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Hire a Game Coach Online
Carl Bialik from WSJ writes "Expert videogame players, many of them teens, are forging professional careers as coaches, finding clients — many of them in their 20s or 30s — online, the Wall Street Journal reports. Some gigs pay $65 an hour. From the article: 'Gaming-lessons.com says its youngest "Halo 2" instructor is 8-year-old New Yorker Victor De Leon III — better known by his online gamer name, Lil Poison — who has given several lessons a month since late last year, fitting the classes in after he has done his homework. His father, also named Victor, says his son has used some of the money he earns from lessons (hourly rate: $25) to buy a hamster, named Cortana after a character in the game.'"
I've heard of life coaches. But get-a-life coaches; that's something new!
Where were you when the voynix came?
While 1-1 coaching will always have its place, there is more and more help getting available to on-line gamers in form of communities (gaming help websites) and some automated tools. If you are looking at making this your profession watch out for these help options as your competitors!
I bet his hamster could beat you though...
When I have a kid, I want to put him in one of those strollers for twins and then run around the mall looking frantic.
Back in the era of the NES and SNES Nintendo Power used to advertise official game company 1-900 numbers where you could get rad tips for some crazy per-minute charge. I never called one, but I imagine a lot of children drove their parent's phone bills through the roof.
So many odd things about this article, including the kid's name: "Victor De Leon III". Sounds like a mafia boss. Wonder if he's allowed to play GTA?
What gets me is why anyone would want to pay? It's like paying someone to eat chocolate for you.
Argh.
That's really quite interesting. Too bad they only offer classes for first-person-shooter games. I've gotten good enough at City of Heroes/Villains that I could probably earn out some great rates giving hourly instruction in that game. I wonder if there are any other sites where a game guru could offer their teaching skills for hire. (It would certainly be a better value for the money than those "pay-for-PL" sites.)
Editor Emeritus and Senior Writer, TeleRead.org
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
I'd laugh at how huge a waste of life this is, were I not actually guilty of calling a Nintendo "game counselor" once during my childhood. Still, this would have been my dream job at that age, and a friend of mine in 8th grade actually made a few dollars selling VHS videos of him beating whatever NES game in his collection the customer wanted to see. Screw selling lemonade or delivering newspapers...
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"What's next, degrees and certifications?!"
For the degrees, you don't need coaches. You just buy them from grade-farmers in China.
Where were you when the voynix came?
There's a university in the UK which offers courses in "Circus Skills", so I wouldn't be surprised.
Argh.
Halo2 Clan Leader: "Sorry dude, you need H+ certification and a degree in Frag Mastering to join." Applicant: "But I've been playing first-person shooters for years! I have more experience than any idiot with those junk pieces of paper!!"
It seems to me that some 30 to 40 year olds that have to much money but not enough youth are just tring to get it to this new thingy called video games. It's not the idea that they want to have fun that bothers me it's the idea that people that can't read and instruction booklet or stratagy guide have that much disposable income.
Why's this pathetic? Is being a PGA instructor pathetic? After all, knowing the optimum golf club for a shot, or how to correctly use a 3-wood is useless away from golf.
Some people enjoy their leisure activities more if they're good at them (especially when the activity is competitive). Stands to reason the market would provide facilities to help people improve. I wouldn't spend my money on something like this, but I'm not going to disparage the people that do.
Back in the era of the NES and SNES Nintendo Power used to advertise official game company 1-900 numbers where you could get rad tips for some crazy per-minute charge. I never called one, but I imagine a lot of children drove their parent's phone bills through the roof.
I don't know how popular those would have been for action games or such things, but LucasArts used to have a hint line you could call for their adventure games where you could get the solution for a puzzle that had gotten you stuck. I'd bet they got a lot of calls on that.
Not if I have a microwave.
Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
Top Starcraft players would offer lessons either on a hourly level or a per game level at some ludricous rate too. Of course, given the free flow of information of the Net, you'll find that none of these experts actually had any secret worth paying for because if they did, everyone would've known about it already. Although the secret to being good at games and almost anything else in general is just talent + practice, people are quite willing to pretend this isn't the case and if you just get 'the secret from the experts', you too can be a world class Starcraft or Halo 2 player even if you possess neither the talent nor the endurance to learn the game.
This is hardly new, people have been paying for their hobbies for a very long time, either skill improvements (chess coaching, for example) to having to play for supplies and material for other leisure activities, like model airplane flying. I'm not sure what the big deal is here...
Why does anyone need to hire a coach for video games? If yo want to get better--here's a novel thought--find where the good players go, and go there, too. It will either force you to get better or give up because you lack any natural aptitude for the game.
Example: A lot of RTS games now have replay features. Want to get better? Every time you get stomped, watch the replay and see what the other guy did. Try to emulate it in sandbox or skirmish mode. After a few dozen replays you'll be playing like a competent player.
120 characters for a sig? That's bloody useless.
that is the gheyest thing I've ever heard. Paying a kid $25 to get good at Halo is pathetic to say the least.
For the past two decades the second highest market behind selling the games themselves has been the selling of magazines with cheatcodes, screens, etc. All of which may not actually make you a better player. Having someone to actually point out the things you do which are wrong and better ways to achieve results is nothing less than Big Business spends tonnes of money on every year, so why not avid gamers? Just because it doesn't work for you, don't dis everyone else.
One method I learned, years ago, was to play games at their hardest levels or accept the highest degree of difficulty missions. I'd get slaughtered, but at that pace I picked up better sends of timing, anticipation and reaction. Then returned to the easier levels/missions and I learned enough from them to actually beat/complete all levels/missions.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
I think "Kicked by console" must be some sort of certification or something, because I'm pretty good at CS and I get that all the time when I play and do well. Also people call me a "wallhack" and "aimbot", I don't know exactly what this means but I figure it's analogous to the title "Doctor" IRL.
Rather than paying $25 an hour, why not use gamefaqs or other related sites? If nothing else, its more convenient to print off a walkthrough and have it handy for when it is needed.
Jolt Cola, Mountain Dew, Coffee.
Hamburgers, Tacos, Pizza - lot's of pepperoni and sausage - need that protein!
Skittles, Gummi Bears, etc... - sugars for the brain.
Cross training across platforms: alternating days of: PS/2, PCGames, Nintendo, etc...
I know NOTHING, I know NOTHING
I reflect your sentiment. There are a LOT of activities persued by amateuers - distance running, triathlon, etc. - people who will never make a dime off of it but wind up spending lots to persue the sport. Many of them hire coaches to get the most out of their experience and interest.
University of Gaming?
Imagine, some time later, when you ask a kid what he want to become when grown-up, he'll answer "I wanna be a prof. of Counter-Strike!"
Yesterday we had an article about fighting game addiction. Today we have an article about guys who are essentially paid to encourage more gaming.
The people who are paying for these lessons are getting schooled.
There are 0x40000000 types of people: those who understand 32-bit IEEE 754 floating point, and those who don't.
Is the minute I quit. I have a rule when playing video games. As soon as I am frustrated, I put the mouse/controller down and go do something else. I used to play UT a lot and would find that I started to get frustrated when I died and flip out at the computer. I still play UT, but not quite as much and I find that I have a lot more fun in doing so. Games are meant to be FUN, not a chore. I refuse to ever "practice" in a video game, I just play it and have fun, if I get better as a side effect, oh well.
I have a wonderful idea. Instead of hiring someone to try to make you a good player, you can hire me and I'll play for you as an excellent player! You specify game, weapon of choice, handle and taunts and I'll supply the a**-kicking.
IANA*
Doesn't anyone find it a little odd that an eight-year-old is making money playing an M-rated game?
Oh, I don't know about that. I've found it useful to chuck a few grenades into a room before I enter. Other than the janitor at work getting royally pissed it has served me well.
Is being a PGA instructor pathetic?
No, but unless you're a pro looking to improve your game to make more money, hiring one is.
If you haven't foed me yet, what are you waiting for?
I wonder, did he also buy a little excersize wheel for his hamster and name it Installation 4?
-mrxak
Onions Will Kill You
People actually pay for lessons for skills that are useless away from video games? What's next, degrees and certifications?!
Certainly! And just like in real life, by the time you have mastered the skill/technology/theory it's all changed to something else.
finally, I have complete mastery of the AT codes for modems ... now what's this DSL stuff I'm hearing about?
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
${YEAR+1} is going to be the year of Linux on the desktop!
Plenty of non-professional golfers use their game to make lots more money. Why do you think so many people play golf?
Degaussing scares the bad magnetism out of the monitor and fills it with good karma.
My parents knew I could handle certain violent movies at that age, so apparently his parents feel the same of him. That's as it should be, with parents informed about the content who know their own child making educated choices.
That said, imagine the uproar had Halo been M-rated for boobs instead of violence! Gasp! Shock! Horror!
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It's worth it just for the money you'll save on golf balls.
Just like all those child actors acting in R rated movies?
Reviewing just the first hour of video games.
Back in the day the competition level wasn't as stiff. I never felt the need for any of that extra help because video games were just something me and my buddies played. When Quake hit I felt like I was pretty good at it for a few years. But the level of competition started ramping up due to the regional and then global competition pool.
The base skill level is so much higher these days, if you're not a kid with unlimited time (or naturally talented) it's really hard to have fun on XBox live or Nintendo Wifi. I don't think paying a coach is unreasonable at all if you want to minimize your time investment and still have fun.
why else would people pay for in-game money in MMOG's? Or for power-leveling, or for characters already at level 60? Don't enjoy life too much? Buy an expensive car or house, have the best stereo system and 64" LCD TV, make your kids go to Harvard, etc etc etc.
Its sad, but so many people believe it actually makes them happy. More of a vicious cycle I say.
People have been paying for tutors in games like Chess or Go for centuries. Sure you can get to a certain level just by playing, but sometimes you need someone else to show you a new viewpoint.
At least getting better at mentally challenging games may have some redeeming value outside of the particular game...
And so it goes, -seth
Ya that was me. For LoZ, I racked up over $200 in charges. The phone company ended up taking over 3/4 of it away and I lost my allowance for a bunch of months :(
Between a faq and spending an hour or two, you should be able to be competent in just about any game. I'd put this on the same level as a pet rock(tm).
Not if you have a groundhog digging up your yard and you can't seem to chase it off. It doesn't see the golf ball coming. The surprise shot usually sends it off for days.
There are other cross sport uses, too. For instance, baseball helped improve my bowling skills. Ever since I started bowling overhand, I'm not wasting frames trying to adjust to the lane conditions.
Then where would Halo be?
> People actually pay for lessons for skills that are useless away from video games?
So it's mostly just like college, then.
One day we have stories of rehab clinics for game depenencies, the next day we have articles about professional gaming coaches!
I think people are just confused about what to do with the enthusiams games generate.
to go rogue when Victor De Leon III turns 15?
But you gotta admit that sounds like a nice way to get income from the gamer, regardless of if it's right/wrong that someone is paying for it. If there is demand, why not supply?.
I wonder if these kids are abiding by state labor laws. Many states limit employment for minors by time of day and hours/week. How many hours a week do these kids need to PLAY the games to be good enough to teach others to do so? Also, if they are earning more than $400 a year they are required to file with the IRS.
Regardless, allowing children to be employed this way seems short-sighted on the part of parents. Service jobs at least teach kids to deal with people they may not like. Employment of this sort offers no benefit to the child other than easy cash & the delusion that video games are something other than a passtime.
Have you seen my stapler?
yeah, poor kid. He probably wanted to be a professional sports athlete too, but was teased and bullied by people into playing video games.
"The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became truth." ~1984 George Orwell
The gamer part of me is saying "that would rock!". The rest is saying "how lame". I won't say what's the % of each one thought :P
I called that number once for help with the SNES Zelda game. I was living at home but had my own separate phone line which I paid for, so I didn't feel bad about it (I was 16 or so at the time).
Anyway, I remember being somewhat amazed that any human being knew the layout of the land of Hyrule as well as the guy I talked to. I think I was looking for the ice wand or the fire wand or something, and he just rattled it off like he was giving directions to the supermarket. "Oh sure, you just go up past the third palace in the dark world, the one with the grappling hook, make a left on the outer rim of Lake Hylia, go past the Enchanted Forest..." and so on. I remember it being a very surreal experience. It did help me beat the game though.
I didn't get transferred to a Zelda expert or anything either and there was no delay like he was looking it up, so he almost certainly had the same level of knowledge of at least several other games.
I just pronounce it "gee-hey" and chalk it up to "kids who use words so often they had to invent alternate spellings to create the illusion of belonging to a subculture."
Might I suggest the Self-Important Prigs Appreciation society?
how many pairs of boxer shorts should you own?
Your analogy is pretty good. The reason I'd never go for it, in spite of enjoying video games, and enjoying the notion of being able to actually beat someone at one of them is this: Computer games come and go... for the most part rather quickly. Golf, however, in spite of equipment advances, is basically the same game it always was. That, and I don't pay for golf lessons either.
Infocom had the same thing, at least after Activision bought them.
Avoid Missing Ball for High Score
Actually, for a long time, Nintendo had a free (meaning only long distance charges, not toll-free) line that would give you help/hints if you were stuck. I remember being disappointed when they phased that out in favor of 900 numbers. I never used it much, but it was nice to have if I rented a game and really couldn't figure out what to do next.
Bizarrely, I still remember the phone number (206-885-7529!), long after I've completely forgotten my home phone number from back then, which I used much more often...
I am the man with no sig!
I think this is piontless. Most games require skills. If you need a coach you obviously do not have the skills needed to play the game. The rest of the game is strategy which can either be learned by playing, getting a manual, or listening to other people who have played (that don't charge you for the info). IMHO
They would speak really slowly to pad the call time.
Upppppppp, uppppppppp dowwwwwwwwn, dowwwwwwwwn, leeeeeeeeeft, riiiiiiiight,leeeeeeeeeft, riiiiiiiight, beeeeee, aaaaaaa, selllllect, staaaaaaaaart.
Where does the school board find them and why do they keep sending them to ME?
No sillier than paying someone to check your golf swing, tennis backhand, cycling pedal stroke, violin form, tighten up your chess game, show you knitting stiches or how to trail brake into the corner and drift out under acceleration.
People take lessons from people more skilled than they are. Big deal.
I've given online gaming lessons as an instructor through an organized "school." As a volunteer. No money involved for anyone. But I get fifty bucks an hour for some of things listed above and my time and expertise in Grand Prix Legends isn't really worth any less just because I use a driving sim instead of a parking lot.
KFG
Certification? That's a spot at the top of the rankings. Or, you know, in the top percentile or so. Back when I used to play Mechwarrior 4 I was regularly at the top of the attrition and team attrition stat ladders, whee ha. I was also decently-ranked at UT back in the day. Talk about a testament to time wasted :) (no, leisure is not a waste. it's good for the soul.)
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
amen to that.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
> Why's this pathetic? Is being a PGA instructor pathetic?
:-)
Actually, yes it is.
jfs
The only thing worse than a Democrat is a Republican.
Though I'd really like to condemn paying for video-game lessons as modern-day insanity, I'd probably just as soon turn around and be accepting of someone paying money for lessons from a chess coach. And though I'd like to think of chess as a much more noble cause for tutoring than Counter-Strike [It is.], I can't help but cringe at my double standard a little while doing so.
But, ah, this is ridiculous, in its own right.
Perhaps life really is full of possibilities.
We have those here in the US too. They're called "nerds".
They spend extraordinary effort to get straight A's throughout high school and undergrad in the hopes that someone will pay good money for them later. Sadly, they often get hooked on the intense rush of grade-grubbing and end up spending the next 10 years of their life wildly chasing the next big enlightenment high.
I've seen it happen. It ain't pretty.
"In a 32-bit world, you're a 2-bit user. You've got your own newsgroup, alt.total.loser." -Weird Al
I mean, to learn piano, all you need is to buy a piano and then just plunk away at it until you're playing Chopin, right?
You seem to be implying that learning to play a video game well is equal in difficulty to learning to become a skilled pianist. For that matter, do you think that becoming a skilled basketball player or swimmer is no more difficult than becoming skilled at Halo 2?
I don't think all activities are equal in difficulty, particularly given that video games are created specifically to be playable. The piano wasn't created to be easy to learn. Video games are.
Read the EFF's Fair Use FAQ
Not that I would advocate spending money this way, but what is the difference between this and the people who buy equipment/characters/accounts for Diablo/Guild Wars/WoW type games on EBay or such like? I would think that this community would be more supportive of people paying to learn the skills to play the game through rather than buying a pre-built account online for 100's of bucks. (I just did a quick check on EBay and a Lvl 60 Rogue is going for $560).
Or is it just the thought of giving an 8 year old $25/hour to teach you anything that pisses people off so much?
Personally I'd rather buy a bunch of good beer, get drunk and have my ass kicked in a game for an hour than bust the cash on in-game items
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.
Isn't that the konami code?
or is it up down up down left right b a select start ? Something like that worked for level select in TMNT 2 for the NES back in the day. I loved kicking crang's ass in that damn technodrome.
MidnightBSD: The BSD for Everyone
He used the money to buy a hamster... So, what, he taught for 1 hour at $25 an hour?
This is no different than the people who buy gold in MMORPG's. If anything it might be more productive. There are always the people who have more money than time and are willing to make up the difference by pulling out the checkbook. Gold in a game doesn't buy - pardon the pun, game, but a few hours with a coach just might.
I think this is a symptom of games become popular with a lot of individuals who are just getting into gaming, and because many of the newer gaming audiences lack the youth, experience, or built-in reflexes that hardcore gamers have been leveraging to pwn them properly. Just as people pay money to have instructors come to their house and show them how to use their computer, I can imagine a day when grandma calls me in to help her figure out how to play sudoku online, or maybe pwn some n00b who won't keep off the damn lawn.
Yeah. Video games take up a lot less space.
Please, for the good of Humanity, vote Obama.
Just imagine degrees like:
:-D
;)
Master of DeathMatch
Master of MMPORG
Master of Adventures
Master of InstaGib
Master of Capture the Flag Strategy
Perhaps a Phd. in Wargames?
Yeah, one of these degrees would certainly spice up* your resume
* Master of Harvester Management?
"Not if you have a groundhog digging up your yard and you can't seem to chase it off."
Weren't you the groundskeeper in Caddyshack? Watch out for those Baby Ruths.
It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire speed, the teeth acquire stains. The stains become a warning
For those just tuning in, the ringworld in Halo: Combat Evolved was called Installation 4.
-mrxak
Onions Will Kill You
No, but unless you're a pro looking to improve your game to make more money, hiring one is.
Has the thought ever occur to you that some people have way too much money?
I've seen people put $100 bets on each hand of Rock Paper Scissors without much second thought.
For normal people it would be like betting a penny.
Live forever, or die trying.
So it's mostly just like college, then.
Yup.. just like my forced elective... "Lexicography".
Live forever, or die trying.
I think that the idea of having a coach for gaming is pretty pathetic, not to mention useless. With the internet, and sites like Gamefaqs and IGN, most strategies and tips are all available free. If there are any special "secret" strategies for a game, they can usually be found for free on the internet. Another thing that is I find useless about coaches is that, if you are already good at a game, you aren't going to be needing a whole lot of help. People that already suck probably aren't going to get a whole lot of help by going to these coaches that just practicing isn't going to get them. I highly doubt an 8 year old is going to be able to actually analyze what it is that make him good, and see how he can improve other peoples skills Also, other sports, like tennis and basketball, often have coaches because they are professional sports, and have athletes competing in prestigeous tournaments, and the athletes are looking for any edge they can to get up on the competition. Video games haven't quite gained that amount of attention(and hopefully, IMO, they never do). Yes, there are tournaments for lots of games like SSBM and Halo, but they usually don't get a lot of attention outside of the inner gameing circles. Slightly off-topic, but it goes along with the above paragraph, I doubt that video game tournaments will ever have much success because in my experience, its not very much fun to watch people play video games. How many times has your little brother or sister bugged you for an hour asking if they can play.
Most people who are good enough to even consider coaching have been playing steadily for more years than that kid has been alive. He's eight. How many years can be reasonably have been playing? Three? Maybe four? He was put on the controller at the age of TWO. According to his website, he's been doing this since he was SIX and won a championship at the age of just FIVE. Does this kid have any activities (I'm not buying it if anyone says he actually goes out) aside from video games, or is he being set up for a miserable life of obesity and notknowing how to make friends and connect with people? Good gods, his parents should be ashamed.
It's a girl!
Playing video games is not rocket science.
Heh. I was good at Quake when everybody only had the *original* DOS Quake (with the mpath TCP/IP support) and a modem. You could feel the lag then, and I had gotten pretty good at manually compensating for the delay.
Then QuakeWorld came out, and then people got high speed Internet (as did I), and I've sucked ever since.
http://outcampaign.org/
You learned Perl during the dot-com era, didn't you?
http://outcampaign.org/
Assuming Americans don't mind most of their land being developed. Then no, there is plenty of land. Who needs wilderness anyhow? (Yea; off topic.)
Thermal depolymerization - Lazy recycling.
Yes, as a side note there is currently a battle going on in the bay area to set aside (or not set aside) land. Proponents want to preserve literally half the land in the area, protecting it from development. The proposal's detractors are talking mad, ignorant shit like "how much undeveloped land do we need anyway?" This is an incredibly stupid question; we need a lot. Our wild spaces are being destroyed and it will be to the detriment of us all when they are gone.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
WTF??
Yes, now I have seen everything. Time to check out of this big game called life.
Thing is though, when people do things like that, it's more often than not to protect the values of their property (and make it go up in some cases). No-one wants the next big housing development in their back yard. Screw the poor bastages that can't buy houses near where they work because of prices due to shortages.
This is more an issue in the UK though. Sad thing is we already have land that you can't develop, hard to develop, normal and then you have sites you pretty much get paid to develop (ex-industrial). Don't get me wrong, I'm right behind protecting certain land, to the point of protesting it. But lets not make people out to be heros when the likelyhood is it's just greed talking as usual.
People that believe in their opinions don't post AC.
There is a company called VG Sports that specializes in training (mostly e-books and newsletters) for the Madden NFL video games. Since the games have quite a learning curve, it always struck me as a promising business model.
They seem to be doing OK - I guess the next step is the army of consultants?
i dont get how hard this is to understand the tutor is providing a service that the customer asked for in return for payment
if you dont deem it worth the payment dont take the service
Not being able to get the ice rod (as the fire rod is found in the forest dungeon in the dark world if I remember correctly) is a commonly asked question, so the helpdesk guy searches for keyword 'ice rod' in Zelda and there you go - he reads if off the screen telling you exactly where to go.
This is just a case of good customer service training and a good system - not necessarily some sort of wise old Zelda sage that knows every intricacy in the entire game!
I never apologise, I'm sorry but that's just the way I am - Homer