So, CNN has this article today:
gaming for fun and profit [cnn.com].

My initial reaction is "Oh man are these guys gonna get burned when their servers prove to be insecure.".

But the more I think about it, the more I think it's a good trend. People should be able to make a living off of playing video games. I mean, why not? Isaac Misrahi earns more money in a year than he should in a lifetime, so why not give the same opportunity to some twitchy-fingered gaming geek?

It's still pathetic to bet on video games, though. I think. I mean, if someone were able to make lots of money playing video games, then more power to them.

But what do you think? Is it always going to be pathetic for someone to play Duke Nukem or Unreal Tournament for money? Is Tiger Woods equally pathetic, or does the type of game matter?
Is it pathetic if someone makes $10 a year, but not if they make $1,000,000?

one had to wonder if the pathetic connotation comes from the fact that by and large, gamers are anti-social. gaming (other than, say, tabletop or LARP) is an inherently solo effort for the most part, and it makes a remarkably *dull* spectator sport. Having dated several gamer geeks, I personally can attest to this. No matter how much fun it is to the player, it will never be interesting to watch. Tiger Woods is at the other end of the spectrum; golf is a primarily social activity, requires fitness beyond good thumb muscles, and is a relatively snappy dresser. None of this pertains to gamers, who by and large are unfit, anti-social, and dress like homeless people.

Bear in mind, I say all this tongue in cheek, and in addition, all of my friends are gamers. so I speak both knowing whereof I speak, and also obviously have a tendency to be attracted to said types. go figure.

In Response to saskia (#4703):

I think it's really just a mtter of taste. Personally I find golf to be the most boring sport short of croquet or lawn bowling. Fun to play but incredibly boring to watch.

In Germany they actually televise games of counterstrike and other popular german computer games. It does pretty damn well there, computer gamers are like any other pro atheletes to them.

In Response to Pacific (#4704):

ok, golf is WAY more boring than croquet, either to watch or play. I'm ALL about games that involve whacking each others balls into oblivion. Golf doesn't have quite the same vindictive flair that croquet does. I can't imagine golf being fun to play either. Besides, aren't something like 70 percent of all lightning strikes people who are playing golf? "hey, let's go stand in a field and wave metal sticks in the air!" at least gamers aren't likely to get hit by lightning...

People already make millions playing sports. This seems like a natural progression.

And since when is it pathetic to make money by playing video games? If it's something you're going to do anyway, and it's something you're good at, why not make some cash too? Have fun, make money. Sounds like a dream come true.

The trouble comes when it becomes your JOB to play the games, like basketball or baseball players. Are you playing to have fun, or playing to pay for the mansion, hookers, cocaine, and child support? I think if there's ever a time that you decide you need a break away from the games, then it's time to quit, because you're missing the point. The games ARE the break.

In Response to FeldmanSkitzoid (#4793):

Funny, I thought the hookers & cocaine were the break.

In Response to FeldmanSkitzoid (#4793):

I guess I feel that it's spending so much time playing video games that you can make money playing them that's the pathetic part. And not the actual making money off playing video games.

I actually think that making money off playing games makes you LESS pathetic. It means you've spent all that time not having a life as an investment, rather than a waste.

If Tiger Woods couldn't hit the ball more than 10 yards and then only at a 45 degree angle off to the right, after all that time and practice, he'd be EXTREMELY pathetic. But he was able to win substantial sums of money off of professional golf