Competitive video and computer game play is nothing new: the documentary King of Kongmemorably portrays a Donkey Kong player's attempts to achieve the all-time highest score; thetelevision show Starcade (1982--1984) featured competitions among arcade gameplayers; and first-person shooter games of the 1990s became multiplayer through network play. A newdevelopment in the world of digital gaming, however, is the emergence of professional computer gameplay, complete with star players, team owners, tournaments, sponsorships, and spectators. InRaising the Stakes, T. L. Taylor explores the emerging scene of professionalcomputer gaming and the accompanying efforts to make a sport out of this form of play. In the courseof 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 participantsfrom players to broadcasters. She examines pro-gaming, with its highly paid players, play-by-playbroadcasts, 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 describesthe importance of leagues, teams, owners, organizers, referees, sponsors, and fans in shaping thestructure and culture of pro-gaming. 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 ofmale-dominated pro-gaming. Ultimately, the evolution of professional computer gaming illuminates thecontemporary struggle to convert playful passions into serious play.
