9 Year old videogamer making $20,000 a year

Victor M. De Leon III has been playing video games on the professional circuit for five years now, racking up thousands of dollars in prizes and endorsements at tournaments around the country. He has a national corporate sponsor, a publicist and a Web site, with 531 photos chronicling his career. A documentary filmmaker has been following him for months.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/07/nyregion/07gamer.html?pagewanted=1&hp

I think I was learning how to ride a bike at that age, this kid is amazing

Hes not making $20,000 a year. It said hes playing in a halo2 event for prizes up to $20,000.judge__judy

"But Halo is a violent, shoot-'em-up game, the type that has stirred much debate about effects on youngsters since the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School, where the killers were frequent players of the computer game Doom.

Many researchers caution that excessive gaming displaces exercise, socializing and creative play, and that video games like Halo can promote aggressive feelings and actions."

Oh yeah, they couldn't forget to add this in there.

god, i think the 90's were the last great time to be a kid. this is pathetic.oldogg

"But Halo is a violent, shoot-'em-up game, the type that has stirred much debate about effects on youngsters since the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School, where the killers were frequent players of the computer game Doom.

Many researchers caution that excessive gaming displaces exercise, socializing and creative play, and that video games like Halo can promote aggressive feelings and actions."

Oh yeah, they couldn't forget to add this in there.

GiygasFanima

thats bull****.

Wow the new generation of children are frickin' pathetic. What is this world coming to.mrxdemix

"Pathetic" is hardly what I'd describe them as. We were right before them, so who do we blame for setting the example?

The kid's doing his thing, so more power to him and less paparazzi.

I read that too and i find it sick. Which father let his kid play shooters when they are 4. It's not normal to play games at that age. I began at 9 or 10 on my playstation and played half an hour a day or something. That kid is playing 2 hours each day and before/at contests even longer. He has sponsors too. Which 9 year old child has his own sponsors and more than 50 000 dollar or something.

I wonder what a kid his age would do with that kind of money.MKHavoc

Save up for the drugs, therapy, and prostitutes he will need later on. (not necessarily in that order)

[QUOTE="MKHavoc"]I wonder what a kid his age would do with that kind of money.dchan01

Save up for the drugs, therapy, and prostitutes he will need later on. (not necessarily in that order)

Actually, it's probably going to his parents, hence why they even let him do that. I'm sure a lot of people could go pro in video games if their parents sat them down and told them to play for hours and hours every day.

There is nothing pathetic about making a decent $20.000 a year, especially when your 9 years old. nexusprime

This kid is amazing! At age 4 beating his dad:shock:tsduv21

Call me the name you want but i find this sad. A 4 yo kid should not play video games in a competitive manner. I would go as far as saying he should not play online fps at all. I saw a video of a 4-5 yo kid playing UT and calling name to the guy he killed. Was definately sad to see. And we wonder after why there's so many kids trash talking online. When kids are thrown in online video gaming against adults at the age of 4 without supervision this can give bad results.

[QUOTE="mrxdemix"]Wow the new generation of children are frickin' pathetic. What is this world coming to.BranKetra

"Pathetic" is hardly what I'd describe them as. We were right before them, so who do we blame for setting the example?

The kid's doing his thing, so more power to him and less paparazzi.

I began playing at the age of 8 and my parents thought it was a little young. And back then i did not play a lot since my parents regulated my playtime a lot and we had one TV in the house only. I started playing on a regular basis i was about 11 yo.

[QUOTE="oldogg"]god, i think the 90's were the last great time to be a kid. this is pathetic.pokerchamp1

[QUOTE="pokerchamp1"][QUOTE="oldogg"]god, i think the 90's were the last great time to be a kid. this is pathetic.joey101010

I wouldn't trade the eighties childhood for anything. At least we had better movies.

I wish I could be a professional gamer. :(teufelherz

There's money that should be going to starving children in Africa, not some kid who plays video games. Shows how our values are twisted, no?Toaster_Cell

[QUOTE="Toaster_Cell"]There's money that should be going to starving children in Africa, not some kid who plays video games. Shows how our values are twisted, no?AfterShafter

1. This kid is set for the rest of his life, I hope that his Dad is putting the money to good use.

2. I alsohope that his Dad is doing like he says and looking out for Vics well-being...as far as school and exhaustion goes.

3. I can't hate on the kid, he's doing his thing right now...and he's hella good at it so more power to him.

4. That 60-inch TV he has is nice as s**h**i**t.

There's money that should be going to starving children in Africa, not some kid who plays video games. Shows how our values are twisted, no?Toaster_Cell

Why do people always say starving kids in AFRICA....as if there aren't starving children worldwide?