Who says being a nerd is anything but cool? Geeky gamers across the world can finally demand some real respect from everyone. The United States immigration authorities have decided to issue P-1 Visas to gamers from UK clan Team Dignitas. The move officially recognizes online game League of Legends as a professional sport. This qualifies a gamer as a pro-athlete. It was only a matter of time, according to us, as nimble fingered pro-gamers have the concentration levels of the best athletes in the world and motor skills only few can demonstrate.


But it wasn’t easy. It took several months for the lawyers to make the authorities recognize the game as a sport. To qualify for a P-1 visa, one has to demonstrate “a high level of achievement in a field evidenced by a degree of skill and recognition substantially above that ordinarily encountered, to the extent that such achievement is renowned, leading, or well-known in more than one country,” according to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. The big gaming events bring out best of the talent from across the globe and huge prize money –sometimes in millions—are offered. We think this move will further boost the multibillion dollar industry and will bring in a positive change.

[Via – Cnet]