Why Ben Wu (Merlini) left a job in finance to play video games
28 replies, posted
[url]http://money.cnn.com/2014/08/28/investing/ben-wu-dota-video-games/index.html[/url]
[quote=CNN Money]When Ben Wu graduated from college in 2009, many young people couldn't even get a job. But the biomedical engineering major landed a coveted spot at a trading firm in Chicago.
He found the work fast paced and it paid well, but something was missing. He asked for some time off in 2012. He quit a week later to become a full-time video game player.
What seemed like a crazy move at the time has turned out to be one of Wu's best trades. He is now at the forefront of the "eSports" movement, which is bringing video game tournaments to the mainstream, similar to what happened with poker.
"Some say that gaming is what children or teens do, as if it's a dirty thing," Wu told CNNMoney. "But it's very dynamic. It requires teamwork, thinking out of the box and being creative. It's an outlet to develop your brain."[/quote]
I can see where he's coming from - video game competitions require just as much skill as regular sports. If chess can be competitive and a paying sport, so can games.
I bet the guy makes a shitload of money too.
[QUOTE=Stopper;45825510]I can see where he's coming from - video game competitions require just as much skill as regular sports. If chess can be competitive and a paying sport, so can games.[/QUOTE]
I wonder what would take more skill though. Not asking it in a "ha, see, this takes more skill" kind of way, but...
Soccer for example. You need a whole lot of coordination on your feet and attention to what's going on around you to not get cornered and get your plays hindered, but IF the other team has a lack of motivation or is more tired than yours, you'll have a significant edge over them. You could see this happening in the World Cup. Portugal for example couldn't keep up at all with Germany, its like we were dragging ourselves through the field, or just going "C'mon, gimme the baaaall, I don't feel like plaaaying right nooow..."
I don't know if that can be translated to eSports since you don't get tired the same way soccer players would (not counting mental fatigue) but maybe you could translate it in other ways, like how in games like LoL or Dota, having a different line up of heroes has an impact over the game. The same doesn't happens in soccer I think.
You gotta do what you love. I don't care if I'm making $200,000 a year if I hate my job then what's the point?
[QUOTE=Stopper;45825510]I can see where he's coming from - video game competitions require just as much skill as regular sports. If chess can be competitive and a paying sport, so can games.[/QUOTE]
Brain muscles! No physical interuction, hell yeah. Lets get fat everybody and do sports aka PLAY VIDEO GAMES.
[editline]28th August 2014[/editline]
[QUOTE=l337k1ll4;45825771]You gotta do what you love. I don't care if I'm making $200,000 a year if I hate my job then what's the point?[/QUOTE]
The point to survive in current monopoly.
[QUOTE=showtek;45825848]Brain muscles! No physical interuction, hell yeah. Lets get fat everybody and do sports aka PLAY VIDEO GAMES.[/QUOTE]
It's still competitive though. Just because they aren't physical doesn't mean they aren't competitive.
[QUOTE=showtek;45825848]Brain muscles! No physical interuction, hell yeah. Lets get fat everybody and do sports aka PLAY VIDEO GAMES.
[editline]28th August 2014[/editline]
The point to survive in current monopoly.[/QUOTE]
I'd rather be a happy hobo than a depressed millionaire (which incidentally most of them are.)
The point of life is to be happy, and money doesn't make you happy.
[QUOTE=l337k1ll4;45825872]I'd rather be a happy hobo than a depressed millionaire [b](which incidentally most of them are.)[/b][/QUOTE]
How do you know that? Some people just love money.
[QUOTE=Stopper;45825510]I can see where he's coming from - video game competitions require just as much skill as regular sports. If chess can be competitive and a paying sport, so can games.[/QUOTE]
But neither eSports or Chess will be able to reach the same level as something like Football or Rugby, contrary to what some of the people pushing it believe.
[QUOTE=Stopper;45825510]I can see where he's coming from - video game competitions require just as much skill as regular sports. If chess can be competitive and a paying sport, so can games.[/QUOTE]
Honestly. I still don't get why people argue about this. Most people who actually play and video game competitively stopped caring if it's a sport or not a loooong while ago. It makes money, and is fun to watch. Random arbitrary labeling aside (or they just call it e-sports).
[QUOTE=Aphtonites;45825940]But neither eSports or Chess will be able to reach the same level as something like Football or Rugby, contrary to what some of the people pushing it believe.[/QUOTE]
Those sports have been established for a long time now anyway, iirc even having ties to ancient times, maybe not as what we have today, but in some other form. They were the not-so-violent equivalent of fighting, or even forms of training for fighting, or something of the sort.
In comparison, eSports only started being a thing like 10 years ago, and people associate it with all kinds of wrong stuff.
Best part is how soccer has a whole mob business behind it, and almost no one gives a damn about it.
[QUOTE=showtek;45825848]Brain muscles! No physical interuction, hell yeah. Lets get fat everybody and do sports aka PLAY VIDEO GAMES.
[editline]28th August 2014[/editline]
The point to survive in current monopoly.[/QUOTE]
So chess, poker, bowling, pool (and/or snooker), shooting (skeet or targets), checkers, dominoes, mini-golf, knife/axe throwing and any other sport in the world that doesn't require physical exertion aren't sports?
[QUOTE=l337k1ll4;45825771]You gotta do what you love. I don't care if I'm making $200,000 a year if I hate my job then what's the point?[/QUOTE]
have no idea why people are rating you dumb lol
it's a valid point that jobs that you hate are worse rather than a job you love. Considering most jobs today remove your social life and prevent you from using your own free time. Having a job that you love is a very powerful feeling, and it keeps you motivated to push forwards and keeps you optimistic. I know plenty of people that despise their jobs, family even that have manual labour jobs, get paid pretty decently, but can't stand for it due to the long term injuries they've gotten and will keep for the rest of their lives.
though I imagine in modern day it's rare to grab a job that you can say you truly love, it's unnerving to think about.
[QUOTE=showtek;45825848]Brain muscles! No physical interuction, hell yeah. Lets get fat everybody and do sports aka PLAY VIDEO GAMES.
[/QUOTE]
It's beneficial to be healthy when doing pretty much anything competitively. Video games may not require physical fitness to be good, but it certainly helps.
Whenever these threads pop up it's inevitable that somebody or multiple will pop up and say "But it's not a real sport!"
Honestly, who cares if it's a sport or not. If they are enjoying themselves and making money from doing so, and we are watching and enjoying it, the terminology really shouldn't matter, neither should if they are using muscles or not, if it requires skill and practice, then it's competitive, and if it's competitive, then you have nothing to complain about.
I had a discussion with my bf over this a bit ago, about the whole 'esports wont be as popular as actual sports' and now, I agree with him. It might take 30, 40, maybe more years, but esports will eventually become more popular. I mean, in the last what, 5 years, esports has grown freaking tremendously due to league and dota. If you told someone at a quake tourney 5-10 years ago about yearly million+ dollar prizepools, he'd call you crazy, probably insane. Who's to say it won't be even larger in another? Not to mention, as more and more teens and adults play and grow to love it, it gets more exposure. One of those die hard videogamers will eventually gain a position of power, its going to happen someday. More people will become accepting of the genre as a whole as more people go on computers for longer periods of time and play these games.
There will be a time when even old white people in the government will play videogames, so it is very possible that esports will become more and more popular.
[QUOTE=showtek;45825848]Brain muscles! No physical interuction, hell yeah. Lets get fat everybody and do sports aka PLAY VIDEO GAMES.
[editline]28th August 2014[/editline]
The point to survive in current monopoly.[/QUOTE]
yeah, man. thats why just about every single pro dota player is fat, rite?!?!
[IMG]http://puu.sh/bbJug/576b80d8d6.jpg[/IMG]
oh wait. Not to mention that a vast majority of them do lifting in their spare time.
Look at that fucking fat nerd in the left. Whats your point now lmaooo
[Sp]rip navi roster, rip puppey and kuroky[/sp]
I would love to see more of TB strategy games, or 4x from paradox titles in tournaments.
[QUOTE=Rocâ„¢;45825749]I wonder what would take more skill though. Not asking it in a "ha, see, this takes more skill" kind of way, but...
Soccer for example. You need a whole lot of coordination on your feet and attention to what's going on around you to not get cornered and get your plays hindered, but IF the other team has a lack of motivation or is more tired than yours, you'll have a significant edge over them. You could see this happening in the World Cup. Portugal for example couldn't keep up at all with Germany, its like we were dragging ourselves through the field, or just going "C'mon, gimme the baaaall, I don't feel like plaaaying right nooow..."
I don't know if that can be translated to eSports since you don't get tired the same way soccer players would (not counting mental fatigue) but maybe you could translate it in other ways, like how in games like LoL or Dota, having a different line up of heroes has an impact over the game. The same doesn't happens in soccer I think.[/QUOTE]
I think that team morale in a game like CSGO might be important. If you have high morale and confidence you'll be more likely to want to make big plays and take some additional risks. If you're demoralized you'll play more conservatively.
[QUOTE=Zoran;45827662]yeah, man. thats why just about every single pro dota player is fat, rite?!?!
[IMG]http://puu.sh/bbJug/576b80d8d6.jpg[/IMG]
oh wait. Not to mention that a vast majority of them do lifting in their spare time.[/QUOTE]
Theres a CS team made of 4 guys that look good enough to do modeling.
[editline]29th August 2014[/editline]
[QUOTE=Dark RaveN;45827695]Look at that fucking fat nerd in the left. Whats your point now lmaooo
[Sp]rip navi roster, rip puppey and kuroky[/sp][/QUOTE]
Wow he left navi?
Can't blame him tbh, team can't handle anything anymore.
[QUOTE=Smoot;45825729]I bet the guy makes a shitload of money too.[/QUOTE]
He made a nice amount years ago, when Dota was still a WC3 mod, but now that Dota 2 is a big thing, he still has to place in the money for any tournament he participated in.
[QUOTE=Puresabe;45829889]He made a nice amount years ago, when Dota was still a WC3 mod, but now that Dota 2 is a big thing, he still has to place in the money for any tournament he participated in.[/QUOTE]
He streams and casts now, which arguably makes more money than actually playing. Purge, who used to play for Team Zephyr (now just their manager) in Korea right now, has said that he could be making more money casting and continuing his YouTube videos but he had a chance to play professionally so he took it.
ESPN3 played the Dota International, and the documentary was shown on ESPN 2. National broadcasts are already common in South Korea and China. My college campus has bars that have Dota, SC2, or League streams on their TVs 24/7. I'd say we're pretty close to a critical mass
[url]http://www.dailydot.com/esports/espn-dota-2-the-international/[/url]
Also recommend watching Free to Play (Dota 2 documentary) and State of Play (Starcraft/Starcraft 2 documentary)
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