Pro gamers spurn geek stereotype as go mainstream

By Daisuke Wakabayashi

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Geoff Robinson does not fit the stereotype of a hardcore geek gamer. The Oregon State University student is sociable, an avid weight lifter, studies English and history -- not computer science -- and wants to be a high school teacher.

But Robinson, 22, is also the best American at a computer strategy game called "StarCraft: Brood War" and he is one of about 700 gamers from 74 countries competing this weekend at the World Cyber Games 2007 Grand Final in Seattle.

Organizers of the World Cyber Games said these players are athletes with tremendous hand-eye coordination who happen to be competing in "e-sports," or electronic sports.

"We'd love to see the stereotype of the geek gamer smashed," said Michael Arzt, senior vice president with the World Cyber Games. "It's not that lonely kid in the basement that people think it is."

In playing "StarCraft," Robinson estimates that a good player will do about 300 different "actions" per minute on either a keyboard or mouse and the best players can push that to 500 actions per minute.

"It's about hand speed," said Robinson, who has been playing "StarCraft" since 1998.

Well-rounded, media-friendly players like Robinson are key to moving professional video gaming to the mainstream and wider acceptance, a strategy adopted by other activities like poker and competitive eating.

Professional video gaming has not reached the mainstream in America or Europe, but it's already a closely-followed past time in South Korea where tournaments are regularly televised and the best players can make over $100,000 a year.