time!
A hundred years ago it was said no one would ever make a living out of baseball, and then in time the same was said about basketball, then tennis, then golf.
If you think the video game industry is going to suddenly close down or start shrinking any time soon you could not be more wrong, the game industry is now worth more than the movie industry, it makes more revenue than the American baseball, basketball and football leagues combined and there is no sign of a slow down any time soon.

With the team nature of games like CS teams are forming, and they are getting fame, teams require multiple people. Many people are paying to go and see these people play and every time there are more, more players and more people cheering them on, it is becoming a serious spectator sport. People like going to see people who can play the games they love much better than they can and even dream a little that maybe they could be that good too. Kind of like going to the baseball.
By the way, your chart is out of date, Jonathan Wendel has now won more $300k US dollars in tournaments, he beat Sander Kaasjager at the last championship. Quick jump wasn't it? Anyone would think it was getting bigger or some thing.

[Darklord]

I assume that you mean that the world-wide gaming industry makes more money than the US-only leagues put together? Take the three biggest sports from every single nation, put them together, and I'll bet the sum knocks e-sports right out, not to mention what happens if you also actually go ahead and add the olympics and world series events.

Still, beating the USan sports industry for sheer revenue is very well done.

[Toucan]

I assume that you mean that the world-wide gaming industry makes more money than the US-only leagues put together?
it makes more revenue than the American baseball, basketball and football leagues combined
Is that not exactly what I said?