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Professional Arcade Golf Gaming Revealed

Posted by simoniker on from the dangerous-trackball-wrist-injuries dept.

Thanks to Sunspot/Chicago Tribune for their article discussing the lives of the top Golden Tee Golf arcade game players, and charting the enduring popularity of the trackball-based golf title, which "players [have] spent $400 million playing" over the past few years. Graig Kinzler, the only current pro Golden Tee Golf player, "says he made about $70,000 last year playing Golden Tee, more than $47,000 in officially sanctioned online tournaments and the rest in live tournaments", and even "works with a sports psychologist to hone his Golden Tee game." The sport is also more expensive than might be reckoned for the hardcore devotee: "20 games a week at $3-$4 per game... is customary - so much so that most of the top players have their own [cabinets] at home."

3 of 24 comments (clear)

  1. Ownership Fee? by DLWormwood · · Score: 2, Interesting
    I didn't RTFA, but I have to ask.

    If you own your own Tee machine, do you have to pay a monthly fee or some such to participate in the tourneys? Or does the cost of the machines themselves provide IT with the money to fund the prize pool?

    Normally, video games provide pure profit for the machine owners once they acquire them. (Overlooking electricity, etc.) I'm not familiar with what bars and arcades have to do to join in the gaming network, so I don't know if they have to provide part of the machine's profits back to the manufacturer or not.

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    Those who complain about affect & effect on /. should be disemvoweled
  2. ESPN.com's got a couple of recent stories... by Tickenest · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Here are some relevant stories on ESPN.com's ESPNGamer site:

    http://sports.espn.go.com/espngamer/story?id=16372 28

    http://sports.espn.go.com/espngamer/story?id=16429 83

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    This is the NFL, which stands for "Not For Long" if you keep making those bulls*** calls.
  3. It's killing all other video games... by Rob+Parkhill · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Used to be that when you went out to the local sports bar, there would be several video games mixed in with the pool tables, foosball, and occasional pinball machines. That's good.

    But since this damned golf game showed up, that's all there is. Some places with have 3 or 4 of these things and nothing else. They've replaced all of the other games entirely. Well, maybe there will be the occasional Big Buck Hunter or some such crap, and a beat up pool table with one cue.

    It's so sad.

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    "Tomorrow's forecast: a few sprinkles of genius with a chance of doom!" - Stewie Griffin