Teen Dropout to be Pro Guitar Hero

A sixteen year old has dropped out of school to play music games like Guitar Hero professionally.

Plenty of gamers have played Guitar Hero, some perhaps quite well. However, few are as dedicated as Blake Peebles, a 16-year old from North Raleigh, NC whose parents let him drop out of high school to play music games.

Mike and Hunter Peebles pay for a home tutor to allow Blake to live his strumming and drumming dreams. It wasn't an easy decision, yet they eventually caved to his constant nagging about the rules at his Christian academy.

"We couldn't take the complaining anymore," said Hunter. "He always told me that he thought school was a waste of time."

At the contests he has entered thus far in his career, he has won the typical takeaway prizes for local game contests: $1000 in prizes, gift certificates, gaming equipment and chicken sandwiches. He focuses on Guitar Hero III, which he has only lost at once.

He doesn't plan on playing in the little leagues for long. This August he and his father plan to travel to California for the regional Cyber Games competition for which he qualified online. Based on his rankings, Blake expects that he's one of the top ten or twenty players in the world.

"I wasn't really good at anything else that I liked," explained Blake.

As the games evolve, Blake will do his best to keep the pace. He stated, "The next big game that comes out, I'm just going to focus on that one."

Professional F.E.A.R. and Halo 2 player Terry Lindle has made a solid $25,000 salary but still doesn't recommend the lifestyle for anyone. Lindle concluded, "When you want to go somewhere with this gaming stuff, you've got to be in the top 1 percent."

Source: News Observer via Destructoid

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I'm more appaled at the fact his parents allowed him to leave school than the fact that... well, just everything else.

Hooray for negligent parenting

"He always told me school was a waste of time"

Yeah, any kid is going to say that jackass

What...
a...
freak...

Just one step down from actually playing a guitar.

I know Guitar Hero is just a game an all (a very good game) but seriously whoever plays Guitar Hero professionally should really just learn the actual god damn instrument.

Yeah, I have nothing against Guitar Hero, but people who take it that seriously need to be beaten with their tiny plastic instruments.

At least he can win some chicken sandwiches.

Hope his parents enjoy having their son living in their basement for the rest of their lives. Cant say I see GH & no qualifications taking him any further then that

Fantastic! Only South Park could have possibly predicted it!

It's funny how this is the exact opposite of the xbox nailed to a tree thread.

"We couldn't take the complaining anymore" that sounds like a great reason for a kid to dropout -_-

wow....so what happens when GH loses its popularity...Im guessing he's not very good at many other games, because GH is not your average FPS.

He might think its great now, but will regret it later in life.

hes just living the dream, rock on Blake, rock on....

super_smash_jesus:
hes just living the dream, rock on Blake, rock on....

If he was dropping out to form a band and play guitar, then I'd agree with you. But Guitar Hero?!? Come on...

I find it appalling that the parents allowed this. Seriously, what the hell? And to everyone who is mocking the fact that there are professional GH players, let me say this: if you are a professional gamer that specializes in FPS, why not just join the Army? I mean, if you've wasted enough time to play a FPS well, you might as well have learned to shoot a real gun in a real war by now.

Logan Frederick:

It wasn't an easy decision, yet they eventually caved to his constant nagging about the rules at his Christian academy.

"We couldn't take the complaining anymore," said Hunter.

Amazing, two grown submissive adults who pay the bills and have allowed themselves to be dominated by their own son.

You can't help but wonder what the future will hold for this darwinian contender or his parents. I'm sure our taxes will be someday paying for his rehabilitation back into society once he claims that no one in the real world 'understands' him.

Logan Frederick:
Teen Dropout to be Pro Guitar Hero

Professional F.E.A.R. and Halo 2 player Terry Lindle has made a solid $25,000 salary but still doesn't recommend the lifestyle for anyone. Lindle concluded, "When you want to go somewhere with this gaming stuff, you've got to be in the top 1 percent."

Thats the intresting bit - Halo 2 is bigger and earned a lot more money than games like GH will, yet playing 2 games professionally he still earnt the average wage.

At least if he played real guitar, when he loses his home and has to live on the street he could play a few songs for change.

I'd laugh if he contracted arthritis.

thebobmaster:
I find it appalling that the parents allowed this. Seriously, what the hell? And to everyone who is mocking the fact that there are professional GH players, let me say this: if you are a professional gamer that specializes in FPS, why not just join the Army? I mean, if you've wasted enough time to play a FPS well, you might as well have learned to shoot a real gun in a real war by now.

Chance of bullet wound due to FPS. 0%

Chance of bullet wound due to army 70%

For those who dont like geting shot. Dont join the army. For those who do. Go check yourself into a hospital.

And just when I feel I may not make it in my potential field, I see things like this and smile inside. Always makes me feel better knowing there are bigger losers than me out there.

Logan Frederick:

Professional F.E.A.R. and Halo 2 player Terry Lindle has made a solid $25,000 salary but still doesn't recommend the lifestyle for anyone. Lindle concluded, "When you want to go somewhere with this gaming stuff, you've got to be in the top 1 percent."

He missed something out, be really really sad and basically sacrifice your friends to get good at new games

wow...what a waste of time.
Pick up the real guitar for christs sake!

Jak The Great:
Hooray for negligent parenting

"He always told me school was a waste of time"

Yeah, any kid is going to say that jackass

No, that's not true. If your kid thinks school is a waste of time then it's time to find him a different school. It's just that simple. Humans didn't go from a bunch of hairless apes to the Moon because we're not naturally interested in learning. We've just mucked it up with hare-brained educational institutions.

Alone Disciple:

Amazing, two grown submissive adults who pay the bills and have allowed themselves to be dominated by their own son.

Woah hey--no incest bdsm fanfic on the forums!

thebobmaster:
I find it appalling that the parents allowed this. Seriously, what the hell? And to everyone who is mocking the fact that there are professional GH players, let me say this: if you are a professional gamer that specializes in FPS, why not just join the Army? I mean, if you've wasted enough time to play a FPS well, you might as well have learned to shoot a real gun in a real war by now.

FPS games do not teach you the real work of the army, how you train, how to actually fire a gun, how to take orders from a general, and a load of other stuff. Plus, death.

And if you're really that good at Guitar Hero then you better just start learning a real guitar because you're basically pressing buttons in the same rythem of the actual song. I have no problem with people who play Guitar Hero for fun, but when it comes to the point where you memorized a song completely then it's time to learn the real thing and possibly get a chance at real glory.

Sure maybe he's convinced them that he's gonna earn money doing this, what about in a few years when the GH fad has moved on and he can't keep up with the moves in 'Bassoon Legend'?

Yeah, letting him out of school was nuts, if he was being bullied, I'd have got involved and tried to get something done, but I still wouldnt have let him just up n quit to play games.

Bored Tomatoe:
wow...what a waste of time.
Pick up the real guitar for christs sake!

I wonder which gets a guy more ass these days--being a good guitarist, or good at Guitar Hero. My guess is that the ROIs cross over sometime about sophomore year of college.

See, shit like this is why nobody takes us seriously.

At 16, you're not qualified to say you're not good anything. What a dumbass. But hey, he's living the American Dream, right? To do whatever you want with your life (within the legal confines of the law).

Good for him. :]

Lesson here is: If you keep nagging, you get your way.

While i get why this decision seems like a good move for your average 16y/o, it is the parents duty to keep him from making the huge mistakes. Parenting faillure, imo. Even if he does manage to make a living out of it for 2 years or so, who's to say he'll be as good in the next game?
Finish your education first, then mess about.

People forget, not everyone uses their education. People act as if the only way to get a half-decent job is to go to high school and do all this crap, while my dad dropped out of highschool and makes more than 55% of them. You're never guranteed success until you have a job or it's lined up for you. and you're not guranteed a life of failure if you don't go through high school.

Jak The Great:
Hooray for negligent parenting

"He always told me school was a waste of time"

Yeah, any kid is going to say that jackass

True, but the fact that they mentioned "christain academy" can mean one thing or another
1: the person who wrote that is a moron who has no idea how to use adjectives
2: there's something we're not getting.

In my opinion a school that teaches religion is a worse spot to start off than a pro-gamer.....or as a prostitute....or a drug seller.

At 16, you're not qualified to say you're not good anything. What a dumbass. But hey, he's living the American Dream, right? To do whatever you want with your life (within the legal confines of the law).

Bull, if you suck at math, leadership.........and about 150 other traits/subjects you're not good at anything

Sure maybe he's convinced them that he's gonna earn money doing this, what about in a few years when the GH fad has moved on and he can't keep up with the moves in 'Bassoon Legend'?

I think he's relying on games like this happening periodically for the next......40 years I guess.

Hope his parents enjoy having their son living in their basement for the rest of their lives. Cant say I see GH & no qualifications taking him any further then that

Fuck you. For all you know GH will be like madden comming out every 1 or 2 years and these tournies will always be going on.

I find it appalling that the parents allowed this. Seriously, what the hell? And to everyone who is mocking the fact that there are professional GH players, let me say this: if you are a professional gamer that specializes in FPS, why not just join the Army? I mean, if you've wasted enough time to play a FPS well, you might as well have learned to shoot a real gun in a real war by now.

Fuck you more.

Yeah, I have nothing against Guitar Hero, but people who take it that seriously need to be beaten with their tiny plastic instruments.

do you think those working at MC. Donalds take it "that seriously" the kid never claimed to take it seriously, he claimed to be good at it.

ps. This kid should've entered a few real tournies before he did this.

Wow... That's just sad on so many levels.

To me it's ridiculous to devote your life to any game, but it still bugs me when people say 'learn to play the guitar instead' on forums, maybe we just enjoy the damn game, and as for FPS/the army, maybe I dont want to spend 6 months in hospital respawning because I took a leg shot.

I took up gaming for fun, not to become an expert in anything, personally.