Play to win

Posted on 25 Sep 2008 at 10:59

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Former pro gamer David 'UberFragMeister' McCandless is only too aware of the problem and how it can adversely affect competitors. Having won the 1995 UK Doom championship, McCandless found that his dominance of the game didn't translate to the new wave of first-person shooters that slowly superseded Doom on the pro circuit. "Doom was succeeded by Quake and I found my Doom skills did not translate so well to Quake," recalls McCandless. "I was good but I did not rule. It was important for me to rule in those days."

Vallee also believes that pro gaming suffers from the stigma associated with the concept of being a gamer. "It's not something a player usually would brag about to others around him," he explains. "As the first generation of gamers grows older, the percentage of people who have been exposed and are familiar with gaming will increase, as will the social acceptance of competitive gaming as a serious activity where people can make money and loads of viewers tune in to watch."

Despite its challenges, professional gaming continues to grow both in terms of revenue and popularity. With every teenage gamer dreaming of one day being able to earn a living from their favourite hobby, professional gaming has seen an influx of new competitors, many as young as 12, desperate to make their mark. With so many aspiring champions vying for fame, however, taking those first tentative steps can be intimidating.

Michael O'Dell's advice to newcomers is to attend LAN events (see www.multiplay.co.uk for some event listings) and play in smaller tournaments in order to become established. "I started off playing a game called Unreal Tournament many years ago," reveals O'Dell's team member Pete Wright. "I was pretty competitive back then and always strived to be the best. I went through many different games, mainly first-person shooters, until I found Counter-Strike 1.6, which I've continued to play for five years."

Team players

Having started by playing in online leagues, Wright began travelling to gaming tournaments across the UK while still at school. He formed a team, which was quickly snapped up by Team Dignitas, a professional gaming team that competed in European tournaments. He continued to compete for Team Dignitas until he won a spot in Birmingham Salvo's line-up, where he's now paid an annual salary - something that is virtually unheard of outside the CGS. He can also win bonuses.

"Being a pro gamer is great and most people are jealous when I tell them what I do for a living," reveals Wright. "Getting into pro gaming is very hard and it's taken me about six years. You have to be better than the thousands of others that play the particular game you focus on. But if you put enough time in and have the skills to do it, you have a good chance."

Many of today's professional video gaming competitors harbour a desire to continue competing once they leave school or university and embark on a second career, but only time will tell if the modern pro gamer can achieve this. History suggests not: Pitchford claims the workload of his chosen career in games development was the reason he could no longer compete, while Fong left pro gaming to pursue an online business. It appears that professional gaming is a full-time occupation that requires complete dedication if any tangible success is to be achieved.

The popularity of professional gaming has certainly seen a marked increase over the past 15 years, with organisations such as the CGS bringing pro events to the masses via widespread television coverage. But scratch below the glitz and you find a sport still very much in its infancy that rewards only the elite players. Held back by lingering social stigmas, a lack of understanding by many competitors of the sacrifices required to achieve success and the fragmentation caused by its countless professional organisations, the pro gaming scene still has a long way to go before it becomes an internationally recognised professional sport.