David Duncan needs some cash for college, but he?s not saving by working at a local movie theater or grocery store.
He?s playing video games. His skills could net him $3,000 this weekend at the World Cyber Games USA Championship in Orlando, Fla.
Duncan, 18, of Finksburg, has finished his first year at Carroll Community College. He?s taking the fall semester off, however, to focus on several upcoming video-game competitions that could lead to thousands of dollars in prize money.
“It?s comparable to a part-time job,” Duncan said Wednesday, a day before he left for Florida.
The World Cyber Games is one of a growing number of big-money video game tournaments happening all over the world. Some gamers even make their living competing in the events.
Duncan outplayed 15,000 competitors in previous tournaments to get to this weekend?s national championship. He joins 184 players who will compete for 22 spots on the U.S. team that will go to the World Cyber Games Grand Final in Seattle in October.
Duncan has been playing competitively since 2005 ? this is his third straight year at the World Cyber Games national final. He?ll play “Command & Conquer,” a real-time strategy game played on the PC. The top two “Command & Conquer” players advance to the world championship.
First place would mean $3,000 for Duncan, and first place at the world final would mean $25,000. About $500,000 in total prizes will be awarded at the world final.
Duncan?s been playing and practicing about five hours a day in preparation of the tournament. He?s thought about a future in software management, but he?s considering playing video games competitively.
“Right now, I?m just trying to save some money for college,” Duncan said. “If there?s money to be made in the future, I?ll stick with it.”
There certainly is money in the video game industry. The market, which totaled $32.6 billion in 2005, is forecasted to expand to $65.9 billion in 2011 “as a result of its fast-growing online and mobile gaming segments,” according to ABI Research, a New York-based technology research firm.
“The online console gaming market is set to take off … with advanced networking and online gaming capabilities,” Michael Wolf, principal analyst of multimedia research for ABI, said in a statement.
