Become a Professional Gamer

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Posted by michael on Friday May 21, 2004 @06:09AM from the step-1:-play-games-step-2:-???-step-3:-profit! dept.

introverted writes "An article in the Wall Street Journal covers events in South Korea, where, even more so than the U.S., there are increasingly highly paid professional teams competing in games such as Blizzard's StarCraft. The article notes: 'Last year, [pro StarCraft gamer] Lim Yo-Hwan made about $300,000 from player fees and commercials. Another top earner, Hung Jin-Ho, whose fingers are insured for $60,000, recently signed a three-year deal with telecom provider KTF Co. that will pay him $480,000 altogether.' So now you can claim your time gaming as 'job skills training'!"

27 of 338 comments (clear)

Oh, come on... by Mz6 · 2004-05-21 06:10 · Score: 4, Funny

"He has a fan club with 470,000 registered members, but for the past two years he hasn't had a girlfriend. His fame makes it hard for him to risk rejection by approaching girls, he says: "It's too embarrassing." Also, team rules bar him from bringing dates back to the apartment."
Screw that BS... Get a new team or something.
Out of almost half a million people, there has to be some remotely hot girl that this guy could get and not be afraid of rejection with.
I mean..... wait for it..... she' in YOUR FAN CLUB!

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Hmmm.
1. Re:Oh, come on... by LilMikey · 2004-05-21 06:28 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  So what he's trying to say is playing video games for a living doesn't get you chicks?!?! Incredible paradigm shift from my usual way of thinking.
  
  --
  LilMikey.com... I'll stop doing it when you sto
2. Re:Oh, come on... by Anonymous Coward · 2004-05-21 06:31 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  The Global Gaming League (ggl.com) is trying to start the same sort of professional gaming atmosphere in the U.S.... and your comment reminded me of their old slogan:
  
  Stop playing with yourself .
3. Re:Oh, come on... by Anonymous Coward · 2004-05-21 06:52 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  His fame makes it hard for him to risk rejection by approaching girls, he says: "It's too embarrassing." Also, team rules bar him from bringing dates back to the apartment.
  Must be the Slashdot team...
4. Re:Oh, come on... by Woy · 2004-05-21 07:02 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Oh, like it's not embarassing for the rest of us as well. My fan club doesn't even have the test account created yet!
  
  --
  "If God created us in his own image we have more than reciprocated." - Voltaire
The Wife+Gaming=No sex by Himring · 2004-05-21 06:11 · Score: 5, Funny

So now you can claim your time gaming as 'job skills training'!

That should fly as well with the wife as the, "I'm working ... really!..."

--
"All great things are simple & expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope." --Churchill
1. Re:The Wife+Gaming=No sex by awhelan · 2004-05-21 06:16 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  That's fine, if he's clever enough to get paid for gaming, I'm sure he's working on a way to get paid for looking at pr0n.
2. Re:The Wife+Gaming=No sex by Giant+Panda · 2004-05-21 06:18 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  When I worked for IEG designing porn sites, this was the line I used, "Honey, really. I'm working..."
  In practice, doesn't work too well!
Re:Whatever. by CriX · 2004-05-21 06:13 · Score: 4, Funny

Hey, Doom is intellectualy challenging okay?! All those keys... you even have to match the colors.

A job like that pWn3z. :)

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Moderation: +1 pwnage
1... 2... 3.... Rush! by lcde · 2004-05-21 06:13 · Score: 3, Funny

[pro StarCraft gamer] Lim Yo-Hwan made about $300,000 from player fees and commercials.

And you thought you got pissed when someone Zerg Rushed you.

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:%s/teh/the/g
This is getting out of control. by Dr.+Bent · 2004-05-21 06:14 · Score: 5, Funny

in South Korea, where, even more so than the U.S., there are increasingly highly paid professional teams competing in games

Jesus, are they outsourcing everything now?!?
I am a professional gamer by Anonymous Coward · 2004-05-21 06:14 · Score: 5, Funny

My company has been paying me to be a professional solitaire and spider solitaire player for years.
1. Re:I am a professional gamer by mrtroy · 2004-05-21 06:18 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  My boss can do the minesweeper expert size in 50 seconds.
  
  Looks like he has been training for a few years.
  
  My best time is 120.
  
  --
  [I can picture a world without war, without hate. I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it]
2. Re:I am a professional gamer by rusty0101 · 2004-05-21 06:46 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  I regularly finish in less then 10 seconds.
  
  Oh, you mean without triping a mine.... Sorry.
  
  -Rusty
  
  --
  You never know...
Where has Gary Larson gone? by AndroidonPPC · 2004-05-21 06:17 · Score: 5, Funny

Man... there was a Far Side comic about parents hopefully imagining newspaper classifieds desperately searching for a super-mario player so that their son, engulfed in games, would have a career.

Professional starcraft player. Fastest Zerg rush of the east! ^_^
I don't know about you... by Mz6 · 2004-05-21 06:20 · Score: 4, Funny

But I ALWAYS destroy that Silly Chinese army in C&C:Generals. And if their Army is any indication of their gameplay, I'm home free!

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Hmmm.
No Deaths = Amateurs by engineerErrant · 2004-05-21 06:21 · Score: 3, Funny

The fans of a given game can't reasonably be called hardcore until some of them die playing it (as with Diablo 2 a couple years ago). I see the Starcraft guys still lack commitment.

I long for combat!
And if "professional gamer" doesn't work out... by turnstyle · 2004-05-21 06:22 · Score: 4, Funny

And if a career as a professional gamer doesn't work out ... you can always fall back on a career in professional sports.

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Here's what I do: Bitty Browser & Andromeda
Finger Insurance?? by d_force · 2004-05-21 06:23 · Score: 3, Funny

Last year, Mr. Lim made about $300,000 from player fees and commercials. Another top earner, Hung Jin-Ho, whose fingers are insured for $60,000, recently signed a three-year deal with telecom provider KTF Co. that will pay him $480,000 altogether.

I know pro-sports players buy massive insurance... but exclusively for fingers?!?!
Hell, can I get a pro-rated discount for only insuring my thumb, index, and middle finger? What about only the dominant hand?
Reminds me of the Conan O'Brian skit: "In the year twoooo-thousand... People will be able to save $150 or more on their finger insurance by switching to Geico!

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SELECT * FROM USERS WHERE A_WINNER = "YUO";
RTFA by Mz6 · 2004-05-21 06:36 · Score: 4, Funny

There was so many sponsorship ads in that article I had to go get myself a Coke.

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Hmmm.
Team rules don't allow ... by burgburgburg · 2004-05-21 06:45 · Score: 4, Funny

him to bring a girl back to the apartment he shares with his teammates/coach.
He stopped playing basketball to make sure he didn't damage his hands. Isn't he still risking hand injuries with that sort of rule?
1. Re:Team rules don't allow ... by Sn_wC_t · 2004-05-21 09:16 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Have you ever risked a hand injury doing the dirty by yourself?
  
  Scary.
2. Re:Team rules don't allow ... by demo9orgon · 2004-05-21 11:29 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Actually, he doesn't stand to risk any damnage to his hands, but could incurr adhesion of the foreskin to the glans which can happen when there's enough wear-n-tear caused by friction with the hands. Of course a "professional" is going to use lube, which will lower the risk of this happening. Also recommended is the use of "both hands" or a "blowfish", which will produce a different set of conditions and alleviate the pressure across the frenum caused by an enthusiastic grip and high speed movements.
  And for those with the inclination, the use of large-mouthed beverage containers shouldn't be overlooked, however restrain such activities to just plastic containers because you can't cut-through or break the others if things are too binding. Just remember to use your best judgement with your own tools.
  Cheers.
  
  --
  Every new form of media has it's own Requirimento
Re:He says it himself... by handsome+devil · 2004-05-21 07:01 · Score: 5, Funny

What I wanna know is how can i get someone to pay me to be their videogame coach. "Hit jump! Go that way!"
Re:Whatever. by Decaffeinated+Jedi · 2004-05-21 07:38 · Score: 3, Funny

"So now you can claim your time gaming as 'job skills training'!"
Actually, I think that's a typo. It should read "job skillz training."

--
DecafJedi
my weblog: apropos of something
Re:Whatever. by ryanwright · 2004-05-21 10:29 · Score: 3, Funny

The point here is that all these companies sell products that the people *watching* would buy.

Pro gaming just needs to concentrate on the right advertisers:

- Jolt cola
- Pizza hut
- Acne medications
- Miracle weight loss pills
- "Big & short" clothing companies
- Porn distributors
- Overprotective mothers ... etc.

--
-Ryan, with the unoriginal sig
Re:He says it himself... by Man+in+Spandex · 2004-05-21 13:02 · Score: 3, Funny

can you imagine the coach when you lost an important position in a tournament?

coach: No you imbecile. I told you 200 hydralisks that side! NOT 200 Zerglings THAT SIDE. ARE YOU DEAF! *smack*
player: sorry coach. I'l be better next time
coach: You better, otherwise I'l sell you to that other coach with the glass eye who always talks about his encounter with sasquatch