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316 Mizuko Itothousands, and even millions of dollars in prize money are turned out eachyear for competitors in these tournaments. The most popular tournamentsare those run by the Cyberathlete Professional League, the World CyberGames, the World eSports Games, the Electronic Sports World Cup, theChampionship Gaming Series, and Major League Gaming. It was rare toencounter youths in our study who were actually able to make money offtheir gaming. Even among those who did, none saw gaming as a primaryoccupation. For example, Altimit described making small amounts ofmoney off his Warcraft play. Scottanime (a white thirty-one-year-old), oneof the interviewees in Mizuko Ito’s study of anime fans, described howwhen he was younger he used to be a card-game expert. He would be hiredby gaming companies to demonstrate the games at conventions. He didnot see this as a sustainable or secure career option, however, and he wenton to take a job as a mail carrier. Similarly, MercyKillings, 4 a white thirtyfive-year-oldin Ito’s anime fans study, was also a professional gamer aftercollege, but he maintained a day job working in construction. These storiesparallel the kinds of involvements that youth have historically had withsports; gaming is an activity most children and youths participate in regularly,but very rarely does it translate into a career. Although we saw manyinstances of youth who admired pro gamers, we did not have examples ofkids who actually were pursuing pro gaming as a career.Box 7.2 Technological Prospecting in Rural LandscapesChristo SimsAbout an hour’s drive east of Sacramento, the Great Central Valley ofCalifornia meets the Sierra Nevada range. The valley’s end loosely binds oneedge of Sacramento’s suburbs. As one climbs into the mountains, roads andrivers narrow, towns and neighborhoods become smaller and more far-flung.About 150 years ago these hills were the epicenter of the California GoldRush. Evidence of this historical prospecting can still be read on the landscape.Ashen ruptures in otherwise pine-green panoramas continue to marksites where hydraulic mining sluiced ore from the mountainsides. Locals callthese barren desertlike patches “diggins.” It was in one of these diggins thatZelan was first introduced to video games:When we lived in Sacramento my parents got me a Game Boy to go out there in thediggins. ‘Cause we’d come here on the weekends and go dig for gold. And I never reallyliked it, so I’d sit in the corner and, you know, play with Batman or whatever I was into.