ENTERTAINMENT | TECHNOLOGY
From Issue #10
CyberAthletes
The New Jocks of A Coming Age?
by Mireille M
Dan Albu is an athlete in every sense
of the word—he trains several hours a week, travels
worldwide for championships, and is passionate about
his sport. The only difference is, Dan a.k.a. ArKaiNe, is
a cyberathlete.
Based out of Toronto, Dan practices one to three hours
a day, but when a championship is lurking his training
time jumps to six or eight. “I put the same effort into
preparing for gaming tournaments as I did hockey tournaments
when I was younger. Just like any other sport,
this takes a lot of practice and dedication,” says Dan.
With his team, “The Doctors,” Dan is ranked number
one in the world at Return to Castle Wolfenstein, and
is one of the top competitors in Quake 3, Unreal and
Counter-Strike. Tournaments are held around the world
and many of the same top competitors follow the circuit,
allowing rivals to get to know each other’s gaming
style. Every advantage is sought after since huge
amounts of money are up for grabs. At the World Cyber
Games in Korea—where 53 countries and 500 representatives
will compete for over $450,000 in cash and
prizes—ArKaiNe will be the man to beat.
According to this 18-year-old gamer, the stereotype
of the lazy maladjusted computer nerd couldn’t be further
from the truth. The elite are often natural athletes
that are well spoken, computer literate, intelligent and
enjoy competition and travel. To become one of the
best you must be able to plan ahead, react quickly, persevere
and be cool under pressure.
Pro-gaming is still a budding sport in North America,
but in Korea and parts of Europe for example, e-Sports
championships are broadcast on television, covered in
the newspapers, and top cyberathletes are often
stopped on the streets and asked to sign autographs.
Although this isn’t the norm…yet, keep in mind only a
few years ago snowboarding was considered a fringe
sport and is now an Olympic event.
The world’s best cyberathletes are making some serious coin. In Quake-related events, top moneymakers are:
| Johnathan Wendel aka Fatal1ty |
$252,705 |
| John Hill aka ZeRo4 |
$161,700 |
| Dennis Fong aka Thresh |
$106,500 |
| LakermaN |
$71,078 |
| LeXeR |
$50,850 |
| Makaveli |
$44,700 |
Source : www.Challenge-TV.com
In Canadian Dollars |
For more pro-gaming info check out:
World Cybergames Challenge
http://www.worldcybergames.com
Cyberathlete Professional League
http://www.thecpl.com
Pro-gaming news site
http://www.shackes.com
