|
|
|
 |
Learn about The Online Mom Network
|
|
Join The Online Mom Network
|
|
How Do I Become An Online Mom?
|
|
The Online Mom provides internet technology advice and information to help parents protect their kids, encourage responsible behavior and safely harness the power of technology in the new digital world. Social networking, photo sharing, video games, IM & texting, internet security, cyberbullying, educational resources, the latest on tech hardware, gadgets and software for kids 3-8, tweens and teens, and more.
|
|
Competitive Gaming
It's a 21st century fantasy we've heard from more than one kid: "Hey, if people can get rich playing
baseball, or poker, why not video games? You know, there are professional tournaments, Mom! If I get
really good at Halo 3, maybe I can start winning them..."
Well, umm, like many things, it's, err, theoretically possible. At the very pinnacle of the profession,
there are indeed a handful of folks like Tom Taylor (a.k.a. Tsquared). Taylor reportedly earns $120-$150,000
per year, signed a $250,000 contract with Major League Gaming, and has been covered everywhere from The
Wall Street Journal to MTV. (Taylor supplements his income by coaching: The Journal reports that you can
hire him for $65 an hour to take your own Halo "skillz" to the next level.)
The aforementioned Major League Gaming was recently fortified by a big deal with ESPN. It'll run a five-event
"Pro Circuit" this year, plus October playoffs in Dallas. Teams of four will compete in Halo 3 for top prizes
of $20,000; the Dallas national championship winners will split $100K. Much smaller pots are available for
similar competitions in Gears of War and Rainbow Six: Vegas 2.
Of course, you've got to qualify. And that's no easy task: four thousand teams signed up for one recent online
qualifying tournament. Becoming the next Tsquared won't be quite as hard as winning the lottery. But close.
MLG isn't the only competitive gaming league. GGL will host the 2008 Digital Games Global Video Gaming
Tournament in Shanghai, an Official 2008 Olympic Games Welcome Event (not to be confused with an actual
Olympics event). The South Korea-based World Cyber Games held its Grand Final in Seattle last year,
bringing together more than 700 of the world's best gamers (Team USA won). And six U.S. ten-player teams
compete in the worldwide Championship Gaming Series, earning wages reported to range from $2,500 to $3,500
per month. (For you trivia fans, the U.S. teams are: the Los Angeles Complexity, New York 3D, Chicago
Chimera, Carolina Core, San Francisco Optx, and Dallas Venom.)
Bottom line: for videogamers, there's more and more fame available. But fortune? Don't count on it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
