Blake Peebles, 16, of Raleigh, dropped out of school last year todevote himself to playing 'Guitar Hero,' and his parents agreed to havehim home-schooled. 'I usually play till I can't anymore,' Blake says.
Regularreaders know that I love video games as much as the next guy. In fact,my right ankle is still sore from drumming my way through a marathonRock Band session last night (who knew calibrating the TV would makesuch a difference!?), and I'm always looking for the latest titles topop into my Xbox.
But how much gaming is too much? For NorthCarolina native Blake Peebles, there's no such thing. Guitar Hero ishis title of choice. "I usually play till I can't anymore," he says, inthis profile from the News & Observer.
In fact, young Mr.Peebles is dropping out of high school... in order to focus on GuitarHero full time. Peebles hopes to join the small but growing crew ofplayers looking to make gaming a job. Citing his victories in GuitarHero tournaments, which include "gift certificates, gaming equipment,and chicken sandwiches," Peebles thinks he has the chops to playcompetitively and earn actual money in the process. As the story notes,top gamers on the competitive circuit can earn up to $80,000 a year(though $25,000 is more common). Peebles, of course, can count his 52Chick-fil-A combo meals toward that total.
I was at firstinclined to disparage the decision by his parents to let Peebles dropout of school, but it seems a little less ridiculous when you delveinto the facts. Peebles hahdn't been doing well in school and wasn'tliked, and even now he isn't gaming full time. He has a tutor thatprovides a private education, and his parents say he's doing well withthe more focused instruction and that their son now even does hishomework without complaint. (Presumably he can hit the axe sooner afterhe's finished his studies.)
However, I worry that Peebles, who'sjust 16, may have a tough road ahead trying to break into competitivegaming. The costs of traveling to tournaments alone can totallyoutstrip earnings, and the amount of training can be grueling.Sponsorships are often a pipe dream. And then there's the issue ofgames going out of date and being replaced by something new.Traditional athletes never have to worry about, say, distance runningbeing upgraded with a new version, but many games can go out of style,fast. In the end, there's just not much cash there: One gamer, quotedat the end of the linked article, says that in eight years his totalearnings are about $25,000 total, and that's including a nationalchampionship in Halo 2.
http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/101746#see_comments
Regularreaders know that I love video games as much as the next guy. In fact,my right ankle is still sore from drumming my way through a marathonRock Band session last night (who knew calibrating the TV would makesuch a difference!?), and I'm always looking for the latest titles topop into my Xbox.
But how much gaming is too much? For NorthCarolina native Blake Peebles, there's no such thing. Guitar Hero ishis title of choice. "I usually play till I can't anymore," he says, inthis profile from the News & Observer.
In fact, young Mr.Peebles is dropping out of high school... in order to focus on GuitarHero full time. Peebles hopes to join the small but growing crew ofplayers looking to make gaming a job. Citing his victories in GuitarHero tournaments, which include "gift certificates, gaming equipment,and chicken sandwiches," Peebles thinks he has the chops to playcompetitively and earn actual money in the process. As the story notes,top gamers on the competitive circuit can earn up to $80,000 a year(though $25,000 is more common). Peebles, of course, can count his 52Chick-fil-A combo meals toward that total.
I was at firstinclined to disparage the decision by his parents to let Peebles dropout of school, but it seems a little less ridiculous when you delveinto the facts. Peebles hahdn't been doing well in school and wasn'tliked, and even now he isn't gaming full time. He has a tutor thatprovides a private education, and his parents say he's doing well withthe more focused instruction and that their son now even does hishomework without complaint. (Presumably he can hit the axe sooner afterhe's finished his studies.)
However, I worry that Peebles, who'sjust 16, may have a tough road ahead trying to break into competitivegaming. The costs of traveling to tournaments alone can totallyoutstrip earnings, and the amount of training can be grueling.Sponsorships are often a pipe dream. And then there's the issue ofgames going out of date and being replaced by something new.Traditional athletes never have to worry about, say, distance runningbeing upgraded with a new version, but many games can go out of style,fast. In the end, there's just not much cash there: One gamer, quotedat the end of the linked article, says that in eight years his totalearnings are about $25,000 total, and that's including a nationalchampionship in Halo 2.
http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/101746#see_comments
