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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.'"

13 of 179 comments (clear)

  1. I've heard of life coaches.... by krell · · Score: 5, Funny

    I've heard of life coaches. But get-a-life coaches; that's something new!

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    Where were you when the voynix came?
  2. Re:waste of money by suggsjc · · Score: 5, Funny

    I bet his hamster could beat you though...

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    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.
  3. Too bad it's just shooters by Robotech_Master · · Score: 4, Interesting

    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.)

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    Editor Emeritus and Senior Writer, TeleRead.org
  4. Training Fee Schedule by ackthpt · · Score: 5, Funny

    • £50/Hr: Rule MMORPGs with an Iron Fist.
    • £30/Hr: Winning strategies for Halo 2 and most other Console games.
    • £5/Hr: Finally beat Pac Man, Asteroids or Galaxians.
    • £1/Hr: Oaths, Obscenitites, Epithets and throwing things and the screen.
    • Staring dumbly as you die in an utterly futile gesture is always Free.
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    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  5. Re:Pathetic by adamwright · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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.

  6. Re:waste of money by KDR_11k · · Score: 4, Funny

    Not if I have a microwave.

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    Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
  7. NO KIDDING! by liak12345 · · Score: 4, Funny
    8-year-old New Yorker Victor De Leon III
    His father, also named Victor
    Thank you for pointing out that the father of a person named Victor the Third is also named Victor. I would have missed that completely.
  8. Counter-Strike by The+MAZZTer · · Score: 4, Funny

    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.

  9. I hired a game coach. by bermabloeme · · Score: 4, Funny
    And he put me on a special diet for gaming that's guaranteed to make me a champ! It goes like this:

    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...

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    I know NOTHING, I know NOTHING
  10. Hear that? Jack Thompson just came in his pants. by antime · · Score: 4, Funny

    Doesn't anyone find it a little odd that an eight-year-old is making money playing an M-rated game?

  11. Re:Pathetic by SomeoneGotMyNick · · Score: 4, Funny
    After all, knowing the optimum golf club for a shot, or how to correctly use a 3-wood is useless away from golf.


    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.
  12. Re:Pathetic by mobby_6kl · · Score: 4, Funny

    > People actually pay for lessons for skills that are useless away from video games?

    So it's mostly just like college, then.

  13. Re:Why? by Blakey+Rat · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Oh please. How is this different than:

    1) Coaches in every sport imaginable
    2) Exercise consultants in the gym of your choice
    3) Music teachers

    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?