Gaming

The term gamer has historically had a sort of weird association. In the 90’s, gamers made up a small part of the pretty obscure subculture of computer nerds, along with hackers and phreakers. By 2000, gaming consoles had become widespread, and PC games were gaining popularity. Tournaments for games like StarCraft: Brood War began, where competitors could win money by playing video games. Even so, in the past twelve years, gaming has completely changed.
 
Gaming is defining our generation. We live in a world where video games have overtaken card games and board games, and are more popular than many sports. Once an uncommon hobby, gaming has become an international pastime. The word gamer has evolved, and is no longer associated with age and gender stereotypes. Gamers today are young and old, male and female. We are intelligent and ambitious people. Many of us are students, scientists, engineers, or doctors. We come from different backgrounds, nationalities, and languages, but are brought together by a common interest. The person you’re playing against online could be from almost anywhere in the world, and you might not even give that a second thought. Never in our species’ history have we seen anything like the past decade or so.

Consider Starcraft II, the most popular of eSports. It’s a game of mental ability and skill, and is being called ‘the chess of our generation.’ People of all ages and skill levels play, but the best gamers are respected by the community for their mental prowess. Professional matches are broadcast live on TV and streamed over the internet. In Korea, Starcraft matches can be watched even on basic cable. It won’t be long before this trend reaches North America. Competitors in these matches can win tens of thousands of dollars. In 2011, the GOMTV Global Starcraft II League had over 50 million viewers and gave out more than $1.2 million in prizes. This is just one of many international tournaments. Many of the pros are considered celebrities by the gaming community and are sponsored by companies, just like in traditional sports. 

I don’t know where the world of gaming will go from here, but our generation’s lucky to be able to experience it.