For years, we've heard people - mostly parents - go on about the detrimental effects of video games, and have put up with individuals complaining that no good ever comes from playing violent first-person shooters. However, it seems there might be at least one person for whom video games provided a set of lifesaving skills.

John Duttenhofer, a 24-year-old gamer from Colorado, quit his job last April in order to join the effort against ISIS in Syria. He spent a full six months fighting the terrorist organization in their de-facto capital before it was eventually liberated in October, and finally returned home earlier this month.

Now, in an interview with the Daily Mail, he gave details about what it was like to live in a warzone, and how exactly his gaming skills came in handy.

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Duttenhofer gave details about how his routine was structured while he was out in Syria. During the day, he would spend his time reading, talking to friends, and playing the tabletop game Dungeons and Dragons. Then, by night, he would accompany Kurdish soldiers and shoot at ISIS fighters.

According to him, games such as Call of Duty taught him the practical skills he needed to survive in a warzone, and also familiarized him with the weapons he used. However, Duttenhofer didn't actually kill anyone while he was out there - and that has left him slightly disappointed.

"I had no guilt about it," he said about the ISIS fighters that were slain by his comrades. "They are a group worse than the Nazis. They want to live the dark ages out again and I didn't want to live in a world with them."

What's more, despite having the constant threat of death hanging over him, the 24-year-old's main concerns were the simple things he had left at home. When speaking to the Mail, Duttenhofer claimed that "air conditioning" and "chocolate milk" were the things he missed most.

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The gamer has now returned home to his parents, who were originally terrified when their son broke the news that he was voluntarily leaving to fight ISIS.

"My mom tried to persuade me to stay but she knew that fighting me would just make me go more rushed and unprepared," he said.

He was also pretty clear about his motives for joining the effort. "On one hand, I selfishly wanted to fight ISIS," he explained. "On the other, I wanted to be a part of something that was historical and groundbreaking. I wasn't scared of dying or anything like that."

And, while Duttenhofer was fortunate enough to make it through in one piece, many of his friends weren't so lucky.

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In October, one of his close friends, Jac Holmes, was killed in action by an explosion. He was a 24-year-old IT worker from the UK, and - like Duttenhofer - he had also voluntarily signed up to join the effort.

While the USA's official stance on the matter is that Americans are strongly advised against traveling to Syria, there are no legal consequences to joining the war.

Thankfully, Duttenhofer is home and well now, and at least he feels as if he did some good along the way.

For some people, gaming is life. While I'm by no means an avid gamer, I do get it. Gaming has the ability to take you away into a fantasy world and to unite you with other people who share you passion around the world. Many gamers have "friends" who, despite talking to them everyday, are unlikely to ever meet as they exist purely online. It's a pretty common misconception that all gamers are nerds, and as such, the culture of gaming constantly has a stigma around it. However, while for some people gaming is simply a release after a long day at work or just a bit of harmless fun, for others it's much more. It seems like one gamer has had enough of the misconceptions regarding the people who partake in the hobby, and when he was given an ultimatum by his seemingly anti-gaming partner, he clapped back with the most incredible response. In a tweet posted by Twitter user @phj_dash, the guy has screenshotted the conversation between him and his soon-to-be ex-girlfriend. The Twitter user said that he found the post on Facebook, and that he "can't even right now", which for those of you who aren't up-to-date with millennial terminology, means that he pretty much can't believe what he is seeing, so felt the need to share it to thousands of people online. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/phj_dash/status/907813336544370693]] The conversation starts of relatively civil, with the girl in question asking what her boyfriend is up to this evening. However the switch in tone is pretty drastic, with her saying "so I take it we're done here?" once he responds saying that he's going to play some Destiny before heading out to play hockey. However, not done there, she then delivers the worst insult you can say to a gamer, saying: "I just don't think you should be wasting your life away on a stupid video game." The boy tries to explain that it is more than a game to him, and that he has friends online who he likes to talk to. However, the girl doesn't understand and feels like he is choosing gaming over her, leading to her branding his friend as "f***ing nerds". What comes next is one of the greatest put downs to have emerged online with the boy hitting her with the exact thing that she hates. Absolutely savage, and it's safe to say that he won that exchange. To be fair to this guy, he shouldn't be with this girl if she cannot accept that he likes to game every now and then. She might not like it, but if we were all the same, the world would be a bloody boring place. Now, I don't know about you but I'm going to go home, sit in my boxers and play some Halo - and if any of you have a problem with that, you can stick it where the sun doesn't shine.

I'll admit, I play a lot of video games. So maybe I don't devote my whole life to it, but I usually play a few hours of Mario or Zelda a week, just to take the edge off after a hard day. Sometimes, if I'm playing something I really enjoy, with an engaging storyline or a steep difficulty curve, I might get a bit obsessive, but these days I have to ration my gaming time carefully.

Why? Well, because real life gets in the way. It's just one of many hobbies that I enjoy, and I have to juggle it alongside my job, my social life, family, exercise (yes really) and household chores. When you know how to divide up your week, there really isn't that much time left to fiddle with joysticks.

But if you're a professional gamer, the kind of guy who takes a competitive video game as seriously as a major athlete takes a sport, then gaming can quickly swallow your whole life. Hardly surprising when eSports are bigger than ever, and there's big money to be made via sponsorship deals for playing titles like Call of Duty, League of Legends, and even Super Smash Bros in tournaments.

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The sacrifices that pro gamers make to support their lifestyle can be tremendous, but has one of the most famous ones gone too far? YouTuber Douglas ‘FaZe Censor’ Martin is a pro Call of Duty player, who has just revealed that he and his girlfriend - weather forecaster Yanet Garcia - have broken up so he could focus more on video gaming. Garcia, who is known as "The World's Sexiest Weathergirl" boasts 6.5 million followers on Instagram, while Martin has 1.5 million, as well as 2.5 million YouTube subscribers.

In a series of tweets made to his followers, Martin stated: "I appreciate ALL the support, criticism, etc. Being a YouTuber I know that sometimes you'll get challenged by the decisions and moves you make by people online, but that's what I signed up for. I'm excited for the future," and he then later added "COD is life."

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The reaction from Martin's followers has been decidedly polarised. One Twitter user wrote: "He just threw away an entire future family for a game that’s going to die in no less than 2-3 years. He’s delusional. [sic]"

However, other people were more supportive, and one person tweeted: "Self-happiness and focusing on what matters to you is more important than a significant other. Sacrifices got to be made in order to achieve your goals and that’s what Doug is doing ... He’s pursuing what he wants to do by making HIMSELF happy and doing what he feels matters. Also, I agree with Doug. You can’t give a relationship less than 110 per cent when you got other priorities. There is only so much time/energy you can put into so many things man. Girls come and go. [sic]"

Personally, I don't think I would ever dump a girlfriend over a video game, no matter how much I love the medium ... unless I was about to be number one in Fortnite. I do have priorities, after all.

Do you think you've got the skills to make a living playing videogames? Do you reckon you can beat anyone in an arena deathmatch? Then I have good news for you: it turns out that a company is looking to hire and pay an expert Call of Duty player to help coach other people who are struggling with the game.

Watch the trailer for the Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 remaster: 

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The online marketplace site OnBuy launched the service after surveying 1,000 Call of Duty: Warzone players. They learned that a whopping 65% of them found Gulag mode - which is where players go after dying to fight to stay in the game - too hard.

In fact, 26% said that they'd never successfully escaped and that 74% of Warzone players wished they were better at the game.

To that end, skilled gamers can now apply to earn as much as £35 ($43) per-hour of gameplay as a 'Gulag Guru' - and all you need is a photo ID, a working PlayStation 4, Xbox One or PC, and a strong internet connection, and "a proven track record across Call of Duty: Warzone and other Battle Royale video games".

The official job description reads:

"With the immense popularity of the free-to-play Battle Royale game Call of Duty: Warzone, OnBuy is seeking a team of Gulag Gurus to provide expert tuition to struggling gamers, giving them the skills to break out of the Gulag and succeed on the battlefield. This is an exciting opportunity where you can get paid up to £35/hour to play Call of Duty and coach fellow gamers."

The so-called Call of Duty gurus will be available to help players with Gulag mode, and give advice on the best weapon load-outs, and provide real-time, in-game feedback.

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Call of Duty: Warzone launched on March 10, 2020, across Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC, and received over 30 million downloads within the first week.

In a recent press release, OnBuy CEO Cas Paton stated: "Call of Duty: Warzone has taken the gaming world by storm and seems to have arrived at the perfect time [...] The Gulag feature has been a great addition to the Battle Royale format, yet we have been seeing a lot of players struggling to break out and unsure of the best approach to take."

He added: "We thought: 'Why not set up a service that not only helps those who are struggling, but also allows the best of the best to get paid to play their favorite game?'"

So, if you think you've got what it takes, why not apply? Simply send your CV and cover letter to [email protected].

In the aftermath of 9/11 and at the height of the War on Terror, Osama bin Laden was the ultimate bogeyman of the free world. The founder of al-Qaeda, who masterminded the worst terrorist attack on American soil, was hated and feared in equal measure. For 10 years the FBI, the CIA, and two presidential administrations made capturing or killing him their highest priority. However, the fact remains that the majority of people know very little about the man himself.

When you picture Osama bin Laden, you probably imagine him towards the end of his life: wearing a white Yemeni keffiyeh, squatting in a hidden compound and decrying the decadence of the western world. But bin Laden was actually born to a wealthy Saudi family. His father was a billionaire who owned a construction company and he had close ties to the royal family. A devout Muslim from an early age, his belief in God curdled into extremism during adulthood. Bin Laden was also a college student for a time, studying business management, and harboured a number of personal hobbies, including poetry, writing and literature. He was even a soccer fan, typically playing as a centre-forward and followed the British team Arsenal FC avidly.

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We're still unearthing new details about him, but the latest revelation is probably the most surprising yet. The CIA has released a list of files found on a laptop recovered from bin Laden's last hiding place, and what they've found is pretty surprising. There's now some evidence that Osama was actually a bit of a nerd, who appears to have enjoyed video games, anime, and meme culture. The CIA made public more than 470,000 files found on the hard drive of a PC recovered from the compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, where bin Laden was killed in May 2011 by a squad of navy SEALs.

The eclectic stash of documents gives us a candid look at the structure, organisation, and allies of al-Qaeda. But even more surprising is the idea that bin Laden would turn to video games during his downtime. Games found on the drive include Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Resident Evil, Animal Crossing: Wild World, and Super Mario Bros. Most interesting of all, bin Laden's Steam library also featured a copy of the first-person shooter game Counter-Strike, in which players can choose to play as either a strike team or as terrorists.

The computer also contained files for episodes of several different anime series, including Naruto, Dragon Ball, and Bleach, as well as movies such as Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Antz, Cars, and several episodes of cartoons like Tom and Jerry and  British sitcom Mr Bean. Interestingly enough, it appears that he also watched a documentary about himself entitled In the Footsteps of bin Laden, as well as a number of viral videos, such as Charlie Bit My Finger and 28 crocheting tutorials.

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However, researchers have cautioned the public not the jump to conclusions and believe that every single file on the laptop belonged exclusively to bin Laden himself. A lot of people in the Abbottabad compound may have had access to it. Bin Laden lived with threes wives in the secret safe house and had more than a dozen children, who ranged from infants to teens.

Bill Roggio, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, stated: "It’s like, ‘ooh Osama bin Laden is a Tom and Jerry fan!’ And maybe he is, it’s quite possible. I like Tom and Jerry too. But I suspect a lot of the sort of frivolous or the personal stuff was more for his family."

The CIA also recovered more useful material in their analysis of the hard drive. Other declassified documents include a video of bin Laden's son Hamza's wedding. Al-Qaeda has always tried to only publish photos of Hamza as a child with his father, in a bid to protect his identity. However, the valuable footage now shows him as a young adult and gives the agency a glimpse of the guests, which could be useful for tracking other al-Qaeda terrorists in the future.

Researchers also managed to find a 19-page report detailing al-Qaeda's apparent connections to Iran. All in all, over 174 gigabytes of video, 7.4 gigabytes of image files, and 18 gigabytes of documents were found on the laptop, and researchers are still disseminating the material. Who knows? Maybe you've fragged bin Laden in a Counter-Strike server, or even played on his team. But equally as bizarre as this, is the romantic novel written by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, which you can actually buy on Amazon.

 

Featured illustration by Egarcigu

I remember being told as a child, frequently, that the hours I spent playing video games was a complete waste of time. However, little did my parents know that you can actually earn millions from gaming now - whether it be by competing in professional tournaments or filming your terrified reaction to the latest horror game trending.

People like Douglas 'FaZe Censor' Martin are doing just fine by playing games. In fact, the YouTuber revealed in a new video that he has broken up with his girlfriend to spend more time gaming. The woman he's left behind to focus on professional gaming is none other than Yanet Garcia, a woman dubbed by some as 'the world's sexiest weathergirl'.

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Three years ago, Martin travelled all the way to Mexico from New York three years ago just to meet her. They soon started dating, and then she moved to New York. However, now Yanet, who Martin describes as an "awesome girl," has decided to go back to Mexico, where she is pursuing a career in acting and modelling. "She’s beautiful, she’s smart, she was an awesome girlfriend," he said. "I know it sounds weird I’m saying all this…it’s just, I gotta do what feels right for me."

"I supported her decision. She wanted to be a supermodel actress – chase your dreams, life’s too short. I’m playing Call of Duty full-time now and she wanted to take her job opportunity. I didn’t think it was going to be that difficult. Back then it was a lot easier for me to go out and see her. But now I have obligations.

"I’m on a contract. It’s not like I don’t want to do this, this is the career that I want. I want to win a ring, I want to win a world championship, what I want in my life at this very moment is to compete in Call of Duty because I love it so much.

"I’m going to do whatever it takes to be a champion. There’s only 24 hours in a day and I just didn’t have enough time to do what I needed to do."

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Now, Yanet has responded to his public statement on the end of their relationship. Appearing on the TV show ‘Hoy’ (Today), she revealed how exactly she felt about what happened between the two of them. As per The Mirror, she said:

"So, I am relaxed, at peace, I keep what was good about the relationship in my heart. We were in a long distance relationship, it was very difficult.

"I actually do not judge him, on the contrary I wish him all the success, I hope that he wins that championship and it gives him all that he wants.

"We were a couple working in social media, and he had commitments with his followers while I have my job and projects."

Garcia was also asked if she could envision a time when they could possibly get back together, but she wasn't too hopeful. "No, I do not think so," she said. "I trust God, he has something else for me." However, she sounded a little less peaceful about the whole thing later, when she tweeted, "Never listen to the advice of a person has not done anything good with his life" - a comment some believe was targeted at her ex.

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Good for Yanet Garcia for having a positive attitude about the break up, even if she may have thrown a little shade in the process of moving on.