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Pro gaming more attractive than pro tennis

A Scottish gamer has traded in his racquet for a railgun, with a change of career from professional tennis player to pro gamer. David Kinnaird, a new recruit for UK pro gaming team 4Kings, comments in this BBC article that "pro-gaming is bigger than tennis in a way" thanks to the sponsors involved.

Whether David's decision was a wise one will become clear in time, but comparing professional gaming to traditional sports throws up interesting parallels. The abundance of sponsors available to the top players, the hours of training and the fact that many people see it as just a hobby are all common factors, yet people are more likely to take tennis players seriously than those who play computer games all day. This could be thanks to the accessibility of games -- anyone can pick up a racket, but quickly realise they have no skill, whereas video games are designed so that the player eventually wins.

Tags: e-sports, professional gaming, ProfessionalGaming, quake

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