Electronic Sports: The Emergence of a New Job

            In 1972, at Stanford University, students were invited to the “Intergalactic Spacewar Olympics” on a computer called PDP-1. This platform was the pioneer of minicomputers, and the first computer to support a game, and this only game was able reproduce Spacewar. It is also the first video game competition dated, and marked the creation of the term Electronic Sport. This term is related when players gather to compete in videos games or computers. With the creation and development of platforms, the Electronic Sports earned success. An important point that revolutionized the world of games was the insertion of the Internet on games. Allowing that players in different places to compete with others players. Then, competitions gained large scales of success, causing video games to become a professional sport. Today, almost of those competitions paid money to the best positions players, and give enough money to competitors pay all they need to survive, became video games player a new job.

            In 2011, the “League of Legends” Canadian player Danny “Shiphtur” Le became the first gamer to get a United States P-1A Visa. This kind of visa is only given to professional athletes. He was considered at the same position as regular sports competitors, like a football or soccer player. This was an important step to the recognition of the job. However, gaining family’s recognition for the electronic sport as a job is the real challenge. Almost all the families complain when they see their child spending all day playing an electronic game. They cannot understanding the difference between spend time playing games and the necessity to train that all player need. Their routine is like a routine of a football player; they also need to train to improve their skills. It is also an intense routine. However, this is not recognized by their families. They are usually required by family to attend at a university and get another job. Nevertheless, the job of a video game player can provide as much or more money and benefits as other job.

            When players are in a competition they are running for the biggest prize. Large competitions give more than one million dollars to the first place winner. Prizes that large are given to the few better places, or even only to the winner. Causing the competitors to be infrequently paid. That can mean being paid once a year. Limited payment is an important point that makes some player give up of their dream to become a professional player. Their beginning can be difficult, or even impossible. Competitions are being conducted globally, and they require that players spend money for travel, accommodation and new equipment. Handling these expenses can be difficult to some players. They are required to buy actual computers, video games, and game systems. Fortunately, with the growth of the profession of electronic sports players, companies started to look at those competitors and sponsor them. This sponsorship is like when a person is hired by a company as a regular employee, like that their family expected. Those companies can pay all the costs that the players need, and also can pay a wage. This is a regular job too.

The video game player career has all the features to support the person’s life,. They can be paid, hired and conduct a regular life. It does not matter how they are getting money. For them, play is not a fun task; it is their job. The thing that they dreamed, trained, studied, and worked hard to reach. Therefore, the video game player career can be considered as a job.

Igor Lins