How to Win Games and Influence People

On winning games:
Craig Levine made gaming like a sport. He got sponsorships, contracted players, and entered tournaments to compete for money. His "Team 3D" started as a group of Counter-Strike-playing friends and ended up as a group of freelance professionals. The fights that rattle the team and cut the bonds between players, favoring sponsorship over enjoyment, beg the question, at what point does playing a game stop being fun and start being work? It reflects a little on professional sports, in which as much emphasis is placed on the business backend as the baseball or football or basketball frontend. In this sense, the typical player of Counter-Strike can be seen like someone playing a pickup game of basketball, where Team 3D can be seen as being similar to an NBA team. There's clearly a large gap between the two, not just in player ability but also in player outlook. It's all fun and games until you bring money into the equation. But then what does it become? (it is still a game, but is it still played for fun?)

On influencing people:
In Watkins' article, We Play, he makes the point that television viewership is giving way in favor of the internet and gaming. There was a sudden drop in viewership among the young male audience as they jumped ship to these new forms of entertainment. But what was so special about them? They offer an interactive entertainment experience. The internet allows the user to interact with other people the world over, talking to people far away and controlling the experience received. However, people still watch TV while using the internet - this can't have been the sole cause of the cited 12% drop in ratings. The key lies in the rise of gaming, and how immersive the medium can be. First of all, many games are played on the television, so it is in these cases impossible to watch a show while playing. Second, a game demands the player's full attention, much moreso than a TV show or a web site. Third, games share the social aspect that made the internet so popular. Games can be used as a medium through which to directly interact with friends, inside or outside the room. Nintendo's Wii console has made that even more so by bringing "social gaming" to the forefront, and this kind of activity is more engaging to the mind than watching a television show. By taking advantage of this "social gaming" drive, gaming has found a new way to reach people - a new way to entertain.