Local College Student Is Video Game Champ

A lot people seem to be under the impression that serious video gamers are smelly, overweight and unemployed people who waste their time eating greasy microwavable pizzas in their parents' basements.

So a lot of people wouldn't expect a student who is majoring in sports management, goes to the gym several times a week and keeps a regular social life to be a serious gamer. But Alex Benjamin is all those things, and he beat thousands of other gamers online to win $10,000 this summer.

Now that's serious.

And to watch Benjamin playing in his Paramus home – though "playing" seems like the wrong word to use when so much money is on the line – is to understand serious gaming. He's got a widescreen TV set up with his Xbox 360 and wears a noise-canceling headset that lets him hear when someone is sneaking up behind him in the game, which is often "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2." His fingers slide up and down over the buttons on the controller like pistons in a well-oiled machine. He's efficient and deadly. At least, pretend deadly.

Of course, being this good at gaming takes a lot of practice. Benjamin said during the summer, when the contest was held, he spent an average of six or seven hours a day playing. To compare it to minimum-wage summer jobs most college students have, Benjamin was earning around $17 per hour. So while he does play less during the school year, it's understandable that sometimes Benjamin lets gaming interfere with his studies a little bit.

"Honestly, it does [interfere] a little bit," Benjamin said. "I'm not going to lie about that. There are times when I go to bed at 6 in the morning and have class two hours later. Some nights I don't get any sleep at all."

And while the $10,000 scholarship he won in the contest sponsored by Dr. Pepper and GameBattles.com is the most Benjamin has ever won in one competition, he's no stranger to virtual victory. To date, he's won around $30,000 playing games, and he's got his eyes set on the future and hopes to win another $10,000 this upcoming summer.

"Not to be conceited, but I think I can win again if I try as hard as I did last time," Benjamin said.

In addition to his solo winnings, Benjamin has enjoyed success with a group called Team Obey, made up of himself and five other gamers who met, unsurprisingly, while playing together. They recently reached the finals in a Halo tournament in Morristown, but lost due to fatigue from the 14-hour competition.

"We were really tired and just wanted to go home," Benjamin said.

Still, Benjamin said he doesn't anticipate video games playing as large a part in his life after college.

"I'm thinking about not playing as much and coaching my team, or just helping out rather than playing as much," Benjamin said. "I can't be playing that many hours a day for the rest of my life."

So as Benjamin approaches the end of his time at college, he's starting to think about the future. He hopes to have an internship next fall. And though video games won't be as big in his life, Benjamin said they'll always be a part of it.

"Video games have always been a passion of mine," Benjamin said. "Especially online gaming – I just like the competition."