Special Report: Playing to win

The high school dropout is one of the star performers for an up-and-coming pro circuit called MLG -- Major League Gaming.

"Think of it like a professional poker player, skateboarder, things like that," said Taylor.

Before you laugh, guess how much he earned last year. It's more than Dick Cheney makes as Vice President. More than Serena Williams made on the tennis court. His total annual salary: $250,000.

"I try to treat it like any kind of sport," Taylor said.

And, like most athletes, he has practice...

"I try to dedicate three hours a night, between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m," Taylor said.

Superstitions...

"If someone touches my controller, I buy a new one, because it's bad luck," Taylor said.

And a coach for his four-man team called Straight Rippin'.

"I've got them on a workout plan, controlling their diet and sleep patterns," his coach said.

This is not your father’s PacMan. The MLG consists of thousands of gamers nationwide, playing for high stakes.

This University of Massachusetts Lowell freshman, called Korean DJ, rocks the Nintendo Game Super SMASH Brothers. At 18-years-old, last year alone he cleared $20,000 playing games -- enough to pay for two years of tuition!

"That's a lot of money," said Korean DJ. "Gotta admit, that’s a lot of cash."

Much like athletes, pro gamers like T-Squared and Korean DJ travel the country, competing in tournaments.

"I went to MLG Las Vegas," said Korean DJ.

"I've been to New York City, LA, Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas, Houston [and] Atlanta," said Taylor.

And the games are broadcast nationally.

It's just what MLG co-founder Sundance Digiovanni envisioned, when he helped create the league almost four years ago.

"We saw the potential, when we saw what people were doing in their basements and hotels," Digiovanni said.

Right now, Korean DJ is ranked second in the world at his game. But he's not ready to rest on his laurels just yet.

"I want to be undefeated champ," Korean DJ said. "That's what I want to be "

And competition is fierce, with millions of major league gamers worldwide. Still, someone has to win that nearly $250,000 top prize. So, get practicing, and it may be you.

(Copyright 2007 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)