1. There is a common misconception that excessive gaming causes people to develop short
attention spans. I would argue that, in most cases, excessive gamers spend a bulk of their
gaming time attempting to complete single tasks of a particularly high difficulty, and are entirely
focussed during this time. There are exceptions to this of course, but for the most part, the
challenges that game developers set their players are ones that require practice, determination
and, in the case of multiplayer games, good teamwork and communication. To those of you
reading who are not experienced gamers, it may seem absurd to consider the people who put
hours of time into single, seemingly trivial, and yet excessively difficult tasks. But for those
playing, there is a definite sense of elation and achievement when their efforts eventually come
to fruition; a feeling that, for many, is worth all of the time invested.
Whilst many of us dedicate ourselves to our work, our sports teams, or our latest artistic project,
there is a specific subculture of people who devote themselves to the completion of challenges
set for them by game designers, solely for the sake of the challenge. These tasks can require
strategic planning, practiced displays of dexterity, disciplined communication, or combinations of
the three; but most importantly, they require persistence. This is not to say that gamers put
more dedication or skill into what they do than anyone else who passionately engages with an
activity, but it is important to acknowledge that, whilst it falls into the category of “entertainment”,
gaming can prove to be a lot more than a casual hobby.
In South Korea, a country wherein the cultural phenomenon of video gaming has become akin
to that of international sports, there is a television channel dedicated to StarCraft. StarCraft is a
real-time strategy game, in which two to eight players face off, harvesting resources to fund
armies, which they then use to destroy their enemies’ bases. South Korea’s best StarCraft
players have been known to earn in excess of $100,000 US per year, and perform more than
300 actions per minute whilst playing. That’s 5 button presses a second, every second, for an
average of 10 - 15 minutes per game, all whilst formulating a strategy to overthrow the
opponent. Many have made a career from the game, and will train for hours upon hours a day,
much of that time spent under the guidance of a coach.
In a similar vein, the website twitch.tv, which was launched in 2012, allow gamers to stream
their video gaming to an online audience. Many popular streamers make money this way, taking
a cut of the advertising revenue that twitch.tv makes from their popularity, as well as surprisingly
regular donations from the audience themselves.
With gaming rapidly becoming a profitable endeavour, more and more people are attempting to
achieve greatness in the field, and the activity is becoming far less trivial in the eyes of those
who engage in it. With enough time and practice, it’s conceivable that some especially talented
gamers may eventually achieve wages on par with those of international sports stars. So next
time you feel like telling your son or daughter that they spend too much time playing video
games, and not enough time doing something constructive, pause to consider the fact that they
may already be doing just that.