The Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL), which has held more than 1, 500 tournaments since its inception in 1997, relies on Intel and Razer, a mouse-maker, while NVIDIA, a graphics-card manufacturer, iGames, a chain of internet cafes where gamers congregate to play online, and Samsung sponsored Britain's WCG qualifier tournament.

ECONOMIST: Are video-gamers heading for the big money?