Tennis Pro Swaps Racket for Railgun

kleptonin writes "David Kinnaird, a young professional tennis player from Scotland, has given up the world of tennis for the world of competitive online gaming. His reason? He believes that it will be far easier for him to make a living shooting virtual people in the face rather than smacking some balls around." From the article: "The worlds of pro-tennis and pro-gaming are close, said Mr Kinnaird, because both require players to live and breathe their discipline. The excellent hand-eye co-ordination that helped him to become a good tennis player would make him a better gamer too, he said." Here's hoping he knows what he's getting into. Just a little bit more smack talk in online gaming than in tennis.

Comments

Fame a Factor?

[christian.elliott]

What I'm wondering is how much his fame as a Tennis Player played in his acquisition by 4 Kings (the Gaming team). Is he really good enough to play competitively, or did they just throw him on the team because he'll get them media coverage (as is happening now).

I for one will be interested to see how he makes out at the CPL and alike. Will he be successful? Will this be a break for competitive gaming? We'll have to wait and see.

Staying slightly On-Topic, if anyone didn't catch the 60 minutes special on Fatal1ty and Professional gaming, check it out. I found it quite interesting.

Re:Fame a Factor?

[Flaming Babies]

It probably didn't hurt, but I'm guessing it wasn't much of a factor.
It's not like this guy was a big , or even a little, name on the pro tour.
It's nothing more than an interesting side note for his bio, IMO.

Re:Fame a Factor?

[PFI_Optix]

From the 60 minutes article:

"Fatal1ty is the first superstar of video games."

Bah. Thresh, for one, predates Fatal1ty.

Anyone remember the Crack Whores clan? They were quite popular (not necessarily for talent, though...)

Re:Fame a Factor?

[Daath]

Never heard of Tresh, who is it? What did (s)he play? AFAIK Fatal1ty is the first one that is internationally known, he's even been to Denmark at least one time, to show off at an event in the Boomtown cafe :)

Re:Fame a Factor?

[AKAImBatman]

IIRC, Thresh was an asian kid who basically wiped the floor in the original Quake. A friend of mine claims to have met him online once. He says that the guy came barrelling in from a tower overhead, rocket jumps from one side of the structure to the other, firing a rocket downward at my poor, hapless friend in mid jump. The guy was good.

He later went on to work for PC Gamer, but he never really seemed to "get into" that job.

Re:Fame a Factor?

[AKAImBatman]

And what'dya know? Wikipedia has an article.

Re:Fame a Factor?

[Golias]

If people need a wiki reference to know about him, then the term "superstar" doesn't really apply, does it?

Re:Fame a Factor?

[AugstWest]

Thresh was a Quake player. He was the first gamer to win $100,000 (and a Ferrari) playing games, and so he was dubbed "The Michael Jordan of Gaming."

He's in Wikipedia too.

Re:Fame a Factor?

[AKAImBatman]

Do you know who Hedy Lamarr was? If you were alive when Blazing Saddles was released, you were expected to. Not anymore, though. She's been lost to history.

Stardom is a fading thing. Thresh was extremely well known back in the days of Quake I. (After all, he won Carmack's Ferrari!) But that was a LONG time ago in terms of computer gaming. Ten years ago, to be precise. The generation of gamers who are playing their XBox 360s don't even remember what it was like before we had 3D games. They've probably never even played Duke Nukem 3D, and most of them have no idea that it was based on (really cool, IMHO) 2D games. "Terminal Velocity", "Descent", "Commander Keen", and "Wacky Wheels" are just so much noise to them. "Wing Commander" is something that old fogies keep bringing up. And PC Gamer is just another game magazine, not the center of the gaming universe.

Face it. The gaming generation that made games happen has long been eclipsed by all the johnny-come-latelys. That is why no one seems to know about this stuff.

Re:Fame a Factor?

[InsaneLampshade]

"Is he really good enough to play competitively, or did they just throw him on the team because he'll get them media coverage (as is happening now)."

If you bothered to RTFA:

"Mr Kinnaird took part in the CPL Winter Event, came in at a respectable eighth place taking home $600 for his time."

Re:Fame a Factor?

[ynohoo]

you should tell your friend to flesh out the Thresh Wikipedia entry - it's a good tale :)

Re:Fame a Factor?

[Ford Prefect]

Do you know who Hedy Lamarr was? If you were alive when Blazing Saddles was released, you were expected to. Not anymore, though. She's been lost to history.

I know! She co-invented spread-spectrum radio communications during the second world war!

Oh, and she was an actress too. And to point this back towards computer games, the pet headcrab in Half-Life 2 was called Lamarr. As in Hedy. Geddit?

As for this Scottish guy - something tells me he may not have as much success with the ladies after his change in careers. Before: "I'm a professional tennis player" - good! After: "I'm a professional computer-game player" - you must be joking... ;-)

Re:Fame a Factor?

[AKAImBatman]

How to tell you're on Slashdot, tip #3012:

When Hedy Lamarr's technical achievements are mentioned first, and her acting achievements are brushed off in passing. :-P

Re:Fame a Factor?

[Barbarian]

If that was on the Quake map DM6, that was a fairly easy maneuver in the health pack room. There were people who whored that room all map long.

Re:Fame a Factor?

[RootsLINUX]

I tried to watch that 60 minutes video before with Firefox + mplayer plugin, but all it lets me watch is the damn commercial before the actual content. (It stops after the commericial and then when I hit play again, it just brings me back to the commercial). Does anyone know how to get around this? I'm really interested to watch this video as well. :(

Re:Fame a Factor?

[christian.elliott]

I used Media Player Classic with the Real Alternative addon. Then I just plugged this link in (Copy Link Location).

Re:Fame a Factor?

[Golias]

Do you know who Hedy Lamarr was?

Yes I do. Point being?

Stardom is a fading thing. Thresh was extremely well known back in the days of Quake I.

If I stopped 200 random people on the corner of Hollywood and Vine during the peak of the Quake I tournament days, I seriously doubt a single one of them would have known who the fuck Thresh was. Gaming tournaments was not something the general public paid any attention to at all back then.

In other words, he was not a "superstar" because nobody was famous for playing video games in the 90s.

Hell, even today there are Texas Hold 'Em players with more name recognition than Fatal1ty, but at least he's had his picture in a few newspapers and magazines.

I remember the hype over Thresh, and I could not even begin to tell you what he looked like.

Re:Fame a Factor?

[PFI_Optix]

I played him in a couple of online tourneys way back, when he started climbing the ladders. He thoroughly trashed all of us. The only small comfort I have is that I logged more kills on him than anyone else...which isn't saying much, since most people never got a shot at him. I only remember it because it's hard to forget a trouncing like that.

I remember reading an interview with him where he said he logged 6-8 hours a day on Quake to keep his edge. Guys like Thresh who invest full days practicing the game are the reason I never even attempted to go pro. I have a day job and bills to pay :)

Re:Fame a Factor?

[fain0v]

I've played quake with Dennis before. He really was incredible. Ive also played starcraft with him. He was very good, but certainly not at the professional level.

What's my point?

Even switching the type of video game that you play can make all the difference as to what level you can compete at. Tennis to Quake IV? Good Luck!

Re:Fame a Factor?

[Wanker]

Do you know who Hedy Lamarr was?

That's Hedly! Oh, wait...

Re:Fame a Factor?

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes I do. Point being?

That most people don't, and so the constant references in Blazing Saddles aren't funny. Duh.

If I stopped 200 random people on the corner of Hollywood and Vine during the peak of the Quake I tournament days, I seriously doubt a single one of them would have known who the fuck Thresh was.

And you think it would be any different with Fatality? If he's a "superstar", Thresh predates him by almost a decade.

Re:Fame a Factor?

[4K-deus]

Right where 2 start. Main problem is. BBC are making it out like iv just quit trying 2 go pro at tennis for gaming, which isn't true at the age of 18 i went full time with a coach and everything. Atfer around 6 months of trying i couldn't make myself play the game i just didn't love it, and trust me if u wanna be good at something u need 2 live and breath it. Anyway moving on. As u can see i haven't 'quit' tennis for gaming im just trying 2 make it in the gaming world now. Moving on 2 'pro gaming'. I dunno how many of you really know what it is or how big it is. IE. Im traveling around the world EVERYTHING paid for. And over all the tourneys around 1 millon $$$ will be there for the taking. January - USA May - pending June - Sweden July - USA July - France August - Brazil August - USA September - China October - Italy November - USA FINALS And thats just some of em........ My team has given me a deal none could turn down i can't speak about it but lets put it this way i can make a living from gaming. www.four-kings.com -- if u want more info. And 2 some of the comments about doing well at CPL's etc, iv already got a top 8 finish at CPL winter in dallas. Then 2nd place at ESRi. I just wanted 2 clear some things up, any cheers for the comments guys.

Smacktalk

[grub]

Just a little bit more smack talk in online gaming than in tennis.

You've never seen John McEnroe play.

Re:Smacktalk

[Cplus]

Johnny Mac never called my mother a cunt-rag.

Heh

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, that would certainly make for an interesting counterstrike match - somebody smacking a grenade back at you.

Fringe benefits?

[192939495969798999]

Being a pro tennis player has way better fringe benefits than being a pro video game player.

Re:Fringe benefits?

[Anonymous Coward]

Being a pro tennis player has way better fringe benefits than being a pro video game player.

Judging by Justin Gimelstob, achieving the status of tennis pro also requires being a self-congratulating moron.

Re:Fringe benefits?

[fallen1]

You know, that may be true, but considering Alexis Barbara was in 2 of your 3 examples I'm thinking she might need to get a restraining order for stalking and name you in it ;-)

Kidding. Just kidding. Since, you know, she IS hot.

Re:Fringe benefits?

[Anonymous Coward]

Comments like yours make me thank the Lord there is tabbedhttp://www.mozilla.com/firefox/tabs.html browsing http://www.maxthon.com/.

I just wish I could figure this html thing out, do you suppose it will catch on?

Re:Fringe benefits?

[Danny Rathjens]

heh, yeah, ESPN spent almost as much time with the camera on Baghdatis' french model girlfriend Camille as the game.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/australian_ open/4651256.stm

One thing's clear...

[ninja_assault_kitten]

He must have never had a chance as a tennis pro.

Too bad they didn't have this 30 years ago.

[Rob T Firefly]

A few rounds of Quake could have added a new dimension to Bobby Riggs vs. Billie Jean King.

Anyone for tennis?

[slushbat]

I think the final of international pong championships is now a foregone conclusion.

Balance

[SilentOneNCW]

And somewhere in the world, a gamer is realizing his folly and picking up a tennis racket for some much-needed exercise.

Has anyone heard of this guy?

[hal2814]

I haven't kept up with tennis since my honeymoon was inadvertently scheduled in London during Wimbledon back in 2000. (I was wondering beforehand why it was so hard to get decent hotel reservations. I quickly found out why.) Is this kid a superstar or something? Is he just a marginal player? I'm just wondering if he's really backing out of a tennis career because of his love of gaming or his fear of success in professional tennis.

Gimme a break

[cmay]

I played Division 1 and a few low level pro tennis tournaments.

I also play HL and CS a ton. You can't compare playing tennis with any video game. Give me a break.

If you can't see the difference, then you need to look yourself in the mirror and make some changes in your life.

Scotland, as everyone knows...

[aapold]

As everyone knows, Scotland is the World's worst tennis-playing nation.. This can only mean...

Aliens mean to win Quakecon!

Fitness

[steveo777]

He'll soon change his mind when he notices the loss of energy and strength. When you work out all the time and suddenly stop there is a massive difference. You won't stay awake easily, and you'll start relying on coffee or other caffiene products. Muscles will start to atrophy without constant use, and consequently, your matabolism will plummet. Now you're storing all the energy you eat.

Athaletes that quit cold turkey tend to turn into fat guys a lot quicker than they think.

Re:Fitness

[hal2814]

Or he could just continue on a workout schedule. That's what my dad did when he left baseball. He kept on working out and cut down significantly on his diet. The workouts were less rigorous but they were good enough. This tennis guy will face a challenge going from tennis pro to pro gamer but he can do if he continues with proper exercise and nutrition.

Lots of baseball players manage to stay in shape after retirement. I imagine a tennis pro can do the same. The biggest weight gains I've seen are off of retired bodybuilders and American football players who previously had to have massive caloric intake to keep up their muscle mass. They just can't seem to adjust to eating a lot less food.

Re:Fitness

[Anonymous Coward]

He'll soon change his mind when he notices the loss of energy and strength. When you work out all the time and suddenly stop there is a massive difference. You won't stay awake easily, and you'll start relying on coffee or other caffiene products. Muscles will start to atrophy without constant use, and consequently, your matabolism will plummet. Now you're storing all the energy you eat.

You make it sound like it's a bad thing.

*goes back to gaming

Re:Fitness

[Swordsmanus]

Ehh...I'd say it's good for a gamer to stay in moderate shape at least. It might help with personal reflexes, alertness, concentration, etc. At least, most of the really skillful gamers I know personally and know of aren't in horrible shape. Only a few are slightly overweight. The rest either don't work out much but are not overweight, or they work out at least once a week, though usually more than that. Even Fatal1ty, who probably plays more than most of us, isn't a fatass.

Re:Fitness

[Swordsmanus]

Oh yeah, from TFA: " He may spend eight to 12 hours a day in front of a video screen, but don't mistake him for a geek. Like most of the top video game professionals, he is an excellent athlete, and was a star on his high school tennis team. "I work out a lot -- you know being physically fit and making sure your neurotransmitters are working properly and making sure that you're on beat and you're ready to go," says Wendel. He calls that "neuro-fitness" and he believes it makes him think faster."

Good game.

Re:Fitness

[Swordsmanus]

Bah, what I just posted wasn't from TFA, but from an article that another commenter added: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/01/19/60minute s/main1220146.shtml

Re:Fitness

[Anonymous Coward]

"He calls that "neuro-fitness" and he believes it makes him think faster.""

I call it "neuro-moronness" and I believe it makes him nullify any brain activity.

Maybe some automatic cerebellus reflects, but nothing else.

No pain, no gain.

[Anonymous Coward]

"He believes that it will be far easier for him to make a living shooting virtual people in the face rather than smacking some balls around.""

Oh, I don't know. There's money to be made in the bondage and pain market.

Gamers and athletes use some of the same skills

[Dashcolon]

Other cyber athletes have shown that they have the eye-hand coordination needed to be competitive in real sports. Lim Yo Hwan, a starcraft: brood wars gamer, once was involved in a publicity event with one of South Korea's premier pro basbeball players where they compared relative eye-hand coordination, and as I recall, Lim had better coordination than the ball player.

Counter example

[hey!]

If people need a wiki reference to know about him, then the term "superstar" doesn't really apply, does it?

Counter example here

Re:Counter example

[Anonymous Coward]

You needed to look that up?

Tennis ranking?

[flying gecko]

I'm sure this is a good career choice since from looking at the ATP which ranks tennis players I could not find him listed under Scotland (no one is listed). So I wonder how good of a tennis player he is.

I'm confused

[baudbarf]

One can make a living playing video games? I know you can sell junk from MMOGs on ebay, but nowhere near enough to earn a LIVING worth mentioning. And I've never heard of money coming from counterstrike... so I'm confused.

Re:I'm confused

[Hubbell]

That's why I know people who made thousands of dollars per month playing MMORPG's and ebaying mass stuff.

Switching sports doesn't always work.

[fain0v]

Hand eye coordination is required for tennis, basketball, and video games. If someone is great at one sport, chances are they will be good at another involving similar skills. This doesnt mean that they will be able to compete on a professional level. The best example I can give is Michael Jordan. Incredible basketball player, good golfer and baseball player.

Only time will tell if this tennis player has what it takes to play with professional gamers.

makes sense to me...

[xeeazgk]

I mean, I play a very competitive game of tennis against all of my friends. Only people who can *really* play ever really challenge me. I'm also a pretty mean video game competitor. I have an incredible record on original goldeneye... I haven't been beaten best 2 out of 3 since 1998. I also pwn both Super Smash Bros. games. Given a few hours of practice, I can beat almost anyone at almost any game. Especially if I practice against hard opponents. After a week of playing against the l33ts in Halo2, I started pwning them too. So, general hand eye coordination is a huge advantage in any type of game. If anyone in Austin wants to rumble video games, drop me a line.

Did anyone else....

[gijoel]

... think of Mech tennis when they read that headline. Damn that would be cool.