1 Topic by bunbun (edited by bunbun 2012-01-23 06:17:13)

  • bunbun
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Topic: Of all the dirty luck! (He told us he wanted to be a pro gamer...)

My 20 year old son is an avid Modern Warfare gamer on X-Box. He won't touch PC but has been playing MW since the first one came out on X-Box. He is pretty good and I enjoy watching him.

A few years ago he approached myself and my wife about giving him some money to enter a tournament. We turned him down as we were (and still are) fairly moneyless. We told him that while one could make a living gaming one must do it like any other job: Go Out And Do It Yourself!

Last year he and his cousin went to a MW tournament in Long Beach, California. He paid for it himself. At the tourney he participated in a match, got his ass handed to him and spent the rest of his time as a spectator. Before he left he filled out an entry form for a contest for the MW3 pre roll-out in Los Angeles.

About six months ago he told me about an e-mail he received from a marketing agency that claimed to be representing Activision. I read it and found nothing to indicate it was a fraud. He contacted the rep and was told he and three of his friends had won an all-expenses paid trip to LA to participate in the pre roll-out tourney (for MW3). The prize included airfare to and from, tournament entry, hotel, meals, a free special edition copy of MW3 for X-Box and various odds and ends.

Total prize package of about 2800.00 bucks.

He contacted three of his gaming buds, flew them into LA and met them there. They participated in the first-day Pro Bracket and got the wood laid to them by a team from Canada (those damn Canuks!). Out in the first round...

But...

They promptly went to the "amateur" tourney and beat all comers.

He had a blast.

Two weeks ago he was contacted by a casting agency representing Activision. They are going to do a competitive MW3 league and air it on the internet live. They want his team back for the first episode! All expense paid!

Go figure...

Don't know if I should be proud or sad that my son plays enough MW that he was noticed.

I think I am proud.

  • From: Alabama Gulf Coast
  • Registered: 2008-06-24
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Re: Of all the dirty luck! (He told us he wanted to be a pro gamer...)

Hi Bunbun,
My 10 year old grandson Casey, is heavily into MW3. He has it on PS3.
He now has a video game channel where he advises new players.
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheFlamableOne?feature=mhee
I'm not sure how good he is but I know he has "prestiged" on several levels. He wears a headset with a mike and he plays with a team of regulars from around his neighborhood and some from distant states and foreign countries.
I'm an ex-marine and Casey's knowledge of modern weapons and team tactics far exceeds mine. Someday he will write and design video games. He wants to design a UAV game where he can bomb bad guys anywhere in the world from the comfort of his own game room.
toots

We pronounce it "Guf Coast".
Ya'll wanna go down to the Guf?

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  • From: Bellevue, WA
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Re: Of all the dirty luck! (He told us he wanted to be a pro gamer...)

I'm going to quote my father, may he rest in peace.

"Well that's great, but you still gotta eat."

Someday we'll win this thing...

[url=http://www.aclosesecond.com]www.aclosesecond.com[/url]

jerome.oneil's Website

4 Reply by dino48 (edited by dino48 2012-01-23 18:30:42)

  • dino48
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  • From: los banos,california
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Re: Of all the dirty luck! (He told us he wanted to be a pro gamer...)

good too hear your son did so well and is going places with it,but I hope you advise him he shoud put his talents into collage or a trade also. You can not play forever.I have played games since the late seventies,the last one I played was on my stepsons ps3,it was a western called Red Dead Redemption,it was a great game (#1 in 2010). I bareley beat it,I like too go back into it and play all the card games,liars dice,horshoe's etc.

my papy said son your going too drive me too drinking if you dont stop driving that   Hot  Rod  Lincoln!! Cmdr cody and his lost planet airman
  • zguitar
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Re: Of all the dirty luck! (He told us he wanted to be a pro gamer...)

That's gotta be a tough industry. There's always someone out there better than you, as your son found out. I say take the ride while it's here. It's an opportunity that most won't get. But he needs to realize that it can be gone faster than it came. Odds for making it are against him but he likes it and you never know what else will come out of it.

I also agree with Jerome and Dino. He needs to be grounded in a solid career.


Good luck to him!!!!!!

Keep Rockin!!!!!!!!!!!
  • From: Tooele Ut
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
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Re: Of all the dirty luck! (He told us he wanted to be a pro gamer...)

You know, I see young people all the time doing nothing but playing games.  That's all they seem to live for.  I make a lot of comments, but keep them mostly to myself.  On the other hand, if they are good, they are good.  It's kind of like wanting to be a movie star in my opinion.  You might be good, but it's a tough business to break into and even tougher to maintain.  I feel that some day that will all fizzle out and then where will he be?  No other experience to speak of.  I do understand that you can tell them differently, because they won't listen, but I suppose you need to support them for awhile until they figure it out on their own.  I imagine the top 1 % may stand a chance for awhile, but it has to be brutal staying at that level.  Just my two cents.

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  • bunbun
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Re: Of all the dirty luck! (He told us he wanted to be a pro gamer...)

He does game a lot but he also works and will be going back to school again. He even says, "I am over the hill for gaming. All the good gamers are younger than me."...

Really....You are 20 years old!

Now he would like to be a pro gamer but he also knows that in real life he must pursue something else. he plans on being a journalist.

As far as the gaming itself studies done by the military have found that recruits who have a gaming history tend to be able to adapt to doing things such as flying UAV's and doing similar tasks. they have also found hand-eye coordination is much greater due to the gaming history.

Let me also clarify: My pride is not in him being a gamer but the fact that he pursued a goal, met it and is now being rewarded for his efforts.

  • From: North Carolina
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Re: Of all the dirty luck! (He told us he wanted to be a pro gamer...)

I think it's fine that he plays and is actually good at it. So long as he pursues a career in another field. You mentioned journalism, a great field to be in. We all need other interests besides what we make a living at. I mean look at us, we all have an interest in music, the guitar, but most of us don't make a living at it. How dull might our lives be if we didn't have other interests other than our jobs. He wants to a pursue a career otherwise so I see no problem with it, we have a lifetime to learn as much as we can about everything we can, I say hats off to him, he could do much worse.

Cam

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  • From: Alabama Gulf Coast
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Re: Of all the dirty luck! (He told us he wanted to be a pro gamer...)

bunbun wrote:

He even says, "I am over the hill for gaming. All the good gamers are younger than me."...

Really....You are 20 years old!

This is an amazing truth. After age 12, we begin to lose hand-eye coordination.
As an illustration, my boat- builder buddy took us out in the swamp in his air boat he built. It had a Chevrolet 283 mounted on the back with an airplane propeller. Nothing protruded down below the hull so he could slide along on wet grass.
We were frog hunting. he would ease up to a Lilly pad with a frog on it.
His 11 year old son - kneeling in the bow would reach out and grab the frog and stuff it in a gunny sack. It looked so easy.
When we adults tried to grab a frog, the frogs would hop away too fast for us.
My buddy informed us that only people 12 and under can catch a frog with their bare hands.
My 10, year old grandson can line up on a target and shoot it before his dad and I even see it.
toots

We pronounce it "Guf Coast".
Ya'll wanna go down to the Guf?

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