Want to Get Good at Video Games?

[fitz]

Hire a Kid Online!

Apparently some teens are out there forging careers in teaching people how to get better at gaming..

http://online.wsj.com/public/articl...RgP_lH4q2vjL_b2u1CfIU_20060803.html?mod=blogs

Clients pay between $20 and $65 an hour for individual lessons, depending on the instructor's skill level and the demand for his services.

Gaming-lessons.com says its youngest "Halo 2" instructor is 8-year-old New Yorker Victor De Leon III -- better known by his online gamer name, Lil Poison -- who has given several lessons a month since late last year, fitting the classes in after he has done his homework. His father, also named Victor, says his son has used some of the money he earns from lessons (hourly rate: $25) to buy a hamster, named Cortana after a character in the game.

 

[LeeJend]

That's sad. People paying when all they have to do is google a little and/or join a clan. Wish I'd thought of it...

 

[Lee]

Plenty of noodle and practise makes one a good player.

My 10 year old son is better than me at the games here, except he has 2 years and 3 months before he is able to join osnn.net.

 

[kcnychief]

That site is nuts, good for them for thinking of it though. I can relate to the Halo, when I went through the "craze" when I lived at college, people played all day long just to get better so they played better in the tournaments we had nightly.

 

[gonaads]

It's like anything else Practice practice practice. Many of these people that want to pay to get better at games don't have the time to just sit there for hours on end and play/practice. Problem with this pay for thing is that there is no way to become better in a short period of time. Some people have the attention span of a gerbille on mescaline. So they aren't gonna get very good to begin with. Some may have time on their hands and a lot of money burning a hole in their pockets. But basic practice and gettin killed a bunch helps. Just remember to learn from your mistakes. Take notes (mental or other), then replay the game or section and see what works better. Jeeeeezz. :s

 

[Aprox]

Gotta love capitalism Their smarter than you or I for thinking of it and cashing in on it. If people are dumb enough to pay then thats their problem and their money being wasted. We all can just save our money and sit around and laugh at them... then probably still kick their asses

 

[LeeJend]

Actually getting better is one of those questionable concepts. What is better?
-Higher score per minute (if I knew then what i know now)
-Higher rank (if I knew then what i know now)
-Surving long enough to actually have fun in game (my personal definition)
-Team work maximizing all the above (what clans are all about)

This teaching games thing takes away what on line gaming is all about. Teamwork and social interaction with people from all over the country and the world. My game clan has over the years included USA, Canadian (3 provinces), German, English, Australian members and members from about 15 states. Game clans are a great place to pick up used PC equipment too.

PS Paid game help was actually available 15 years ago. You could pay to access the game developer websites for hints and tricks. Now it's all free with google. (Yes, I'm jealous).