Nowadays, people can pretty much do anything they want with their money on the Internet, whether it's playing poker, placing bets on sports games, or throwing down an absurd amount of money on eBay for something that not too many people probably want.
Now there is a new way to spend money, or gain money, on the Internet by playing video games at www.gorillagamer.com.
The Web site started in April by Michael Patak, but the official launch of Gorilla Gamer was Monday, Oct. 23.
"What we did was on April 1, we launched a partial site and we had a challenge room where people can go in and play video games for money," Patak said. "We didn't do any marketing so it was all word of mouth and we would get feedback from gamers and we went back to the drawing board."
Some of the new features that were developed from the "drawing board" for the official launch included giving each user on the site a profile which other gamers can look at and see different user pictures.
Another development was creating an eBay type system where users can post results about different users as to if they are good or not at certain games or if they are known to cheat.
Patak's motivation to start Gorilla Gamer was that he saw the video game industry growing more and more popular and also it was a way to keep in touch with old friends.
"I went to Iowa State and when I was in a frat, we used to bet cases of beer or pizza while playing Madden and now that the whole video game is a $30 billion business, people are playing online," he said. "Now my best friend lives in San Diego and I live in Chicago and we can still play against each other online for money."
People can set up an account on Gorilla Gamer by filling out a registration on the Web site.
According to Patak, it's not much different from any other type of registrations on the Internet.
"You create a profile, if you want to play for money; it's no different from depositing money like you would on a poker site," Patak said. "You have a virtual wallet and deposit money, you find people and challenge them and if they accept it, the two will play and report the results to us and the winner gets the funds credited to their account."
And while the Government is starting to crack down on poker sites because of gambling, Patak is not worried that there will be any government interference with Gorilla Gamer, because according to Patak, it is not gambling.
"It is called skill based competition, which is my skill verse yours," Patak said. "Once it is based on skill, and no chance is involved, it is by definition not considered gambling."
Since opening the site, there are more than 2000 users on Gorilla Gamer and that is with no advertising until last week.
Jeff Oberlander, freshman, is an avid video game player and says that he plays about an hour a day, while he does find the Gorilla Gamer Web site an interesting concept he is not into online betting.
"I know a lot of gamers that would like this Web site because gamers get cocky," Oberlander said. "I love to play video games but I wouldn't risk money on it."
Oberlander says that not being able to see the person you are playing against can be deceiving.
"I have never been much of a gambling person, I play Texas Hold Em, but not online," he said. "I don't like to gamble online because I don't know or can see people that I'm playing with and there are ways people can cheat."
But if students are into risks and competition, Patak urges gamers to take a look at the site and play a few games online.
"No one knows that people can play video games for cash," he said. "If you play video games at your dorm or apartment, and if you are any good, you can start making cash."
And if a gamer is good enough, who knows, they may be able to make a living out of it, according to Patak.
"We had one guy drop out of Florida State and he has made over 30 to 40 grand playing video games," Patak said. "Gamers are starting to be labeled as athletes because it is based on skill, who can press the buttons faster. If a veteran is playing a rookie, the veteran is going to destroy him."
source : http://www.bgnews.com
