So lately, In the time that I haven't been playing Star Wars: the Old Republic, I have been playing League of Legends again as I have had enough time away from the game to recover from the losing streak that drove me from it in the first place.
I have been studying and passing at my diploma in IT Networking, but not enjoying it very much, and have subsequently lost interest. Obviously I will continue to attend and will complete the course, but it has gotten me thinking: Just how awesome would it be to be a professional gamer, and why not me?
You know how when you're little your parents give you that "you can be anything you want to be" speech? As I was skimming through the channels on the TV (I am on the Easter holidays from TAFE) and I saw an interview with Jay-Z, where he was saying that he hopes to leave the planet with a memorable legacy. He wants to encourage people to go and achieve what they want and to never believe that anything is out of reach, no matter where they have come from or where they have been.
Now, I will say that that is about as mushy as this is going to get, but that resonated with me a little. It got me to thinking; If I have spent my life in the shit for my poor choices and my inability to stick with something that doesn't interest me, and spend every second that I am not doing something that I have to do, doing that which I love doing, playing video games, then why not try to make something of it?
Now, I know that this is every single kids dream, and sooooo many people snuff this as a stupid idea, or a waste of time, I disagree. I see E-sports becoming MASSIVE in the very near future. Imagine: "Coming up next, the Intel Extreme Masters New York, brought to you live on ESPN." I am going to go on record to say that it WILL happen. I don't know when and I'm not sure what the catalyst will be, but I can feel it, and with the current generation being the "internet generation" and the skill level of players getting better and better while the age is getting lower and lower, I'm excited for the future of competitive gaming and frankly, you should be too.
With the advent of cross-platform games (counter-strike: Global Offensive) bringing all the different gaming cliques together, lucrative sponsorship deals allowing athletes to take on their sport full time, team hiring coaches for physical and digital training regimes, world-wide trips and multiple events, all funded by the teams sponsorship deals and winnings, I see nowhere for the industry to go but up. Not to mention the sheer volume of money involved in the computer/internet business and the death-grip that they hold on our current, technology driven world, I am stoked to say the least.
To coincide with my long overdue blog post, I give you all of that to have your brain worms chew on and bid you:
Peace out Internetz!
