There’s still a lot of cultural baggage that comes with pro gaming. Despite being a multi-million dollar enterprise with tons of sponsership and viewers, there’s still an association with gamers living in their parents basement and playing videogames all day. ESPN recently interviewed a few pro gamers and asked them to dispel some myths.

“I’ve been a professional video game player for six years now, and the first two years, all of my high school friends really looked down on me, especially the girls. They all thought it was the nerdiest thing they ever heard. But then once they found out I’m traveling around the world and meeting celebrities and making good money, they started coming back around. The professional gamers aren’t a bunch of overweight kids living in their mom’s basement. We like to live healthy lifestyles, and that’s the message we like to portray.”

The players, Mason Cobb and Mike Rufail, also talk about the rigorous training schedules and how they both stumbled into e-sports. The cultural acceptance of professional gaming continues to grow, with countries like South Korea, with its large Starcraft fanbase, declaring it a national sport. The image of the basement dwelling pro-gamer won’t be around for long.

– Filipe Salgado

[via ESPN]