Thursday, November 18, 2010

Gamers Make Money In Video Game Tournaments

Computer geeks duped us all, as tales of the vast universe of video game tournaments success stories come forth, and geeks around the world walk away with hefty wallets. These gaming "nerds" are, as a rule, quite young people - too young in fact to buy beer and cigarettes. The video gaming industry is growing up, along with its key players, however. With more than 65 percent of all households participating in video gaming on some level, this sport won't be going away any time soon.

Video games are games considered to be Electronic Sports, belonging to Real Time Strategy, Racing games, and First Person Shooter games. These games have migrated from the home gaming console to leagues played online against other players worldwide. Massively Multiple-player Online Role Playing Games have been hosting online tournaments which can be played for cash prizes. In 2010 the first place prize for World of War craft Global Arena was ,000 U. S. - a hefty sum for playing a game from your sofa.

Many professional gamers honed their skills for years wherever they could find other like-minded people to compete against - in basements, apartments, and dorm rooms. Soon companies began to comprehend the vast potential for marketing products to this swiftly growing society, and the fad began to grow into a sport. Massively Multiple-player Online Role Playing Games are computer based games which occur online with thousands of other players world-wide. A player creates a character to represent himself, called an Avatar, which interacts with others in the game. The player then controls his character, or Avatar, as it moves through the game, fighting monsters, terrorists, or other enemies, and collecting objects and prizes that are hidden within the game environment. While there are many "experts" playing in these tournaments, it is not necessary to have experience to join in the fun. Some people have wondered whether the currency played for in these video games is genuine. It is indeed - players deposit real money into a trust fund on the gaming site using their bank cards, and e-check, or Pay Pal. Because these games require actual skill to win, and aren't games of chance, they are perfectly legal in most places. Some expert gamers have earned beefy nest eggs by quitting their regular jobs and playing video game tournaments full time. In a growth industry earning over million in sales in 2008, there seems to be an abundance of opportunities for gamers with snake-like reflexes and speedy fingers.

Due to the immense popularity of video games in these times, video game companies are driven to hurl new games out to the public at break-neck speed. They don't always have enough time to test these new games thoroughly, which is bad for business. This creates an opportunity for video gamers to become Video Game Testers. Testers play new games and report any problems or hiccups in the games to the company. Testers get the opportunity to be first to play new games, and game publishers get live-action testing of their products. In this scenario, everyone wins.

With the immense popularity of video game tournaments, it's no wonder Electronic Sports has been evaluated by the International Olympic Committee for inclusion as an Olympic sport.

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