And your mom told you video games would never get you anywhere

This archived article was written by: Stuart Lake

College is a time for people of all ages to choose the career that they want. Most are studying for the more traditional jobs in medicine, engineering, science, and law, but these days there are more options out there then you might think. Making money at professional gaming would have been a joke a few years ago, but today it is quite possible.
You may be saying to yourself that being a pro gamer would never pay off in the long run, and a few years ago that may have been a true statement. However, today there are more professional gaming leagues like the Association of Gaming Professionals (AGP) and the World Cyber Games (WCG). These leagues will pay good money to kids who can blast people away in video games. Matt Leto won $80,000 last year as the WCG champion.
A few things need to be accomplished before you can take the top spot at these tournaments. First, pick the game that you are going to master. Many different titles are played at the major tournaments. Some are Tekken 5, Super Smash Bros, Madden Football, Unreal Tournament and Halo 2.
After you have picked your game, practice and practice a lot. This does not mean going into the beginner sections of Halo 2 on X-Box Live. You really need to be challenged by others playing with people that are as good as you, or better. Most professional gamers play for five hours or more a day to be in the top condition for their game.
The next thing you need to do is find some tournaments and enter them. Start locally if you can, and then try to move up to prepare yourself for what the big time is like. The College of Eastern Utah holds monthly tournaments for Halo 2. The next one is on April 2. This would be a good place to start for anyone trying to break into the gaming world. One note, though, as the tournaments get bigger the entrance fees also increase, but so do the potential prizes.
As you move up through the ranks of tournaments, you have a better chance of being spotted by potential sponsors. With those sponsors come the big time money and cool equipment. Most sponsors make sure that their players are using the newest and the best equipment, plus players are flown to the tournaments and taken care of in every way. They also make sure that their logo is on every item of clothing. Sponsorships usually come to those with the top seats at the tournaments, but once sponsored, you are really a pro gamer.
One other great thing about pro gaming is that you do not have to do it alone. Entire pro gaming teams are part of the industry, so you can get with a group of friends and really shake the place up. Team play does limit the amount of games that you play, but it is a lot more fun to have your buddies there.
If you are interested in this, Price has its tryouts for a pro gaming team at Games Galore on Main Street, so see if you have what it takes to live the dream of every nerd, and video game addict.