Can You Make Money Playing Video Game Tournaments

Computer geeks duped us all, as tales of the vast universe of video game tournaments success stories come forth, and geeks around the world walk away with hefty wallets. These gaming "nerds" are, as a rule, quite young people - too young in fact to buy beer and cigarettes. The video gaming industry is growing up, along with its key players, however. With more than 65 percent of all households participating in video gaming on some level, this sport won't be going away any time soon.

Video games are games considered to be Electronic Sports, belonging to Real Time Strategy, Racing games, and First Person Shooter games. These games have migrated from the home gaming console to leagues played online against other players worldwide. Massively Multiple-player Online Role Playing Games have been hosting online tournaments which can be played for cash prizes. In 2010 the first place prize for World of War craft Global Arena was ,000 U. S. - a hefty sum for playing a game from your sofa.

Professional level skills were, in the beginning, sharpened in places such as dorm rooms, basements and Electronics stores. When corporations began to realize the immense potential for marketing products directly to this rapidly growing segment of society, video gaming became a sport. Massively Multiple-player Online Role Playing Games utilize Avatars, or personalized characters, to allow the game player to move through the gaming environment interacting with other players and the virtual ecosystem itself. The object is for the gamer to control his or her Avatar as it combats various monsters, assassins, and terrorists, usually with the theme of good vs. Evil. The Avatar usually must also collect hidden objects for experience and points throughout the game. Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to be an "expert" to play in these tournaments - there is room for all to enjoy the fun of online gaming.

Some people have wondered whether the currency played for in these video games is genuine. It is indeed - players deposit real money into a trust fund on the gaming site using their bank cards, and e-check, or Pay Pal. Because these games require actual skill to win, and aren't games of chance, they are perfectly legal in most places.

Some expert gamers have earned beefy nest eggs by quitting their regular jobs and playing video game tournaments full time. In a growth industry earning over million in sales in 2008, there seems to be an abundance of opportunities for gamers with snake-like reflexes and speedy fingers.

Another area in which there is growing demand is Video Game Testers. Because video game popularity is at an all time high, video game companies are under a lot of pressure to thrust new games out to the public in record times. This means they do not have enough time to thoroughly test them. This is where Video Game Testers come in. Gaming Geeks volunteer to play and test the newest games before they are released to the general public and report to the publisher any glitches in the games. They get to play new games before anybody else, and the publishers get their games tested - it's a win-win situation.

Because video game tournaments are vastly popular, they have been evaluated as Electronic Sports by the International Olympic Committee for addition as an Olympic sport.