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The emerging world of professional gaming is a mystery to most gamers, let alone non-gamers, and with the growth of our hobby as a form of entertainment, we thought it was about time we found out more. We sat down for a chat with Michael O'Dell, founder of pro-gamers Team Dignitas.

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Michael, thank you for taking the time to speak with us. Why did you start a professional gaming team, and how has Team Dignitas evolved over the years?

The team turned professional due to it’s own merits and success in 2003 shortly after we signed a sponsorship deal with Abit from Taiwan. We started out as an ordinary Battlefield 1942 clan and now we are the leading professional gaming team in the UK. Our success was massive as a team as we won everything, we were undefeated for a year in matches.

We were approached by Abit to meet them at CeBIT so we went and walked away with a $10,000 contract. At the time I was working in my old job so I did not really have time to run the team. One of our players offered to manage the team for 40% of the sponsor money, I stepped in and said I would do it for nothing. I was working in Sales & Marketing so I used my experience to get proposals and marketing together about our team. Our reputation has helped as we have world class teams with excellent management, it helps that we were players so we know what our squads need. This has lead to sponsorship deals with Intel, Scan, Dell, Creative, Razer and Zyxel.

Right now I have moved up to a kind of director of gaming role as I am also employed by the Championship Gaming Series as manager of the Birmingham Salvo. Another original player Fredrik Reinius is the team manager and he looks after the day to day running of the team.

How many players to do you have, and which games do they play?

Currently we have 55 players from about 20 countries playing Call of Duty 4, Counterstrike 1.6, FIFA 08, ET Quake Wars, Trackmania, World in Conflict, Command & Conquer 3, UT3 and various other smaller games. We are shortly about to expand into the Xbox 360 world and pick up a squad there.

For the unitiated, what are the most important events for you, as a team, and which are the most valuable, from a business perspective?

For us the most important and most valuable business wise is the Multiplay Iseries LAN’s (Multiplay.co.uk). This is our home turf and we attend Multiplay events three times a year, it is the largest of its kind in the UK and we need to be there. At Multiplay i33 we took a step up and actually had an exhibition booth at the event. We travel to around 90 events each year around the globe, large tournaments such as World Cyber Games, eSports World Cup and KODE5 are very important as our players get to show off their skills with the worlds top players. We do not forget our roots though and we do attend smaller events as we feel it is important to keep in touch with the community.

How successful has your team been to-date? Who are your main rivals?

From the start we were always chasing a team called 4Kings who were the UK Number 1 team for almost ten years. Last year we signed Intel who also sponsored 4Kings and in 2008 Intel only sponsor us now. We do however need more professional teams in the UK and there are a few promising organisations coming through but like us in the beginning everyone struggles with cash flow and this is where the sponsors are so important to the teams.

As for success we have been extremely successful and we are increasing our tournament wins every year and importantly for our players the prize money is going up and up. We currently boast the ESWC Trackmania World Champion and the UK’s first WCG Gold medallist, Shaun Clark in Command & Conquer III. We have many UK Champions and next month ESWC qualifying starts and in August the UK WCG Qualifier.

Success from our teams, reputation and business also leads to more income from sponsors, prize money, advertising and other opportunities. The great thing is eSports is still in its infancy and it will continue to grow.

What is the perception of a pro gaming team beyond the industry?

I think most people do not know it exists, there are several UK Professional teams out there who are companies. It is growing all the time and awareness is spreading but there is certainly a 'WTF factor' when we tell people what we do. There is a long way to go though for it to be accepted as a flourishing industry that is for sure but teams like ours will be on the frontline fighting for recognition. I honestly believe that the top level pro gamers are like athletes and they put just as much effort into their sport as other sports professionals.

Working in the CGS as the Birmingham Salvo Manager is like being in another world, I was in LA at Christmas at the World Championships along with 12 other professional teams each with 10 full time pro gamers. My team came third and we won $70,000, Chicago won it and picked up $500,000. The show was broadcast live on Direct TV and on returning to the UK I watched it on Sky1, last week I watched it again on Eurosport.

I'm really good at [insert game name here], can I join a pro team, and if so, how?

Yes, if you have the talent, the desire and the selfishness to become the best, yes you can become a Pro Gamer in a professional team. We are always looking for new players to step up to the plate. As in normal sports scouting for the next super star is very important. Our current Command & Conquer III World Champion we saw on X- League.TV last summer, we recruited him aged 17 and three months later he was world champion.

How much money can a pro gamer earn?

There is no set amount yet or average but only a handful are lucky to make a living from gaming. In the UK right now about 35-50 players are making a living as a Pro player, many are semi pro and have part time jobs or study at school. In the Championship Gaming Series each player has a $30,000 contract to play their game not including prize money and sponsorships. In the CGS a Dead or Alive player nick named Black Mamba was the league’s MVP and in season 1 and he earned around $80,000. The number one earner is an American player called Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendal and his earnings are in the millions now. He won many tournaments and picked up product endorsement deals with various companies, he is now also a commentator in the CGS. He has set a massive benchmark for others to follow, he is a true pioneer of Pro Gaming.

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