Gamers Fight It Out in the Street

Good players can make as much as $1,000 per tournament, clearly not a living wage but evidence that these players aren't in it for the money. Alex Valle, the best Street Fighter player in the United States and maybe the world, is a janitor in Orange County.
But if the money is lacking, celebrity and respect in this sub-culture are very much a part of the experience. And the lure of competition is transforming the very social structure that kids have traditionally had.