Love the Player and the Game

A small crowd sitting behind him. Giant LED screens sits in front on of him. His heart racing, for this was what he’s been training months for. All that training, all those button combos remembered, of that light night practicing led up to this. He grips his controller, shifting his attention to his opponent then back at the loading screen. He sits in his chair, tense with determination. His hands white from gripping his controller too tightly. It is almost time.

“Ready, fight!”

Professional gaming is making waves in the across the world. Major sport networks like ESPN dedicated an entire section of their platform to Esports. Colleges both nationally and internationally are creating curriculums surrounding professional gaming. Professional gamers are no longer a taboo term that is used to describe a person locked in their rooms playing video games for long periods of time without social interactions. Engagdet reported that professional players for the hit game Overwatch, will earn at least $50,000 dollars a year. This salary is just shy of the American median household income of $51,939 according the Census Bureau report in 2014.  While this seems like a dream come true, the likelihood of making in the world of professional gaming is very slim.

According to an article posted by Kotaku, the average gamer has a .01% chance of making it into professional gaming. When compared the those attempting to make it in professional sports, there is a higher likelihood of making it (.05%) playing professional sports than there is making it as a professional gamer. While this can bring down those hoping to make it the professional scene of gaming, for others, they are not playing games to make it big. To some, going to tournaments is not about one day making into the Esports scene, but rather being around those who share their interests, to make friends.

Blair Mislich recently shifted his love for fighting games to playing at tournaments are center around them. Playing video games for over 20 years, it was a no brainer for him to take his passion of fighting games to tournaments with others who are equally as passionate. To Blair, playing at tournament is not about becoming the next big professional Esports player, but to have a place where he can be with others just like him.

“Playing at these tournaments is not about making it big,” He said, “It’s about connecting with people who love playing the games just as much as you do.”

Mislich stated at winning a tournament is getting noticed is good but should never be the main reason for playing the game.

“Play because you love to play, not because you want fame,” He said, “That’s the biggest takeaway for me when I go to tournaments. I go because I love the play the game and I love playing with people who love it just as much as I do.”