 Professional eSports player Ryan “Big Apple Pie” Gresty commented that “Gaming isn’t just a hobby anymore, it’s a career path and a lifestyle for some people. The dedication and the time put into playing is more than a 9-to-5 job with overtime.” Video games have existed for nearly 6 decades and has given joy to families globally. Over time, nothing but improvement and enjoyment has been brought on by video games. Now, video games can be a means of a profession, a means for bringing communities together, or just simply a means for fun. Although, with a plethora of evidence showing potential economic improvements, the video gaming industry is underappreciated, slandered, and misunderstood. Video games have recently been considered a sport, yet hasn’t been given the chance to blossom into the profitable industry it could be. While the selling and production of video games will always be on the rise with more and more technology being created to make games better, the streaming and recording aspect of gaming isn’t abused as it should be. With its evolution, video games have proven it’s role in being a fundamental foundation for our future generations, yet are hindered by the older thinking of past generations giving a blind eye towards the industry. Video games can progress the means of science, the economy, and consumers general wellness.

The most important aspect in selling a product is understanding who you are selling it to. In the beginning, gaming consoles that could perform more advanced and detailed games were very expensive, making its target audience families. It justified it’s heavy price since it wasn’t just for any specific person, but a device the whole family can enjoy. The gaming industry was booming with family friendly consoles, up until the video game crash in 1983.

The market crash was due to flooding of different consoles, rivalry from home computers, and economic inflation. Atari, a console that was in the lead for the gaming market, was hit the hardest and never gained its position up top again. Even though the crash saw a decline in gaming consoles being produced and companies going bankrupt, the market bounced back and shaped itself into the market we know more today. 

The market recovery period brought in a new mindset: Console Wars. This terminology was used to be a topic starter and simply state a rivalry between competitors that are always trying to one up each other. The first console war was around 1988-1990, between Nintendo and Sega. Nintendo was the family friendly console with censored games and Mario, while Sega was this edgy, bold, and brazen new kid on the block. This comic book like rivalry is always great for business, and that’s why every generation has their fighters.

The 20th century had Sega and Nintendo competing with back to back consoles, but were then weeded out by the next generation of gaming consoles. Playstation came into the picture and appealed to people right away. It came out with the new concept of CD’s for games to be played on, and the price tag wasn’t high. Nintendo released the N64, which seemed basic compared to the original Playstation, since it was still using cartridges. A key component as to why CD’s were better than cartridges was the fact illegal copies of video games were much easier to make for CD’s.  

Sega never could bounce back because of Playstation, especially with the release of the Playstation 2. Sony, the company behind Playstation consoles, seemed at the top of the world without anything to fear. That is, until the original Xbox was released by Microsoft. 

History repeats itself as there were new competitors in this generation's “console wars”. The rivalry is the same from then on. Microsoft and Sony leading in console sales, with Nintendo trying to stay in there, as well as an increase in PC gaming. 

What this history shows isn’t just the evolution of video games, but the evolution of the customers. Gamers had a choice in what they should buy depending on their needs. Sega had uncensored games, while Nintendo had mario. Sony started the CD game trend, while Microsoft brought better graphics, exclusives, and revolutionary online access. The evident variety pleases every type of gamer and makes communities stronger.  

Having gaming communities have many positive factors. For those within the same gaming community, it can spark discussions about exclusive games for their respective console. It can also spark conversations between people in different communities, particularly why the other is better. The best part of all is that no one can be shunned from gaming communities. The base requirement is for you to own the console, the more you play on it the better you’ll relate to other players. The only way to be shunned is by disrespecting the game, which is frowned upon greatly by community players and game developers. 

Another great example of community is the relationship between gamers and game developers. Game developers are the people who’ve created the game and they usually listen for feedback after the launch of their game. This can go a long way because gamers feel valued when they send feedback or rant about some aspect of the game and it gets an update. This causes a good rapport and can help the credibility of the company for future games. With great aspects of gaming like quick feedback from developers, realistic graphics, and overall enjoyment from playing with friends, gaming can get quite addictive. 

Addiction can be perceived in two ways, a good habit or a bad habit. In most cases, gaming is purely a hobby. Most students play video games to relieve stress and relax. Others make careers from video games, either as Esport players or entertainers. All of this falls under a good and healthy addiction to video games. Others can put a bad name on video games with their actions and mistreatment of it. Some people have an unhealthy addiction to video games, like the 18 year old who shot 3 police officers dead, fled in a police car, and said “Life is a video game. You’ve got to die sometime”. Gamers like this have taken a pure hobby and have gotten so addicted that the line between reality and virtual reality was blurred immensely. The kid was punished accordingly, but was just one of the reasons cases against gaming companies were filed. 

Games can be beautiful and bring joy to the saddest people. There is something out there for every single type of gamer. For those who want to build whatever they want, games like Minecraft and Garry’s Mod is available. For those who want to feel what it’s like to create a game and have players play it on a small scale, Roblox provides just that. Assassin's Creed teaches students about history in a unique and fun way, while sport games like FIFA or Madden give gamers the feeling they are major sport players. Imagination is a great and vital aspect in anyone’s life, and video games bring it out. 

Gaming has recently been spotted for all of its benefits and dedicated communities. Hardcore gamers who have dedicated their life to gaming have developed special skill sets. PC gamers have established a type of reaction with their hands that people have called them “inhuman reactions”. Console gamers excel in tactical communications and game sense. These special skills have been spotted and the realization that these type of gamers are athletes. While most of them can’t do a real sport, gamers with special skill sets can be picked up and join eSports. 

eSports events are the equivalence of regular sporting competitions. It requires players to have a team, a club (or in this case clan), and a manager for the team. At this point, gaming is no longer a hobby, but a profession. Latest competitions have reached a prize pool of $20.8 dollars, around 75 times as much the New England Patriots took for the 2017 Super Bowl. With money like that on the line, teams hunt for the best of the best. 

Playing well in matches in your living room is one thing, but professional gamers deal with a much more intense atmosphere. Like an average team, players go through rigorous training for hours daily. They must learn to fine tune their muscle memory to respond quicker in certain situations. They also have to learn to handle serious situations, making game changing decisions, all while whole arenas filled with people chanting. 

Video games receive a bad reputation from people with bad addictions, but in most cases gaming is good. Other than fine tuning reflexes or natural awareness, but games can provide monetary value as well. eSports tournaments are a great way to make money, but over time. Some professionals, like StarCraft player Jae Dong Lee, can make up to $500,000 over their careers. They then typically retire from their tournament careers and do a more “steady” and “long term” job like streaming or making YouTube videos.  

YouTube let’s people post videos with ads, thus monetizing their video. The more people who watch your content means more people viewing the ad, which adds revenue to your account. The tricky part of making decent money on YouTube is bringing and keeper viewers. Videos classified as “Comedy” or “Gaming” bring the most ad revenue to YouTube. Professional gamers move onto Youtube or Twitch when they’ve gotten fame and want to game regularly and less competitively. People have a natural urge for competition, assuring a permanent market of professional gamers for viewers to watch. 

The “King of YouTube”, also known as Pewdiepie, makes comedic gaming videos. He is the highest earning YouTuber with around $10 million a year. This creates a type of gamer that plays for purely fun, but entertains viewers. They are essential to gaming communities. Since they usually have entertaining or funny videos, these type of YouTubers gain massive followings. Game developers notice these big YouTubers and send them exclusives or some type of motivation to play a game often. This keeps gamers in the community to stay active and helps persuade people who are on the verge of buying a new game. 

There will always be new ways of profiting from video games for gamers. Up until 2015, YouTube was the only way to share video gameplay with viewers. Now there are sites like Twitch and Mixer that also give gamers a chance to display their gameplay and make a profit. Sitting all day playing video games is usually frowned upon, but why is it? 

Gaming takes practice and dedication, as does becoming an entertainer in the gaming industry. Besides actually playing a game, which could take hours at a time, these special types of gamers also have to create a video that includes some type of commentary. They then have to edit that video and commentary and, depending on whether they are a comical channel or informational channel, edit the video to their theme. All of this can take more effort and time than most 9-5 jobs. 

On average, professional video editors make near $70,000 a year. That may seem understandable for big movie editors, but that’s also the average for music video editors as well. These jobs usually require a typical 8 hour business day, and have a steady paycheck if the job is done correctly. Gaming YouTubers also add commentary for their videos, which is around $50,000 on average for modern professionals. Youtubers on average have to spend around 12 hours record, add a commentary, a custom thumbnail to attract viewers, tags to ensure the video pops up correctly, and finally actually uploading the video. After all this time and work, YouTubers make a fraction of what they should get for the work they put out. As previously stated, PewDiePie makes around $10 million dollars, but he has posted daily for years. He also goes through this long and tedious process of making videos, but there's another injustice happening. PewDiePie is a very talented gamer, yet is being exploited by YouTube. After making a video everyday for years, on average 12 hours per video, he only gets a sixth of a dollar for every subscriber he has. As of writing this paper, PewDiePie has around 60 million subscribers. To reiterate, with exception of long term YouTubers like PewDiePie,  gamers who upload to YouTube and Twitch.tv do a collective sum of $150,000, yet achieve no where near that. 

Gamers are exploited for their impressive skills, the industry is given a negative connotation, and no one is getting the appreciation they deserve. eSports is just now being considered a real sport and scholarships are being awarded. Over thirty colleges now have partial scholarships for competing in the schools eSports team, but this is far too few low of a number in this current age. Gamers, the gaming industry, and eSports provide a lot more than is appreciated. Gaming accessories receive free advertising from YouTubers and streamers by cleverly placing their logo on their product that will almost always be shown. Gamers also have to make big decisions when pursuing a career early on. With the time and effort it takes to be truly successful, most gamers choose gaming over college. This huge choice can be a good one, like for PewDiePie or MerkMusic, or a waste of time. 

Video games have the ability to accelerate progression for future generations. Studies show surgeons who play video games are more skilled in their multitasking and can be more nimble with their hands, creating more successful surgeries and saving lives. With eSports scholarships on the rise, more students have an alternative to pay for college. The influence of gaming communities can make even the most introverted people open up and get out of their shell. The job market and economy have the potential to increase with jobs for commentators, producers, and editors being needed for eSports competitions. The reach of the gaming industry in regards to economic productivity and improvement for future generations is unlimited and barely abused. Video games are underappreciated, slandered, and misunderstood. Who knows what new jobs could be introduced if the streaming aspect of the gaming industry is released to mainstream media. In conclusion, video games have proven it’s role in being a fundamental foundation for our future generations. Video games progress science, the economy, and general wellness of consumers. 
