Geartest.com Games - Interview - Life as a professional gamer, with World Cyber Games StarCraft winner Guillaume Patry (Grrrr

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The Future of Professional Gaming

When Guillaume looks to the future of gaming, he sees a bright future.

"Professional gaming will be a reality," he declares unequivocally. "If consoles get better controls then I don't see any reason why it can't be as successful as on the PC. Console controls are not accurate enough," he said, referring to gaming consoles like the PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube.

But he says that there must be some changes in order for the industry to grow.

"Professional management was lacking a lot," he said, referring to the pro gaming career and team managers. Even though "it is a lot better now" there is still room to improve.

A major problem is the lack of corporate sponsors and sponsorships for professional gaming relative to its counterparts in the professional sports world.

"Companies like Logitech don't sponsor gamers," he says of the world's largest supplier of computer peripherals like computer mice and game controllers. "Maybe it's because they had a bad experience with the first guy [that the company may have sponsored] but it doesn't make sense. Gamers are the people who buy their products."

Guillaume says he hopes that companies like Logitech, which directly benefit from the computer games industry, decide to sponsor more professional gamers and local tournaments to help grow awareness of gaming as a professional career choice.

Would he consider switching events, and competing in another game, like Counter-Strike, to extend his career? "I like playing first-person shooters, and it would be easier for me to play them. StarCraft is so fast and I already have a good career. After I retire from StarCraft it might be time to move on to other things."

When he isn't focused on winning tournaments, Guillaume turns his attentions to his fledgling company, works out at the gym, watches movies, reads -- and plays computer games.

"I don't go out and party as much as I used to. I don't drink as much either. If you have a hangover you can't focus enough when you are playing in a tournament, and I have lost a few times because of that. "

What games does he play on his personal time? Warcraft 3 and Total Annihilation. "They are older games but I love them."

Guillaume also expressed a fondness for reading. "I love business books and fantasy books," he says.

"Right now I'm reading Bringing Down the House [The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions]," a non-fiction book about a group of MIT students who learned how to beat the system and won millions of dollars while playing blackjack in Las Vegas casinos.

"I also like reading books by R.A Salvatore like the Hunter's Blades from the Drizzt Ranger series. I just ordered a few from Amazon.com, which is where I get all of my books because of the limited English-language selection in [South] Korea. Maybe I should tell Amazon and they can sponsor me!" he laughs.

"The great thing about Guillaume -- besides his skill as a player -- is that he's the same person he was when I first met him five years ago," says Samsung's Patricia Chung. "He's just as down-to-earth as he was back then. He's a normal 22 year-old."

EDITORS NOTE: Guillaume Patry was eliminated from competition during the qualifying rounds at the 2004 World Cyber Games.

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