Young Venezuelans Aspire To Gaming Stardom Despite Obstacles

CAGUA, Venezuela, Sept 1(Reuters) - Gamer Gabriel Parra was ecstatic to see himself hailed as the "Venezuelan star" after scoring the fastest time in an international Formula 1 eSports racing competition in May.

Xbox maker Microsoft announced the $69 billion acquisition of "Call of Duty" maker Activision Blizzard Inc in January and has pledged to keep the hit franchise on PlayStation beyond the existing agreement with Activision.

Morgan, who is of Polish descent but grew up in Minnesota, now lives in Los Angeles, California - but spends much of her time traveling around the world supporting her famous boyfriend while documenting her globe-trotting lifestyle online

'What are they playing for? Besides glory and hundreds of millions of dollars in prize money, players are competing for points. Each tournament gives a certain amount of points and the better you do, the more points you get.

"The truth is that when I saw the result... it was something magical, surprising, a dream I always had as a child that came true," said 23-year-old Parra, who lives in central-Venezuela's Aragua state, and started playing video games at the age of four.

Sept 7 (Reuters) - GameStop Corp on Wednesday reported a smaller-than-expected quarterly loss and a partnership with FTX US to increase its presence in the cryptocurrency space, sending the video game retailer's shares up 10% in extended trading.

"I have no doubt making the BDR compulsory for licensees, giving police more agility and the courts more scope to place problem drinkers on the BDR will lead to a reduction in alcohol-related harm and crime."

The company has since overhauled its management in an effort to reverse years of languishing sales and has been bolstering its e-commerce capabilities as online shopping accelerated during the pandemic.

To streamline the legal framework, the 108-page report says India needs a new federal online gaming law, which will provide regulatory flexibility "with punishment provisions, along with blocking powers, for the government against prohibited gaming formats".

Professional gamers who aspire to become international superstars train an average of 40 hours a week. It's a dream job for many teenagers, offering such advantages of recurring income, the ability to work from home and combining hobby with career.

"There are a lot of interested people, there is a lot of talent here in Venezuela, a lot of players," said Abreu.
(Reporting by Deisy Buitrago in Cagua; Writing by Steven Grattan; Editing by Christian Plumb, Alexandra Hudson)

She posts many 'day in the life' videos and even encourages her followers to 'start dating professional athletes' - so they too could 'travel the world, dress cute, drink champagne, and go to tennis matches' 

'Unlike most sports, tennis is a year-round sport except for four weeks off in December. Players compete in tournaments in 31 countries in cities like Dubai, Paris, Shanghai, London, Rome, Cabo, and many more. 

Daniil previously called the moment he proposed to her the most significant moment in his career. He gushed: 'I always say that it's the moment I made the proposal to her, that's when I started to go up.' The couple is pictured in November

They wed in 2018, and have stayed pretty tight lipped about their romance over the years. However, when they celebrated their third anniversary together last year - just after he won the 2021 US Open - he shared a touching tribute to her online, in which he revealed that she was on his mind the entire match.

'She's one of the most important members of my team,' he said during a press conference in 2019. 'She gave me a lot of confidence. I always say that it's the moment I made the proposal to her, that's when I started to go up. She does a lot for me in order for me to play better tennis.'
The dream of earning a living as a professional gamer is particularly resonant for many young people in Venezuela given the sparse opportunities otherwise available in a country with a minimum monthly salary equivalent to about $22 a month.

He is one of some 3,000 young Venezuelans competing in the multi-million dollar "eSports" industry, a lucrative business with international signings, prizes and millions of viewers which has started to boom in the Andean nation, despite economic chaos, poor internet connection, power failures and local restrictions on war games.

NEW DELHI, Sept 15 (Reuters) - India should create a regulatory body to classify online games as based on skill or chance, introduce rules to block prohibited formats and take a stricter stance on gambling websites, a government panel said in a report seen by Reuters.

Simply defining games has been contentious. India's Supreme Court says the card game rummy and certain fantasy games are skill-based and legal, but at least one state court classified games such as Poker Pkv as chance-based, or akin to gambling, which is banned in most states.

After receiving suggestions from India's revenue department, the government panel stated that online gaming companies should be required to report any "suspicious transactions" to the government's Financial Intelligence Unit.