Raising the Stakes

<b>How a form of play becomes a sport: players agents referees leagues tournaments sponsorships and spectators and the culture of professional computer game play.</b><p>Competitive video and computer game play is nothing new: the documentary King of Kong memorably portrays a Donkey Kong player's attempts to achieve the all-time highest score; the television show <i>Starcade</i> (1982-1984) featured competitions among arcade game players; and first-person shooter games of the 1990s became multiplayer through network play. A new development in the world of digital gaming however is the emergence of professional computer game play complete with star players team owners tournaments sponsorships and spectators. In <i>Raising the Stakes</i> T. L. Taylor explores the emerging scene of professional computer gaming and the accompanying efforts to make a sport out of this form of play.</p><p>In the course of her explorations Taylor travels to tournaments including the World Cyber Games Grand Finals (which considers itself the computer gaming equivalent of the Olympics) and interviews participants from players to broadcasters. She examines pro-gaming with its highly paid players play-by-play broadcasts and mass audience; discusses whether or not e-sports should even be considered sports; traces the player's path from amateur to professional (and how a hobby becomes work); and describes the importance of leagues teams owners organizers referees sponsors and fans in shaping the structure and culture of pro-gaming.</p><p>Taylor connects professional computer gaming to broader issues: our notions of play work and sport; the nature of spectatorship; the influence of money on sports. And she examines the ongoing struggle over the gendered construction of play through the lens of male-dominated pro-gaming. Ultimately the evolution of professional computer gaming illuminates the contemporary struggle to convert playful passions into serious play.</p>