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'Everything in life is a balance'

HOW LONG have you been playing video games? Pretty much since the inception. I started way back on the pong and interactive systems. I personally own every game system that comes out. Even though I don’t play as much as I used...

to I still play around ten hours a week.

Any particular favourites?

I’m kind of sucked in to world of Warcraft. I love Blizzard to death but that thing will really eat up your time. I’m a counterstrike player. On the Xbox 360 I do play Dead or Alive and I’m big fan of Ghost Recon. Also I’m spending a lot of time on the WII system. Love the WII.

This entire idea of a professional gaming league, how did it all begin?

Gaming as a sport has been around for 15 years now. There are various groups. It’s kind of like an evolution how its grown. Organisers have been doing tournaments and trying to become professional leagues.

To what extent could this be considered a profession?

Our gamers make $30,000 a year. When they get picked up by the league they become contractors of the league. They sign a contract and they become assets of the company for the entire year. It truly is a real profession now.

What prompted you to come to Dubai?

We had to pick emerging markets. One that had shown huge leaps in technology. Dubai is concentrating highly on increasing the level of technological development within the country. The Middle East is a major hub. It would be a shame not to start in a new market as we are a new business. Plus Dubai has proven that it can draw a crowd.

As far as gaming is concerned do you think there is potential here?

We’ve always had real talent coming out of this area. Unfortunately we’ve never had proper events out here. We know there’s a lot of talent here in Dubai and hopefully we can bring that out on a world stage.

What do you think about the entire video-game violence situation that has arisen today?

Its just like the old saying goes, 'it takes a village to raise a child, it’s the families job and the community’s job whether it’s their religious community within the group that they work in or the extended family to make a decision for that family at what age the game is appropriate for the person. In my days we grew up with ‘cowboys and Indians’ and every generation has its level of action or violence but I believe that each generation has to make the connection for their children what level is acceptable at what age. They say psychologically that these games are changing the way our children perceive things and I would go back and say that there’s probably more violence on the news and in everyday T.V than there is in these games. It’s animation.

How do you think gaming compares to other activities?

Everything in life is a balance. The nice thing about video games is that it challenges your problem solving skills and reflexes. Its very strategic. What I find is that it challenges your imagination. It allows the youth to stretch boundaries. I play video games but I still go out and do other activities there should always be a balance of time.

What do you want the situation for video-games to be like 10 or 20 years from now?

My hope is that we’re creating the sport for the next generation. It’s highly interactive and very entertaining to watch. Everybody, including my mother, plays video games of some form of the other.