This morning I caught an AP story posted over at the Miami Herald about the World Series of Video Games which includes a chat with WSVG commissioner Matt Ringel about how they plan to make the WSVG a more commercially viable event. I'm a gamer myself and I have a hard time imagining what would make me want to actually sit down and watch other people play video games on my television without the ability to snag the controller from their hands with a hearty, "You're doing it wrong," so it's interesting to see how they plan on brining in the everyday viewer into the fold. Can he do it without turning the whole event into a circus?

The only thing the Guitar Hero II finals seemed to lack was Ryan Seacrest. Contestants stood onstage, with a three-judge panel to their left, while dozens of people watched, some of them even approaching the stage and rocking out during the better performances.

Probably not.

Seems to me that the only way the World Series of Video Games could become a "TV-ready venture" is to to generate some fake entertainment. Like having three judges tear into Guitar Hero players, for instance, or bringing in gamers that don't quite fit the mold of the general public's perception.

Tall with blond spiked hair, the 23-year-old Christensen from Stockholm, Sweden, hardly looks like one of the best video game players in the world. His muscled build gives a hint of his former life as a junior hockey player. His English is flawless. His clothes are clean and, even more, they're stylish.

A clean, stylish gamer? No way! The article is filled with the same sort of subtle digs against gamers that are the main reason see gaming as a hobby for losers. From the beginning of the article the byline sets the tone: "Organizer insists that most of the contestants in the World Series of Video Games actually have lives." to the very end of the piece, while giving some background info on Christensen AP writer Will Graves, no doubt thinking himself amazingly witty, decided to place the sentence, "Oh, and he has a girlfriend" on its own line for impact. *rubs his throbbing temples*

So basically the writer of the article entitled "Event aims to break gamers' slacker image" spends a good amount of time bolstering that same image while Matt Ringel lays out plans to make video gaming into a respected event that will bring gaming into the mainstream (read: make lots of cash) by aping American Idol. I say the only way professional gaming will gain nationwide appeal in America is if the players start adopting colorful costumes and spend the pre-match interviews spitting into microphones with Randy Savage-like fury. They can even have their girlfriends in skimpy outfits cheering them on from the sidelines...you know, if they have them.

Event aims to break gamers' slacker image [AP News via the Miami Herald]