Sunday, August 06, 2006

Cyber Athletes Cash In

My dad and mom used to tell me that I was going to rot away in front of a video game. I loved to play Mike Tyson Punch-Out, Zelda, and John Madden's Football. I didn’t have a Nintendo of my own, but my best friend David Manning had one with all the accessories. That is where I would slip away occasionally. We` wasted hour after hour just sitting around a television gripping a controller tightly, eating potato chips and drinking gallons of Pepsi.
Although games have changed (thank God for change) radically over the last 20 years, it’s still proving to keep folks entertained. Video game consoles and software are expected to bring in a staggering 30 billion dollars this year. That’s more than twice the revenue brought in by the NFL, MLB, and the NBA. Wow! Who would have ever though that it could be lucrative for the game player? With such an outrageous amount of cash spent in the gaming industry and the rapid growth of gaming console gurus, there was a need for a new breed of athletes—cyber athletes. Cyber athletes play all year long via the internet with other gamers from around the world. Then, they gather together once a year to compete in World Cyber Games. They really have it together. They even have coaches.
A young man known as 'Fatality' recently won $150,000. Of course, at the beginning of his vision to be the greatest game player in the world, his mother didn't approve. So, he moved in with his dad and pursued his dream. Well, as you can tell, it paid off.
At the San Francisco World Cyber Games, the purse was over $400,000. Just think next time before you criticize those for 'wasting time' playing video games.

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