I first learned about pro-gaming when I was 16. I heard about someone winning a Ferrari through a Q2 tournament. My first impression was that it was a cheap marketing scheme. It wasn't until 4 years later I took a second look. Things had changed a lot in 4 years. They changed enough, and in the right ways, to convince me pro-gaming could be viable.

I don't want to blame the Bush administration for everything that's gone wrong over the past 8 years. People have short memories. All the horrible shit Bush did, everyone has already forgotten about. As if Bush never existed. Well... pro-gaming made no real progress over the past 8 years. There were failures after failures of failingness. Through failing, we can learn how to not fail. As one lan organization fails, another decides they want to give failure a shot. Is the gaming community learning impaired? Does forced government education condition people to hate learning?

The only game worse than world of warcraft, which I only play because my ping is 2000ms, would be counter-strike. I gave CS a legitimate shot. After 2 weeks, the game was so boring, suicide became a preferable alternative. I'm only kidding, of course. I only talk about these games because any publicity is good publicity. Now that everyone knows about gaming-stuff, we don't need more publicity, we only need working organizations.

The thing is, to be a true professional sports-person means you spend your 40 work-hours a week studying, practicing and doing whatever other form of training. A true professional should be unbeatable by any amateur, if for no other reason, than because the professional spends their work-hours on their sport, rather than at some generic 9-5. Additionally, of course, the true professional is typically the most talented. In video games, there are other factors, such as equipment. A pro who only gets 30fps will lose to a pro with 125. A pro who uses a console controller will lose to a pro who uses a mouse and keyboard. This means, a professional console organization will lose to a professional pc organization. At the end of the sports day, the people who lose the game will lose their jobs.

I'm sure you've all heard the expression, 'jack of all trades, master of none'. When the professional gamer must have more than one trade, it lowers their gaming abilities. If the professional gaming organization cannot provide proper financial security, in the present and future, that organization will lose its best players and therefore will lose its business.

At this stage of pro-gaming, much has changed. The internet has become far more useable. Ping would be the only real factor separating it from the lan structure. With the global economic problems, the internet has become far more attractive, quite possibly necessary. With all we've learned, it should not be overly difficult constructing a working, truly legitimate, pro-gaming organization.