Legit (Home Run Edition)

Chapter 1: Cyber Athletes

When it comes to sports and competition, nobody can deny that the world is changing. Sure, in countries like Italy and Brazil, a classic sport like soccer still rules. In America, baseball players dream of getting to the World Series, , while football players hope to play on Super Bowl Sunday.

These days, there are new sports to enjoy as well. The X Games are a good example. Skateboarding and snowboarding are becoming as popular as any mainstream sport. ! And now, technology is changing everything. Sports now take place far beyond skate parks and mountain tops. New athletes now compete in cyberspace.

These athletes are called "cyber athletes." They love playing video games, but not just for fun. They are professionals, like pro athletes in other sports. The NBA has LeBron James, who is one of the greatest basketball players on earth. There are cyber athletes who are just as good at what they do.

So, what is a cyber athlete? He or she is someone who plays video games in tournaments. Cyber athletes come in all shapes, sizes and ages. They practice hard and compete against other gamers. The very best of them join pro leagues--and some of them earn a lot of money.

This has all happened pretty recently. In 2001, the first World Cyber Games were held in South Korea. Famous cyber athletes from around the world showed up to compete. They wanted to win the tournament and become known as the world's best "cyber warrior." They also wanted a piece of the $300,000 being awarded in prize money.

There wouldn't be any cyber athletes if there were no cyberspace itself. The Internet connects the world. It gives us music, movies, games, shopping and information. More importantly, the Internet puts you in touch with people. Close to 1 billion people surf the Web every day! They communicate instantly through cyberspace. Have you ever stopped to consider how amazing that is? Can you even imagine the world your parents grew up in--a world where people were not connected?

We are living in a time of great progress. Especially in the field of communications technology. We take much of it for granted, but we really shouldn't. Imagine how different things would be if Alexander Graham Bell hadn't invented the telephone. Bell's invention connected people over distances far greater than they could have ever dreamed. That concept has led to much of the technology that is part of our daily lives. This includes the Internet, cell phones and even live gaming. Imagine the look on Mr. Bell's face if he were able to witness two people playing Xbox from one thousand miles away!

The world has changed because of technology and the Internet. Young people understand this very well, sometimes even better than adults. 12 to 18-year-olds like to be the first to check out new technology. Teenagers carried MP3 players while their parents were still listening to CDs. They were also the first ones to send text messages and use digital cameras. They even learned how to shoot video directly from their cell phones.

In some cases, young people are the ones creating new technology. You may have heard the story of Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Back in the 1990s, they were college students. They started working together to develop a new search engine for the Internet. What did they come up with? Google, which is now used by millions of people every day.

Understanding technology is a good thing for young people. It's cool, and it can also lead to career opportunities. Chad Hurley and Steve Chen are good examples. These two friends wanted to watch videos on the Internet. They were frustrated by how difficult it was. So they came up with an idea that would make it easier and more enjoyable. Their idea became known as YouTube. Before long, it was one of the most popular Web sites on the Net.

It's obvious that thousands of new career opportunities are popping up. As with Google or YouTube, technology is big business. Billions of dollars are being spent on research, software and many other things. Microsoft spends over $5 billion a year just on research and development!

Young people are discovering that they can have exciting jobs in careers that interest them. Some of these careers are in the video game industry (which is also referred to as "interactive entertainment"). Sure, it's fun to just kick back and play video games. And for those who are really talented, competing professionally is an option. It can also be rewarding to work for a software company. For example, you can be part of a team that develops and sells video games. Not only is it fun, but it's also a way to earn a fantastic living.

The idea of making money in the video game industry is fairly new. It would have been impossible just a few years ago. There are now thousands of people getting involved. They get paid to help create and sell the games they love to play! It's incredible that everything came together so quickly. It may have been because of the World Cyber Games and other tournaments. They were very successful. As a result, video game leagues were created.

In 2002, the very first professional video game league was born in the United States. It was known as Major League Gaming (MLG). The league focuses on console video games (not computer games). Some of the best professional gamers in the country play in MLG.

MLG holds live competitions all across America. These are opportunities for gamers to become well known. One of the brightest young MLG pros is 16-year-old Bryan Rizzo, of Palm Harbor, Florida. Bryan travels around the country playing Halo 2.

When he's home, Bryan can usually be found in his room. He will be staring at his flat-screen TV, with an Xbox controller in hand. He wears a headset, which connects him to his teammates. They talk about upcoming tournaments, discuss strategy and have fun messing around. Mostly though, they practice hard. Sometimes they spend several hours a night getting ready for the next tournament.

At only 16, Bryan is one of MLG's top players. That's quite an achievement, considering the tough competition. It shows how determined he is. Bryan hadn't planned to become a professional gamer. It's awesome that it worked out that way, though. His success has led to some great rewards. He's had the opportunity to travel and earn money. He's also made lifelong friends and learned a lot about the video game business.

Bryan's journey began more than six years ago. At that time he was an average 10-year-old kid. Like his friends, he had already been into video games for a long time. Compared to most people he knew, gaming came pretty easily to Bryan. He played whenever he had free time, usually between baseball practice and school.

Nobody could have predicted that one day Bryan would be a famous gamer. He certainly never expected to travel around the country as one of MLG's top stars. One thing was sure, though--when it came to video games, Bryan was a natural.