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Paid to Play Video Games
acehole writes "This would have to be every gamer's dream, to get paid for playing games. In South Korea gaming has taken off to an extent that companies sponsor gaming teams (some earn up to $100k per year) to play games up to 12 hours a day."
their are q3a tourneys. UT tourneys. i didn't RTFA but over here it seems you make money off of game when you have skill. of course your skill doesn't matter when your title is "Game Tester"
I get paid to Slashdot all day! (Don't tell my PHB)
Isn't it interesting how you come to recognize posters based solely on their sigs???
Now if only someone would pay me $100K a year to look at pr0n 12 hours a day...
~ "When I'm of that age I'm just going to live up a tree."
Over at Penny Arcade they are talking about little girls who make money renting their virtual asses out on Sims Online. And not play money either, real money.
Not the same thing... or is it?
(And here I was feeling guilty over being a karma whore.)
Is this truly the only Earth I can live on?
Well.....it must be partly due to their ultra high broadband takeup rate. Heck...time to make a beeline for the immigration office :P
Wasn't there a guy in South Korea who died after playing a game for a whole weekend?
I guess gaming must be really big in South Korea, otherwise I don't see why you should sponsor people.
Is it a prerequisite to own a futuristic jumpsuit to join a professional gaming team or are they forced to wear that thing?...shoulder pads and all.
I read an article like this in Forbes like 4 or 5 months ago...
Damn, at this time of unemployment, i wish i had "wasted my life" playing video games instead of... WTF have i done with my life?
Giving IE users a taste of their own medicine since 2005 - http://pods.-is-a-geek.net/
Yet another example of the end of our civilation.
In case anybody is tempted to RTFA, here's a synopsis.
1) Guy finds out he can get paid to play games, can't believe his luck.
2) Guy discovers that he is actually expected to play all the time, and very, very well, in order to keep getting paid.
3) Guy stresses out under the pressure and ponders his sorry fate.
I say, quit your crying, kid! You should come over to the US of A, and see how talented youth are really exploited...
Stop by my site where I write about ERP systems & more
I like the bit about how it tournaments and matches are shown on cable...come home, grab a beer, turn on the TV and watch an hour of Counter-Strike?
-------------------------------END--COMMUNICATION
It might be a dream for some, but getting my ass handed to me over and over and over, for twelve hours a day, by some fifteen year old nerd whose nick is "H3lld0g_69", is pretty much my worst nightmare. The only move I have ever been able to perform successfully in any game is "mash all the buttons at once".
Toronto-area transit rider? Rate your ride.
"But then I started to feel the pressure. It's really tough when your ratings go down. You've got to be on peak form all the time - it's not as easy as people think," he said.
Ahem, its a job you fool - stop whining. Grab a dew and some doritos and get back to work.
That was a thoroughly entertaining anecdote. I just cannot wait for your autobiography.
Mother is the best bet and don't let Satan draw you too fast.
Team3D is sponsored by CompUSA and nVidia.
there's no way i'd like to earn my money playing games. I play em for fun, not to pay the bills.
Imagine getting evicted just because you missed that headshot in the tournament playoffs. That sort of pressure would stop me enjoying the games, which sort of defeats the purpose of playing them in the first place.
All day you just see people playing warcraft or something.
PROgress PROfit PROmotion
This is fun!
After about two weeks, I think I would be so bleary-eyed and fatigued that I would not play a computer game again for months. I get tired enough just working on a computer for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. To go 12 hours a day would kill my already lousy vision.
Be excellent to each other. And... PARTY ON, DUDES!
$100K? Ender might argue that perhaps it's not just a game...
I heard in Korea they broadcast computer games over cable tv, with comentators and the full suite.
"It seems Li-hun should have sent a few more Zergs to that narrow pass, what do you think John ?"
"You are right, now watch as the Protoss break through in a classic destroy-the-Hatchery offensive. He used this in last year's finals to great effect."
"Right -- but wait -- Li Hun opened up a second front down in the SE corner of the map !"
(...)
I never did watch such a thing on TV here in the west, but I guess it would be interesting to see some pro-guys playing a game which I have tried to master, and figuring out how they think.
Once that happens, well, sponsors are the natural next step.
Quem a paca cara compra, paca cara pagará.
As long as they don't make me wear a goofy uniform.
When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained.
Mark Twain
Sounds like my freshman year of college.
More seriously though, 12 hours a day at a job in Korea doesn't seem like such a big deal. I have a friend from Korea who moved here about 25 years ago. He says he gets calls from friends at home who are about to go back to work at about 1am their time, having just worked MORE than a full day already. It seems like adults there do almost nothing BUT work -- literally, not like "workaholics" over here. 12 hours a day doesn't seem so bad compared to that.
-"It seems like you're trying to exploit a security hole. Would you like help?"
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/handle-generic-f orm/102-1774762-2876143?action=next-page&target=we b-search/redirect.html&title=PXA255%20SBC%20runs%2 0%3Cb%3ELinux%3C/b%3E&url=http%3A//www.google.com/ url%3Fq%3Dhttp%3A//www.goatse.cx/&intel_xscale_p%2 6sa%3Dl%26ai%3DAyrRiR1Xt_UfpkMLkdY6vYDsDW6b_CI8hqa AjNCZPCMg2RBAoRnRADMAmWAA%26num%3D3&hshs.url=http: //www.strategic-test.com&ws_type=bks_dp_ads&ws_pos ition=3
Is that a spreadsheet, Mister??????
When you start playing this seriously it isn't fun anymore, and you realize how limited the rule-set/skill level needed for most games is.
- Ted's Boss
The only thing you have to sacrafice, is your dignity.
And I thought it was bad the day I turned on ESPN2, only to see the exciting Scrabble championship being televised, complete with commentators.
Even better, now, instead of actually playing a video game myself, I can turn on the TV and watch someone else play a game! From this day forward I will live vicariously through professional video gamers.
Buy the President
$100k a year is certainly nothing to sneeze at, but what happens when inevitably some are deemed "surplus to requirements" and have to apply to get a new job? How will it look on your resume "Nov 2002 - April 2005: Played computer games." Doesn't really give the impression of a hard worker, does it?
Given the choice between the MIT, Berkeley or HWU (nobody heard of Heriot-Watt? dang!) graduate, and a bloke who has been festering in front of some computer game for however long, I know who I'd choose.
They get paid $100k/yr to PLAY games .... Hell, I wish I could make $100k just programming them!!!
I'd be willing to provide something tangible for my salary!!!!
HallmarkOrnaments.Com
They're going to be opening video game sweatshops!
What's the story here? Software companies everywhere employ game testers; their job description is playing games all day, every day.
I know because I interviewed for one of those jobs at Origin in Austin many, many moons ago. Would have gotten it if I hadn't admitted that I was starting grad school a couple of months later (damn honesty!)...
Who would want to play games all day? Thats just insane! ;)
Visit Phrite's Tech News/Security Tools
So thats why those obsure 120 ping Counterstrike servers always have people jabbering away in Korean (at least I think it is, my ability to differentiate between Asian langs in limited). Now if only the Indians would pick up heavy gaming addicitions, I wouldn't have to worry about my application being off-shored
I hope they do a crossover with X-Men 3 or something.
Playing video games all day long would get very old very quickly...
It's that old addage. Never turn your favorite hobby into your job. It'll stop being your hobby and it'll stop being your favorite thing todo.
Yes Francis, the world has gone crazy.
That sounds good until you realize you'll be playing Daikatana for those twelve hour days... then you may be tempted to claw your eyeballs out.
Subscribe for free to my show!
Or does Lee Ji-hun, pictured in the article, look like he's wearing one of Five Star's costumes circa 1986?
When I am king, you will be first against the wall.
The CPL (www.thecpl.com) has a winter event that is just about to begin in Dallas, TX, USA as we speak, with around $200,000 USD in winnings. Games are Counter-Strike and Halo PC. They generally have 2 events a year, of at least this caliber. There are also similar organizations holding equally large tournaments. Pro gaming is becoming a reality in the US and Europe too!
For those interested in finding out what happens, who wins, etc - the play-by-play is at www.gotfrag.com (a tiny plug)!
It's common for me to play a MMORPG till I get bored of it then sell my account for $100+. I figure if someone wants it, more power to them. We both get something out of it
Novelist Christopher Brookmyre dedicated his last-but-one novel to his Quake II clan, POTZW. I could tell you the name of his online persona but you'd only look it up on CLQ and embarrass him ;-)
When I am king, you will be first against the wall.
The article's framed as a look at the time since the Korean war, so the modern "PC bang" culture in the South makes a nice contrast. Detail:
"Fundamentalism" isn't about divine morality. It's about human authority.
I play everquest, pretty much at a competitive level , that is I've been playing for 4 years and have multiple high lvl characters. In the time I've been online, I've watched public opinion of 'ebaying' go from being loathed, to accepted, to welcomed (by the players). I never bought or sold virtual items over ebay, BUT, I know several players who have to great success. In fact the guy that owns monkly business (a game information site) is reputed to turn 7-figures through his player auction store that sells in game money for real world money. I also seem to rememeber some sweatshop named blacksun entertainment that was farming out the 'work' of playing everquest to china, where they had like 30 employees that farmed items all day long for sale.
What I find interesting is the different approach the koreans have to the western 'under the table' idea. The korean channels broacast Lineage, warcraft, starcraft, and several other types of games on multiple tv channels with full commentary. I don't know, but I'd bet that online auctions of lineage crap are known and accepted as well. It seems like here we still believe that games are for kids, and that the resale of virtual items or profiting from gaming is some kind of taboo. What's funny is that this is the classic setup for something that's destined to be 'cool' and accepted in the future (starts as a taboo).
I'm betting that its only a matter of time before this becomes the norm in the US as well. I know it seems alien, but most folx who have played the high end (or aspired too) of these games knows that it CAN be entertaining to watch how people setup strategies and outthink the environments. The next generation of Blizzard game (world of Warcraft) has the potential to bridge this gap between the us and the koreans quite quickly, and I'll be interested to see if these 'odd' parts of their culture don't become more common here as well.
see you online - chitlenz
Imagination is the silver lining of Intelligence.
"The fingers you have used to dial are too fat. To order a special dialing wand, please mash the keypad with your palm now."
this is my sig, be amazed.
I heard in Korea they broadcast computer games over cable tv, with comentators and the full suite.
Ok, call me a geek but I think I would actually find this interesting. Of course, they'd have to be able to freely spectate within the game so that they could fully show the audience what was going on. And I actually want them to talk to the participants and get the lowdown on what their strategy is for the current game. Of course, this means you can't let the other team overhear them.
I'm thinking Iron Chef meets Starcraft, only without the constant use of fish.
Mechanik
Maybe this is the beginning of a new "Sport"? Olimpic cyber games?
ajf
They have one.
It's called G4, TV for gamers. Arena is the main show that has this, 3 rounds of team play, on three different games. Usually, it's MW4 Dark knight, UT2003, and then lagers choice. I thought everyone had this on their digital cable.Life is pain. Anyone who says differently is selling something.
"When I was in Korea I made it all happen with my cause they have the quickest repsonse time"
Insert Catchy Slogan
-Certified TechnoWeinie
(slightly OT)
I was a game tester before moving on to programming (out of the game industry). Playing games becomes much less fun when it's your job, and you're essentially FORCED to play. It's not the amount of playing, but the fact that you have to play when they tell you to, on their schedule. When you're playing for fun you can always take a break, watch a movie/tv, go outside, surf the net...or whatever...it's your time you're spending. (Disclaimer: Of course some companies are better than others, but I know quite a few people who were testers that share this experience)
This may be a bit different because of the competition element, but it's still being forced to play game(s) for pay. This can be stressful, especially if it's your only form of income.
I thought I was completely hardcore into gaming, and it broke me. When I finished my stint as a tester, I didn't play another video game for almost a year. I'm probably a bit more normal now because of it.
Hey, maybe this can be used as some type of therapy for the severely adicted gamer.
They start outsourcing all of the game playing jobs to India for 1/10th the cost.
Zoid.com
Winners who pull blackberries from under the keyboard to send messages to the family should be severely fined.
Dr. Evil: "Do you like your quasi-futuristic clothing, Mr. Powers? I designed it myself."
"You want a toe? I can get you a toe by three o'clock... with nail polish."
Made by gamers for gamers.
Maybe they'll hire me to play games.
Is this thing really coming out?
Stop modding this shit informative you dumb shits, he made a joke
This would be like the current situation i've gotten myself into.
I loved doing web development as a hobby. I got a job doing it, and now it all seems just like work to me, I dont even really do any for fun anymore, all the 'fun' aspect of it seemed to have bled out of it.
I wonder if the same thing would happen if I were asked to play games as my job though.
But... it is games.... and 100k a year..so it's hard to say.
I was just talking to my partners in a retail store we own about this fear... We provide skateboards, paintball supplies, and BMX equipment -- all mostly outdoor sport.
We've seen sales in these markets slide a bit (of course helped by Internet companies) which I can partially attest to the fact that a lot of our regulars spend much of their afternoons with video game systems rather than going outside.
As each year progresses, I see more and more fat and lethargic kids who have less and less desire to really do anything. I remember my days (I'm 30) of video games back with Atari and Intellivision and Coleco, and they rarely occupied more than an hour an evening, if that. Sleepovers might be all night of video gaming, but those were rare too. We preferred skateboarding or laser tag in the evenings.
My thought the other day was that we'd soon see corporations sponsoring video game teams like my shop sponsors skate, BMX, and paint teams. This article brings that fear to fruition.
Of course, this is what the market wants, so I support the decisions that those people make, even if I disagree with the general movement. I just hate seeing kids en masse dropping any kind of athletic activity because of laziness. New video games ARE cool looking, but nothing woos the young ladies better than extreme sports!
the cost of the carpal tunnel treatment...!
go ahead Editors, -1 posts that don't deserve it. We know you do it. God forbid we talk about how shitty you do your JOBS!
Means pissing them off or giving them the finger.
...to play Duke Nukem Forever 12h/day. Man, I cant wait!! DNF will be released soon, right?
I very seriously doubt that this'll be fun after you've done it for a few weeks.
One: Choice is one of the most important factors for fun. If you can't choose anymore what or when or how or how long you do something, then the fun will evaporate quickly.
Two: 12 hours? In most of the western world, as a workday that'd be illegal. And spending that time in front of a screen will damage your health.
Three: One word: Managers.
If there's a company involved, then there are managers involved. I don't think I need to point out that way too many managers have made an art out of removing the fun from everything.
Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
I bet once you have to play it's not nearly as much fun.
My other Slashdot ID is much lower.
...but the guys aren't getting paid to play, afaik.
Ruger
I can see myself watching sutch a thing, at least the counter-strike finals in the big tournaments... on the other hand, cs clan-matches tend to rely alot on camping, so it might not be that much fun to watch. Sometimes I download demos or spectate live when some clans are playing, but it's hard to follow since you can only spectate one person at a time, or watch an overivew wich aint that fun to watch. Alot of the time you'll be spectating the wrong guy and miss all the action.
All in all I think I would enjoy it more than watching a football match or similar.
It is pretty interesting. There are two channels in Daegu (central Korea) that broadcast games all day. Besides matches, they also have review roundup shows, shows that show off the latest in hardware, etc. They also show the odd in-game movie, and sometimes even re-enact a player going through a level in some adventure game, with voice-over dialogue which I assume is meant to be comedy (not knowing the language really well, I only have tone of voice to work with...).
Starcraft: They LOVE Starcraft. Besides tournaments -- which normally have a small but knowlegable live audience that knows when something big has happened and cheers along, and end with final knock-out games being played before a massive audience in an arena -- they also have programs that compare tactics and units -- you have to be able to understand Korean well to get the most of it, but they had visual displays showing the different kinds of damage that a different attack could cause. They built a bunch of buildings in close proximity and launched a nuke at it to show what sort of damage you could expect to see, they lined up a bunch of small units in a row to show how the different kinds of Zerg splash damage worked... They really take this stuff seriously. The popularity of Starcraft is such that the war chest, which has been out for years now, is still consistently amongst the top sellers and hasn't had its price reduced to the bargain bin yet. The commentators in the show are pretty good about locating where the action is on a big map and taking the spectator there to watch. They'll even switch to the different players' views, and let me tell you, those guys move and react quickly!
They're trying to bring in more competitive FPS and RTS matches, both for PC and console, but for whatever reason, because none of the games have the long-term penetration that Starcraft has had, what ends up happening is that one player comes along who dominates pretty quickly and is on every week. Because of the culture of PC rooms though, where every public machine in the country is likely to have Starcraft on it, there's a much larger talent pool to draw from, which has probably lead to the evolution of clanning into corporate team sponsorship.
These shows also serve as great ads for the product. Because I'm not much for consuming games and like to pick and choose, these shows are great previews for what the gameplay is like and whether or not the game is deep enough to play. I'm glad I never bought into the Halo on XBox hype, not saying it's not an excellent game, but the Halo show gave me a good idea of what to expect in terms of multiplayer and gameplay dynamics, and that stuff isn't really for me. One drawback of the shows is that they don't really give you an idea of what non-multiplayer games are like, as well as only give you an idea of what graphics are like in MMO games. Maybe it's better if you can understand Korean, I don't know...
Common tactic in Starcraft -- send your eighth builder out to find the enemy base, and just build a Vespian gas extractor. Which leads to common counter-tactic, cheap buildings that can block that builder. After that, it's just an all out competition to out-produce the enemy, and spying on the enemy's forces to figure out what units you'll have the most luck in combatting them with.
If you think the players look silly in the Starcraft uniforms, wait until you see what they have to wear for WWE matches.
I play Trivial Pursuit fulltime for money online.
This finances the robot I am building to play for me.
We live in interesting times.
My first professional publication was a review of Myth II for Computer Gaming World, which was published in April 1999. In order to write it and make my deadline, I had to play Myth II from start to finish - in a week.
I literally spent 8 hours a day for five days playing that game. By the second day, my eyes were burning at the end of the day. Once I finished playing it, I put it down, and to this day I have never played it again. I've played Myth I, but never Myth II.
Robert B. Marks
Author, Demonsbane in Diablo Archive
I didn't watch this year's QuakeCon, but last year, you could actually log on QuakeTV (which broadcast a feed from spectators in the game) and watch the finals live with two commentators. Hmm I think it was Lexer versus Fatal1ty, I got the demo somewhere.
Well it sounded almost as you imagined (though Q3 is much more fast-paced than SC).
"Fabulous shotgun action here from Lexer"
"Fatal1ty now has 138 armor, 167 health and on his way to grab that red armor again"
etc. etc.
on G4 (the all video game network). I rarely watch the show, but basically they get 2 teams of 4 players and pit them against each other in best of 3 matches. Games I've seen them play include Counterstrike, perhaps an Unreal and a Mechwarrior-type game. Plus live commentary (if I'm not mistaken Wil Wheaton was a commentator for a while, but last time I watched I don't recall him being on).
These teams clearly aren't pro and often don't even really use teamwork (occasionally they split screen between the game and the players, and I've never seen them communicating.)
It's a rather interesting show to watch if one gets tired of competitive freediving on the Outdoor Life Network.
He has posted hisautobiography (sort of)
You realize, of course, that buying stuff for these online MMORPGs is always going to be outrageous to a lot of people. New games are coming out all of the time, and as a game gets older, its items almost invariably devalue. What's the point of playing the game if you're just going to buy what would take time to get? The game doesn't sound awfully fun if you need to use real money to get something; if you have less time, the game should still find a way to make it fun.
I quit because people started hacking.
If I didn't quit, I guarantee I'd be over in Korea now.
They treat gamers like popstars, so you not only make money, all the fine honeys want you.
God spoke to me
They don't just play video games in Korea. There are over 250 BOARDGAME cafes in Soeul alone, where people meet and _pay_ to play boardgames. Not Monopoly and Trivial Pursuit, but so-called Euro- or designer boardgames like those shown on Spielboy.com or Boardgamegeek.com.
-nd
Where do I submit my application :)
Actually I kind of agree with you, thus the 'I haven't bought anything via ebay/similar' part of the post. However, I HAVE noticed that some of the eastern guilds/players buy alternate accounts as a matter of course anymore.
In other words, I've met people online from places like Korea and Japan who think nothing at all of buying a second account (cleric anyone) in order to more quickly progress. This begs another interesting point, which is that I've noticed that Eastern players tend to play harder/more competitively in the name of STYLE. Being cool is eessential to many players online, as it is in real life.
BTW - just to clarify what I mean by mixed cultures in my original post, It seems like the American approach to gaming is entrepenurial (sell MY stuff) as apposed to the Eastern style of gaming (corporate sposership/advancement as an organized group). This is most clearly evident in Lineage, which has failed to pick up in the states probably due to the VERY structured organizations, where it is absolutely critical to play as a cog in the system to advance (siege warfare). Americans are very 'me' oriented, and our patience wears thin in large groups very quickly. AMAZINGLY quickly actually, as anyone who has played in a raid guild can attest. Anyone who argues that there's no skill to everquest or any other raid-based game has never tried to organize 30 wanna-be cool players (and their INCREDIBLY large virtual egos) into accomplishing something WITHOUT the benefit of speech...
Anyway, off my side note, I propose that for the above reason, game items are indeed worth real value (dollars) in the same way the DKNY brand is worth real dollars. You can wear wranglers, but for 15$ more you can be 31337.
-chitlenz
Imagination is the silver lining of Intelligence.
See sig...
Speed Demos Archive - Lots of speed runs!
I don't care too much about the commentary, I'm more curious as to how they take patches, updates, and balance changes. Is abusing a bug grounds of disqualification? If an update causes a big enough change in the game, are matches suspended for a certain period of time until players can reorientate themselves? Is there any concern regarding certain unit balances in the game? (ie. If a balance change in Starcraft fu*ks up a pro's strategy, is that player allowed to withdraw from the league/tournament without penalties?)
You say this, but there's a bunch of folks in the US who have been doing it for a while now... TSNCentral have been going for a bit, and are pretty well known among gamers.
For an example of their work, see the recent Intel P4 challenge thingy video (./ games story here... Disclaimer: Yeah, I was involved in running this event). Intel flew them in from the US and Canada to commentate on the CS exhibition match, and they really did add to the setup. Dead professional too.
Sometimes I download demos or spectate live when some clans are playing, but it's hard to follow since you can only spectate one person at a time, or watch an overivew wich aint that fun to watch. Alot of the time you'll be spectating the wrong guy and miss all the action.
I'm not sure about CS, but if you download an HLTV demo of a TFC match or spectate live you can go into free mode and watch particular areas without depending on people actually being there. Generally, when I did spectate a lot of matches (almost 2 years ago now), I kept the overview in the top-right of my screen and floated around until I saw some reason to spectate a particular person. The most fun thing to do, of course, was to float over the middle of the map when prematch ended (in TFC you end up with 3-5 people from each team leaving their base and crossing through the middle fairly soon after prematch ends).
CS may not lend itself as well to spectating simply because of it's slower pace and the more specific roles of each team (one team defends something while another attacks rather than both teams having to fill both roles).
-PainKilleR-[CE]
OnGame
MBCgame
these two are dedicated to gaming.
Sometimes the cartoon channels will show gaming as well.
but I saw the world poker championships on ESPN one night. 2 hours of watching people play poker. I kept on thinking, it can't get any worse, but I was wrong.
..better than getting paid for playing video games:
Getting laid for playing video games.
Is abusing a bug grounds of disqualification?
Usally not. The league will have a list of known forbidden bugs, which can get you ejected (they try to get them patched or modded, so the game software can referee instead of a human). But someone who finds a new "bug" (more likely a balance oversight by the game designers) isn't often penalized. (The bug may be added to the forbidden list, of course, but they don't seem to punish retroactively)
(ie. If a balance change in Starcraft fu*ks up a pro's strategy, is that player allowed to withdraw from the league/tournament without penalties?)
The league simply won't allow changes to the underlying software while a season is in progress. They'll freeze at a predetermined version number. (Alternatively, some leagues may allow a newer version than they've officially chosen, if both opponents consent to it)
And of course, Starcraft is 5 years old. Such a game won't any significant changes coming along. The time for balance patches is over.
There was one patch last year, which removed a bug which could somehow fly zerg builders across the map. (It would've been obivous if anyone used it in a game). Blizzard took some flak for that, because it broke compatibility with previously recorded matches.
But I've had friends do game testing...playing the same game for 8 months trying every scenario, making it crash, and then taking notes day in day out - it's just not that enjoyable...especially if the game sux.
I believe that number is for the Team, but I didn't RTFA either.
If I had the money, I would gladly hire "Morimoto" to do nothing but create more of "Time Attack Videos" like the ones floating around for Super Mario Bros 3 and Megaman 2.
Watching someone tear through a classic game you used to spend hours on as a kid and go from start to finish in under 30 minutes has got to be worth $100K/year.
Remember him? Way back when, he was the red-headed guy who was reportedly "Played video games for a living." He was employed by Nintendo. He was basically a pro-games advocate.
"Why do you think video games make children violent?"
"They don't."
"Let's try again. Why do you think video games make children violent?"
"They don't.
And now, for a sig that's a complete copout.
No huge shocker. It'd be like someone saying hey wanna get paid to throw that ball around back in 1900.
:P
Look where baseball and football are today.
Maybe all these hours of rtcw enemy territory will pay off
I think you raise some very valid points, the American Ethos is very egocentric, there is not the same emphasis placed on the group as on the individual. Eastern philosophy and religion is a proponent of one's "duty" and "fulfilling one's role". It's a very interesting medium to see the contrast in.
Another thing, about buying things on ebay many of these people have more time than money so its worth it to them to have the item. Let's say you're making 250k a year doing some job but you have to work 60 hours a week, yet you like to be a badass in whatever you do (probably for some deficiencies or insecurities but that's not the point) and you play everquest a lot. You want the best gear but you don't have the time to commit to getting the best gear but you do have the money, it's simple economics and doesn't surprise me one bit. Besides, it's good for the gaming community, if Sony had a brain they'd condone it because otherwise they'd probably lose more customers who don't have the time to invest in the world.
The difference is that the Koreans seem to play games that require skill. Americans play games like everquest that only require enough time to get a high level. A competitive level at everquest? What a joke.
You can always download the replays of the latest cybergames for starcraft (others too), it would be interesting to have this commented out by somebody else, but hey, its better than nothing.
Knock yourself out: WCG Starcraft tournament2003 WCG Starcraft finals
My other OS is the MCP!
Whenever I hear about people getting paid to play games I always think about people who have game review websites or magazines. I have often wished to be someone in that position, but then I realize that they have to play crappy games like the "Mary Kate and Ashley" games as well as all the other ones, and I don't. So in the end, I guess I win.
SIGFAULT
> Stop modding this shit informative you dumb shits, he made a joke
Um, so did the moderator who modded it "informative".
Virg
I guess gaming must be really big in South Korea, otherwise I don't see why you should sponsor people.
Such sponsorships are not limited to South Korea; there is a great deal of cash to be made in professional gaming all over the world...if you're good enough. It's not really being paid just "to play video games," any more than professional athletes are paid millions of dollars just "to play sports." It takes a great deal of talent and practice to get on a high-level team and make a living out of it.
There are a number of prominent professional gaming teams such as Team 3D (U.S.A), Schroet Kommando (Sweden), and mibr (Brazil) who are phenomenal at Counter-Strike. They have sponsors from all sorts of computing-related industries, such as mousepads, video cards, game hosting companies, motherboards, and more.
Witty slam, but is it true?
...well catch up. In truth, Everquest is so damn competitive that often times the GMs are called in to settle disputes about camp rights/training/etc.
I'd so no. To clarify, everquest and games like it (MMORPGS) require a great deal of time to get anywhere (I'll give you that), but the true skill of playing is more an exercise in social organization and strategy (what I presume you are alluding to.. as in Warcraft/starcraft which seem to prevail on the korean circuit atm). By strategy, I mean the ability to progress beyond where the average gamer can go, gamers I might add that many times are able to and do sink as much time as powergamers into achieving success yet still never get to the would-be endgame for any particular expansion.
For instance, on our Everquest server (rodcet nife), there is approximately ONE plane of time enabled guild. They are there when many people are not because of solid tactics in engaging in specific encounters (oober mobs if you will), while other guilds who spend as much or more time playing catch up cannot seem to ever completely
But, let me return to the topic at hand a bit. To say that a warcraft match between two human players is any harder or easier than an encounter between a guild in everquest and an epic mob (creature) is simply wrong. That's why it's a game people play constantly in order to be able to compete in. If it was as easy as you seem to think it is, everyone would be at the top, while most are not...
Lets look at it this way, how about I say that warcraft sux as a strategy game because all the players have to live within the rules of the game the programmers created. Human opponents aside, you have to play within the realm of strategies created by the development team, so technically every move is predicatable at some level. For that matter, what about chess?
The difference with everquest is minute at best. RTS fans who may think that such rpgs have to do with roleplaying may be a tad shocked to discover said endgame is much more like a cooperative version of warcraft than anything else. Strategy and tacitcs are in fact closely guarded guild secrets in many cases, and may involve up to 60 people working in synchronicity over time in their 'roles' as classes to accomplish whatever the goal is.
I, personally, play warcraft as well, and I like the game, its just not my thing. Oh and btw, we have MANY Korean guilds (openly, as in recruit members only in their own time zone) on our server, so to say its purely an American fetish is a bit on the unjustifiably elitist fringe eh?
I post infrequently, but do follow up on the posts I make, so I'll wait for your response.
Regards - Chitlenz
Imagination is the silver lining of Intelligence.
Myself, and many other people in the counterstrike community, smoke weed and take pills to fuel long sessions of late night counterstrike. I have read articles about this in various places, exploring the connection between counterstrike and drugs. it is an interesting take on "doping" in proffessional sports. Will you lose your sponsorship if they catch you taking speed or smoking weed? ZERG RUSH KEKEKEKE
How about the eye strain? I think it all depends on WHAT you do at work. When I had a job, I really didn't like to do certain things when I came home because it was doing almost the same thing.
If you spent your whole day programming, I don't know if you want to come home and do some programming too. Or if you spend your whole day installing, configuring and supporting computer systems, I don't know if you want to come home and mess around with Linux.
Sivaram Velauthapillai
Sivaram Velauthapillai
Seeking the meaning of life... @slashdot of all places
Lightweights. I play longer than that, and for free.
Manipulate the moderator system! Mod someone as "overrated" today.
Think of the liability those companies are putting themselves in by paying 'employees' to play games for 12 hours a day. Everyone knows computer screens arent great for your eyes. If the guys gaming develop eye problems because of this, they will sue.
I couldn't think of a sig.
if you had the same genetics you would also be in the NFL right now.
Cover your eyes and click this link!
he didn't wake up one day and find himself inside an nfl uniform. He had to push himself all his life with no guarantee he would make the nfl. It worked out for a guy that his body turned out to be good enough for the NFL and good enough to support his hard training. However, only %.004 of people will as hard at putting effort towards their unknown fate of starting a business or other risks as that guy did to get where he got. Nobody knows what their genetics let them do until they GET TO THE POINT WHERE GENETICS WILL MATTER. Only a few people will ever reach a point where their genetics starts to matter in whatever they do (weights, smarts, drawing), so they won't even know whether they got the genes for it or not without investing about ten years of 5 hours a day training in whichever craft a person wants to try at. I'm sure most of slashdot has aptitude for either fast running, gaining muscle, jumping, art, but I would guess that none of the hundred of thousands or readers will ever come close to pushing himself close to his 'limit' of performance, especially since almost nobody will ever even put effort into those things to see how they do and go through life without even knowing they had superior genetics in one field or another. Most people are human wastes of stored energy.
.00002% of the population. So a guy's genetics might help him out from this step on where you are screwed because only 1/10 of the .00002% of people who got this far can do a quadruple lutz or a 3 minute mile, etc., and you are not one of them... while the other person will be able to, you would have still achieved something worthwhile with yourself.
So success works like this:
1) You see something you are better at than most people
2) No idea if you have some extra aptitude than most people or if you possess superior genetics that can allow you to be the top %.0001 of the population.
3) Train and practice every day for many many many years to see if you truly have a talent or just ability.
4) More and more training to come closer to your self-imposed limit in your head.
5) After all these years of testing your body, you will still not be limited by your genetics.
6) After being able to excel and keep improving in your field, you know you have good genetics. But by the time you get to this point where your genetics will separate you from non-geneticly gifted people for your talent, YOU HAVE REACHED THE SAME PINNACLE POINT from all the training--being in the top
Except that you didn't because you didn't even put an initial step, never mind testing how far you can go. Just bitch bitch bitch, no risk taking at whatever skill you are good at with your genetics to see if you can push it to the max where genes, and not training time or lazyness or anything else is the only thing affecting your progress.
Cover your eyes and click this link!
the other thing is that now you basically have to options if your doing it online
use 1.07 and try to find a copy of bnetd (which was taken off it's official site after lawsuit threats)
or use whatever blizzards latest version is on the real battle.net
you just can't play older verison of starcraft on battle.net PERIOD
I cant tell you how PISSED OFF I was to find out that I actually had to pay EVERY F'ING MONTH to play the starwars empire game at all. I had no idea of that when I bought it.
I guess its my fault for not reading the tiny blurb on the side of the box. Assholes.
It looks as though this is going to be the wave of the furture. First you charge 50 bucks for a game, then you charge 20 a month if they actually want to play the game they bought. If they make you pay to play, the game should be free.
I know off topic, but im still pissed when i think about it.
I am suspicious of people who earn a killer rep online but only perform at an above average level in competition.
There are gfx card hacks and bots that even punkbuster can't detect.
I smell aimbot.
Dunno where you learned about testing code, but you missed out on something.
A good test of some piece of code is to find bugs. If you don't find any, you did a poor job of it.
Yeah, but they get to celebrate with a nice steak due to that paycheck. You are stuck at home with a can of soup and leftovers ;).
It literally means to extend the middle finger at someone in an untoward or instigative gesture usually associated with contempt or derision.
When you do it as a job, by the hours, all day, every day - the fun is gone!
I came across a stream for a Korean channel a few months ago and watched a couple of their televised Warcraft III games. It was really just like watching sport. Most of the telecast was spent watching the game action, but they would regularly cut to the competitors' poker faces. They also had live stats about the game and flashy little animated updates etc etc...
I don't speak Korean, so I'm not sure what the commentary was like, but it seemed what you'd expect from any football game. Maybe three guys, one doing a play by play and the others making comments every now and then. One thing I did find interesting was how 'into' the game the commentators got. At critical moments they would just go nuts like they were 8 year olds at a birthday party.
I don't know if getting fat is really the general problem with a gaming job. I know people who have permanent wrist damage from playing the game too many hours.
(The damage incorporates strictly video game and first person shooters not petting sea monkeys)
But I really need to leave my work at work. I take up other "geek" hobbies on my off time or just hang out with friends.
Currently I'm working on building a virtual pet in LogicWorks in my off time when I feel like it. So far I've got the 4 bit random number generator (around a 100 digit sequence), A and B clock synced buttons for menu selection and an 8x8 double buffered display with PROM controller to hold up to 16 animations with up to 4 frames each. Next step is figuring out stats and building the components to manipulate them.
Variety is important. You can't spend your whole life doing one thing.
Ben
Work Safe Porn
Getting paid to test condoms in real world situations?
I ran a benchmark on my quantum computer, now I can't find it anywhere!
$100 grand a year? Are we talking US dollars? I guess S. Korea hasn't heard of outsourcing yet. It's a stretch, but they might be able to find someone in a poorer country who'd be willing to game all day for half that money. :P
-Rich
To say that a warcraft match between two human players is any harder or easier than an encounter between a guild in everquest and an epic mob (creature) is simply wrong.
And to say that killing an epic mob is "competitive" is 100 times more wrong. It's a fundamental violation of the English language.
It's not "competing"; there is no person you're beating. Only a pixelized punching-bag that was created soley to give an illusion of challenge before its corpse is looted. If the Mob was really trying, it'd have your character dead, your items re-sold, and your account cancelled before you even got a buff out.
You can no more reach a competitive level playing EQ than Solitare.
(It's possible to construct a competition on top of uncompetitive diversions, such as seeing who can solve a freecell hand faster, or who can reach level 5 most quickly starting from new EQ characters. But that's not how those games are normally played)
MMORPGs which encourage PvP are a somewhat different story, although they're not quite competitive games either (for weaker reasons).
I think what he meant more was the competition between guilds for end-game content. As everyone wants to eventually reach the top, but it is quite easy to control with one guild.
This is similar to your "who can reach level 5 most quickly" point you made, its more complex and creates that competitive atmosphere. I guess you could compare it to whoever can do 1v7 comps and win the fastest, but at a more complex level?
AC said:
I think what he meant more was the competition between guilds for end-game content.
Sure, maybe that's what he meant. But still, the single biggest factor determining which guild gets the prize is whoever puts in the most hours per week.
The top players in any kind of game will all be of roughly the same level of skill and raw ability. If it's a competitive game, then those marginal advantages translate into victory or defeat. If a FPS player is 5% more fast and accurate than her opponent, she'll get a total victory (unless there's bad luck).
But if your EQ guild is 5% more skilled than mine, we can still beat you in the level-up race by playing for 11 hours each day, instead of just 10.
(Abilities tend to equalize even more quickly in MMORPGs, where much of "skill" is actually learning which spell/item combos are most optimal. That knowledge propagates quickly to those who care about it)