By TAMA MOISER
When Neal Thompson dropped out of doing an MA degree in psychology to play computer games, he knew people would be sceptical.
"New Zealanders just can't see gaming for what it is overseas," he says. "They don't understand that gaming is now a professional occupation in Korea or the
United States."
Now that he has won the $10,000 first prize at the Impact Extreme Chinese national Quake 3 tournament in Beijing, the 21-year-old helpdesk administrator from Waterview in Auckland hopes people will realise just how big Quake is.
"The gaming industry is worth more than Hollywood now. A computer game makes more than a film like Gladiator. Gamers can be compared to actors - they become the face of the game."
Quake 3 is a futuristic 3D action game requiring tactical thinking and quick reflexes, played over the internet or a local network. Players can collect bonuses giving them extra strength or power, and win by killing their opponents more times than they are killed.
Following his victory in Beijing, Mr Thompson plans to compete in the World Cyber Games - "the Olympics of computer games" - in Seoul, Korea, next month. It carries $US300,000 in prizemoney.
As well as looking for sponsorship, he is negotiating a deal to train Hong Kong players for the Korean competition.
He is among the top 20 players in the world after starting Quake three years ago, but wants to "push it into the top three in the next six months."
Mr Thompson says he plays for two or three hours most days, and anywhere between eight and 16 hours a day before a tournament.
After obtaining a BA degree in psychology and philosophy from the University of Auckland last year and enrolling for an MA, "I dropped out of university to play Quake.
"I saw the amount of interest and prizemoney Quake has generated, and decided to try to become the world's best player."
He now works 20 hours a week for an internet service provider and spends about 40 hours on Quake.
While he had expected his father, a former diplomat, to disapprove of his dropout status, "he has really started to back me."
Quake's "bad reputation" as a violent game is undeserved, Mr Thompson says. "You can't infer from the fact that someone kills a person and plays Quake that Quake players kill people."
Aucklander Jiang Pengan placed second at the Impact Extreme tournament, winning $5000.
By TAMA MOISER
When Neal Thompson dropped out of doing an MA degree in psychology to play computer games, he knew people would be sceptical.
"New Zealanders just can't see gaming for what it is overseas," he says. "They don't understand that gaming is now a professional occupation in Korea or the
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