Play Halo, Get Rich

Five youngsters put their Covenant-whacking skills to some serious work.

Most people who take their games seriously have had someone tell them at some point that they're wasting their time, but five young Americans are having the last laugh after signing contracts with Major League Gaming worth over a million dollars.

The five, Tim Taylor and the four-man Final Boss team of Ryan Danford, David Walsh and brothers Thomas Daniel Ryan, are part of the growing ranks of professional gamers around the world who are playing games for big money - $250,000 (£137,000) each over the next three years in this case.

Matthew Bromberg, head of Major League Gaming, told GameSpot that his company had signed the gamers to give credibility to the fledgling professional gaming scene.

"Any top, competitive sports league must have the best players signed exclusively, or else what you've got is just some tournament," he told GameSpot.

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Bromberg said that this is just the beginning: "Our goal is for all of the top players in the league to make a great living competing with Major League Gaming."

So next time someone hassles you for playing, just tell them you're training.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games