Tennis Prose




Jun/18

23

Are Video Games Actually Stalling Young American Careers?

An interesting, unexpected scoop came my way this week. A credible figure involved with the development of young American tennis players said to me, “Big problem with (names are being left blank) because all them guys play video games all through the night.”

If you follow Instagram you can easily discover which US players are under the spell of video games and in particular one called “Fortnite.”

Each of the four players named have suffered inconsistent results all year. The source adamantly blames the excessive video gaming.

Is it possible video games are now so good, so addictive, so challenging and so entertaining that they are actually circumventing the ATP careers of a handful of super talented and decorated former American junior stars?

My source is absolutely certain. Stay tuned…

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10 comments

  • catherine · June 24, 2018 at 1:59 am

    Gaming addiction is now recognised along with drugs, alcohol etc so maybe some professional help would be available for these unfortunate individuals ?

    The ATP should arrange that. Women don’t tend to be afflicted in this way. Girls, I’d say it’s body image, food etc.

    The ATP, WTA probably has squads of shrinks available.

    But, as with any addiction, the person has to recognise it themselves first. Guys might find it hard.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 24, 2018 at 9:07 am

    Catherine, I remember guys like Moya and Monaco and Rafa played their soccer video games and other players were video nuts too but apparently it’s gotten out of control with the young Americans. These games are too good. I remember being addicted for a few days on Super Mario back in the 90s and skipping work to play but I was able to kill the addiction cold turkey and have never played any video game since. Video games are another example of technology advances not being a good contribution to the culture.

  • Duke Carnoustie · June 24, 2018 at 10:13 am

    This isn’t quite a scoop, Scoop, because I had mentioned the Fortnite craze in one of my comments and I believe I know exactly who you are talking about.

    It is a major problem and not sure how to overcome.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 24, 2018 at 10:25 am

    Duke, What is this game Fortnite? Why is it enslaving so many people to play it?

  • Duke Carnoustie · June 24, 2018 at 11:54 am

    Scoop I am too old to really say but I have been told it has an apocalyptic sense in which you fight for your life. This appeals to millenials who feel like the world is falling apart. But don’t take my word for it.

    You add in that young people are so addicted to gadgets and looking at screens in many aspects of life that used to require human contact – dating, buying groceries, etc. I think it’s all a recipe for disaster.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 24, 2018 at 5:53 pm

    Duke, yes it looks like some kind of game like that, like the appeal of Super Mario, running around chasing and searching and fighting, just in a different package. There’s a rush and excitement in those games maybe lacking in every day normal life?

  • catherine · June 25, 2018 at 2:17 am

    These games are designed to appeal to young men, and, for obvious reasons, they are designed to be addictive.

    Really, I don’t believe the world’s any closer to falling apart than it’s been in any previous era – it’s just with so much info technology people are more aware of what’s going on, from personal to political – but also know they are, on the whole, unable to play any active part in what they see and hear via their screens etc.

    Too much information = frustration 🙂

  • Duke Carnoustie · June 25, 2018 at 3:11 am

    Catherine,

    Exactly right, the world isn’t falling apart. Millennials are just being tricked into thinking it is by fake news and the left-wing media.

  • Duke Carnoustie · June 25, 2018 at 11:40 am

    From ESPN…

    There is no denying that Fortnite, the battle royale game created by Epic Games, is a pop culture phenomenon.

    Schools are banning the game because kids won’t stop talking about it and playing it on their phones in class. Athletes like Paul George and David Price have publicly endorsed Fortnite. The game’s poster boy and the world’s most famous gamer, Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, even smashed online streaming records when he partnered up in-game with Drake for a night of duo action.

    And after the Fortnite Pro-Am in Los Angeles last week, where celebrities and pros teamed up to play in front of a sold-out crowd at the Banc of California Stadium, the question on everyone’s mind is what is next for the game as an esport. The announcement of the Fortnite World Cup in 2019 is a positive step, but with leagues such as Riot Games’ North American League of Legends Championship Series and Blizzard’s Overwatch League both thriving in Los Angeles, there’s a feeling that Epic needs to follow in its predecessors’ footsteps with its own offline league to succeed.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 25, 2018 at 12:37 pm

    The Fortnited States of America.

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