SPORTS | TECHNOLOGY
From Issue #15
Cyber Celebrities
Video game players are today’s new-age athletes.
So why doesn’t anyone know that yet?
By Rob Brunner
Think Vince Carter’s hops are impressive? Wait until you see
a pro cyber-athlete, a gaming god who shocks even the
games’ creators, rocket-jump five times higher than humanly
possible. Unfortunately, North American’s aren’t really
impressed by people sitting around pressing buttons. But
that could soon change.
In Asia, video gaming is considered a true sport, with three
cable networks devoted to tracking tournaments and results.
Players can earn more than $500,000 a year from
sponsorships and tournaments like the World Cyber Games,
often referred to as the Olympics of cyber gaming. Some
gamers can’t walk down the street without being stopped for
their autograph.
Despite our lagging behind, the gaming revolution really
started here in North America. According to Angel Munoz,
founder and president of the Cyberathlete Professional
League, small groups of people would gather in someone’s
basement, dragging and setting up their computers into mini-networks
so they could compete with friends. “I was really
amazed by the fact that these people were really in it for the
competition. They were there to beat down their friends,”
says Angel, who attended many parties (referred to by
gamers as LAN parties or local area network parties) before
launching the CPL.
Back then, only one person at a time could play a game.
There was no interaction. Now, it’s common to go online and
play against people from all over the world. Most games have
their own websites where players can send emails or leave
messages on bulletin boards that developers will read and
often respond to; they have come to appreciate the players
who often end up revolutionizing the games they create.
“I remember the first time I saw someone do a rocket jump,
which was never envisioned at ID Software (the creators of
Quake),” says Angel. “Some gamer did it. To strafe jump, to
bunny jump…all these techniques were created by gamers,
advancing gaming to another level.”
Negative stereotypes of the “pasty, white guy in the basement” have hurt the gaming community, but things are
getting better. “The perception of the geeky gamer is
disappearing,” says Patty Chung of Samsung, the corporation
that sponsors Canada’s best video game player, Quebec born,
Guillaume Patry. “Some of these kids could be models,”
she says.
At 21, Guillaume has become one of the top StarCraft
players in the world, recently coming back in a best-of-three
match to claim bronze at the 2003 World Cyber Games.
Guillaume’s friendly smile and easy-going style coupled with
his talent at the keyboard and fluency in Korean, has made
him one of the most popular players there, home to perhaps
the most dedicated video gaming audience in the world. Over
20,000 people have already signed up for his fan club, yet he
could walk down the streets of Canada unrecognized: a
celebrity unknown in his own homeland.
Cyber gaming mirrors the early days of pro golf. “There is
clearly a challenge to get people to understand video game
competitions, unless they’re actually involved in the gaming,”
says Eric Rollman, CEO of the Global Gaming League. Eric
believes, like golf, capturing the personalities of the players
themselves is key, and in doing so “the path will be paved for
the Tony Hawk or the Tiger Woods of video gaming to start
to make their way into the public eye.”
Eric is confident that cyber gaming could easily become
mainstream. During the 2003 Gravity Games, the Global
Gaming League held a massive tournament, attracting
audiences of 25,000 people, which is why Samsung sponsors
Guillaume, hoping he will be the one that introduces the
sport to the mainstream audience.
“This is a $30 billion per year business,” says Eric, “and at
this point, no true superstars have emerged. Could players
make $1 million a year? Absolutely, without a doubt.”
Guillaume Patry
Canada’s Best Video Gamer
Born: June 19, 1982
Where: Beauport, Québec
Residence: Korea
Game of Choice:
Star Craft: Brood War
Handle: Grrrr…
Sponsor: AMD
(Computer Chip Manufacturers)
What makes you a good gamer?
Strategy is not everything, you need a
really fast hand. You need to be able to
adapt to your enemies and you need to
love the game because you’ll need to
practice a lot.
How is gaming like real life?
We really have to be efficient in what
we do. We have to do only the most
important things.
Why did you move to Korea?
To make a living out of Star Craft,
which is kind of a dream for a guy like me.
What do you do for fun?
Work out, watch movies and play poker.
Fave movies?
Star Wars series, LOTR trilogy, Matrix
(only the first one, the second one is
just so retarded).
For gaming info. check out:
thecpl.com (cyberathlete professional league)
www.worldcybergames.com
www.xbox.com
www.playstation.com
www.nintendo.com
