Story by Casey Minter

Illustration by Jacqueline Haworth

Two armies sit poised on the brink of chaos and combat, awaiting their orders with weapons at the ready. They stand emotionless, ready to fight to the death at the click of a mouse. No fear touches the faces of the warriors, nor does courage seem outwardly apparent. Do they fight for glory and fame or for riches and nation? All these things act as a motivator, at least for those in control of these characters’ actions. For it’s not these pixilated participants that enjoy accolades upon victory, but the twenty-something whose hands twitch rapidly over a glowing LED keyboard and mouse.
Money, Power, Women
Until recently, these words were rarely associated with gaming, but within the past decade the video game industry has grown at an astronomical rate. The industry has revolutionized itself into a behemoth of sales, advertising, and worldwide markets. The average gamer is surprisingly unlike the prevalent stereotype of a pockmarked, greasy-haired loner living in their parent’s basement. According to the Entertainment Software Association, 72% of American households play video games of some sort, with the average player being 30 and playing socially, with friends either online or locally. The gender ratio is also fairly even, with 47% of American gamers being women.
Call of Duty is a hotbed of controversy in the gaming community, but there’s one thing no one can dispute: it makes money. Activision, the game’s publisher and distributor, reported sales of up to $750 million within the first five days of release of the franchise’s latest game, Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and over $1 billion within the first month. This made it the most monetarily successful entertainment product in history, earning more than any movie, album or book release. Price Waterhouse Coopers values the worldwide video game industry at a little over $60 billion, and estimates that figure to be around $82 billion by the end of 2015.
Cu1tur3
As everyday gaming becomes more prolific and widespread, it is affecting our culture and society in surprising ways. Many have seen Puddles parodying “Gangnam Style”  or cheered University of Oregon’s marching band while they performed it at the last football game, but few know who to credit for the song topping charts in America. StarCraft, a real-time strategy game, and the competitive gaming scene definitely gave it a status bump stateside. The song’s rampant popularity is a testament to how gaming facilitates communication and the sharing of culture. However, a more local phenomenon also illustrates the growth of electronic sports, also known as e-sports, in our country.
Barcades combine micro brewing, arcade games, and LAN, a style of cooperative gaming where players use local Internet connections to join friends and compete. E-sport enthusiasts can attend barcades and enjoy the regular aspects of a bar—drinks, friends, music and entertainment—along with different, more unique aspects. BarCraft, a portmanteau combining bar and StarCraft, is a recent phenomenon growing alongside the barcade craze. The popular computer game StarCraft pits three futuristic races against each other, and is considered by many to be the pinnacle of competitive gaming.
These BarCraft events are held during major competitive gaming tournaments and replace traditional sports with rapidly growing e-sports. Instead of sitting around at the local bar watching a football game, attendees cheer and despair as two competitive StarCraft teams face off. The rise of e-sports illustrates an interesting subculture that has been present for many years and is finally emerging into the spotlight, catapulting competitive gaming teams like Infinity Seven into a world of recognition.
A lot goes on behind the scenes of e-sports to keep it running. Anele Andeshmand, the general manager of Infinity Seven and Boudewijn Kryne, the Personal Assistant to the team’s owner, Zhang “Zenmotion” Jingna, are dedicated enthusiasts that put in the hours necessary to keep players playing.
“For some people, like Boudewijn and I, giving back to the community feels just as good as receiving the praise,” Andeshmand says.
Both men work with Infinity Seven as a second job, putting in up to 20 hours a week behind the scenes of competitive gaming. That’s not counting the many volunteer hours they put in as well. They work for more than a paycheck, however; their passion and ardor is apparent through their actions.
“I’m really proud to be here and to be part of Infinity Seven and competitive gaming,” Kryne says, “there’s so much potential here.”
This combination of potential, hard work, and downright love of the game has led to some heartening results. When a competitive gaming team has the opportunity to win upwards of a $1,000,000 purse for one tournament, people take notice. But the money is the least important part. Ever since the early days of kill screens and Donkey Kong, it has always been about reaching that next level.
“It’s almost unreal. Sometimes we’ll look back and reflect and talk about it,” Andeshmand recalls, “Some of my other friends feel ashamed that they had to ‘grow up’. For me, it’s the opposite. We didn’t let go of our passion; we took it to the next level. In that way, I am living my junior high fantasy.”
Had everyone left the business when the buck stopped, it would have floundered and died years ago. Thankfully, the opposite has occurred. The industry’s resilience owes much to the thousands of people who love and admire the beautiful art of video games… and to respawning.
 
 
 
 
 

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