Posted on Monday, 13th September 2010 by BiznessBlogger
Believe it or not Pro-gaming is serious business. I am not talking about the local tournaments that you see in your internet cafe around the corner. I am talking about competitive gaming as a full-time job. One of the biggest events E-Sports (Electronic Sports) event in the world is the WCG, standing for “World Cyber Games”. It is basically the Olympics of competitive gaming you could say. In 2010, this event was hosted in China where players around the world competed in about a dozen games for a prize pool that totaled up to be half a million dollars! Keep in mind that prize money is not the only source of income for successful pro-gamers since they also have sponsorships and commercial opportunities.
I know this can sound a bit weird for most North Americans that are not accustomed to considering gaming really a sport but rather just recreational activity. However, not all countries share the same perception of gaming. In Korea, they not only have a televised channel devoted solely to gaming, but competitions in games like Starcraft can draw huge crowds. Pro-gamers are sponsored by huge companies such as SamSung, SK Telecom, and KTF to mention a few. Even the Korean air force has it’s own Starcraft team that competes in those tournaments. For these people, pro-gaming is not a leisure activity, but a full time job. Most players train about 10hrs a day to stay in shape and practice new strategies; and successful pro gamers such as Lim Yo-Hwan earned 6 figures a year doing it.
This is a teaser to the Season 1 GSL Open Tournament where 64 pro-gamers compete in Starcraft 2 to win the $170,000 prize pool.
For most people this is not exactly a realistic goal to become a pro-gamer. However, if you are enjoying gaming and think you are naturally talented, you may want to try to find some tournaments in your local neighborhood or online. You might just be able to make a little money. 
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