Professional gamers draw big-name sponsors

Krakoff, along with many in the industry, believes the United States will soon catch up to Korea because traditional advertising is losing much of its effectiveness at reaching young men.

"Corporations are dropping hundreds of millions of dollars on a TV ad, and kids don't even watch TV," says Lake, the team owner. "They're missing this demographic."

There are signs that the corporate world is waking up: last week, McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals, the Johnson & Johnson subsidiary that makes Tylenol, announced it was sponsoring Ouch!, a six-man Counter Strike team.

It is believed to be the first time a non-computer company has sponsored a U.S. videogame team.

Trevor Schmidt, who runs Gotfrag.com, notes that Burger King sponsors games in Germany. He thinks the United States is six to eight months away from seeing major videogame sponsorship deals by consumer-goods companies.

For all the optimism, several hurdles must be overcome if e-sports are to become a mass phenomenon. For one, the violent game content can be off-putting both to spectators and advertisers.

To the gamers themselves, the mayhem on the computer screen doesn't count as real violence. Apart from the occasional case of wrist-wracking carpal tunnel syndrome, no one gets hurt.

"It's not really even looked at as violent or shooting, it's more about teamwork, like soccer or football," says Lake.

Another hurdle is the very technology that enables these games. Manufacturers keep putting out new games and game consoles, obsoleting the old.

"You have to relearn every year," says Matija Biljeskovic, who competes in pixelated FIFA Soccer. "The way the players recover the ball, the timings, it all changes."

Lastly, watching the games isn't necessarily very enjoyable for someone who hasn't played that particular game.

"In older generations ... I don't think this is ever going to have mainstream appeal," says Lake.

For now, video gaming is not a road to riches for the players.

McNeil would not say how much it is paying Ouch!, but Schmidt estimates the average player on a successful team makes $30,000 to $40,000 a year, mostly from sponsorships and excluding prize money.

Perhaps 50 gamers in the United States are at that level.

Biljeskovic, a 21-year-old electrical engineering student at Northern Illinois University, doesn't make that much. While he went on last week to win the U.S. final in FIFA Soccer, assuring him a spot on Team USA in Singapore in November, his game doesn't appeal to U.S. sponsors.

Nor does his life appear to be that glamourous. A single father, he practices after he puts his three-year-old daughter to bed at 9 p.m.

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