JUST like any white collar worker, Zhang Chaoxi goes to the office every day, switches on the computer and starts work as usual.

But his work is not to write reports - it is to play CS (Counter Strike - a popular computer game). As a professional CS player, Zhang's job is to practice his shooting, co-operate with other "soldiers", do research on field maps and kill his dummy enemies for at least 10 hours every day. A financial supporter pays his salary.

"The game is so lifelike. It also needs skill, wisdom and co-operation which is of lots of fun," Zhang said. "I don't think it is a game, but I would rather call it an e-sport as is the international practice."

On-line soldiers

In Zhang's circle, there are some big groups of on-line game masters such as the well-known AS CLAM. After three years, AS CLAM is now one of the top CS teams in the country.

The group of about 100 members has regular meetings to discuss strategy or engage in competitions. They all attend practice sessions twice a week.

To become a CS "soldier", good equipment is essential: a 300-to-500-yuan (US$36-60) mouse, 200-to-300-yuan (US$24-36) mouse pad, 1,000-yuan-plus (US$120) earphones which can overhear the enemy's track, 500-yuan (US$60) keyboard.

"Apart from time and money, what is important to be a good player is to invest all one's enthusiasm and strong desire to win in e-sport," said Yao Zhitian, head of AS CLAM.

Zhang, who also has the cool nickname "Barehead Killer", is highly regarded by his peers for his passion and skill. He used to work for an international freight company but quit his job in 2001 to become a full-time CS player. Of course, his decision angered his family.

"When I went to attend the competition held in France this summer as a member of the Chinese team, my parents started to forgive me a little," Zhang said.

"Now they don't blame me but they still will not support my decision. I wish to win the championship of the National TCL-Cyber Cup CS Competition and tell everyone that we are not just playing games."

Yao agrees: "I think just playing and taking it as a game is not my goal or interest. I want to develop it into a kind of business. We want to be champions and we want people's understanding that we are not playing like kids."

Irritated parents

But for a long time, on-line games have not enjoyed a good reputation in China especially among parents. News about children becoming addicted to the games and playing truant were widely reported in the media.

"When I worked in a cyber bar, I saw several kids who stayed in the bar for a month with only noodles for food," said Gu Jingchu, a store assistant in Cybermart on Huaihai Zhonglu.

He once saw a woman rush out of a website bar on Shanxi Nanlu at midnight and take a taxi to the Jin Mao Tower just to buy some equipment so she could upgrade in playing a game. She spent over 4,000 yuan (US$484).

"And that is not the most striking example. I heard of a player in Beijing who spent over 200,000 yuan (US$24,200) on a dummy knife which could help him conquer all (electronic) enemies," Gu said.

Many young computer game fans have had the experience of being beaten by their parents. Yao said one team member whose father is a policeman even drove a police car to the website bar to bring his son home.

"But the feeling of being a successful leader in the game is so charming," said Gu who is also an experienced player. "The pressure in real life is so heavy. After being ordered about by the boss for a whole day, to be a brave warrior in the game makes us feel free and gives us some pride."

To realize their game dreams, people work hard to upgrade themselves. Those who don't have enough time, invite professional players to help them, thus creating a new career path.

In MIR, one of the most popular computer games with about 70 million players in China, many of the players are in fact playing for others. Their income is not too bad. To employ a professional player costs about 3,000 yuan (US$363) per month which is better than the average income for a new college graduate.

Soaring business

"Playing games is just a basic phase for me. I want people to see e-sports as a healthy outlet. Why can't e-sport be as popular as NBA? Why shouldn't a good player be as famous as Yao Ming?" Yao said.

No matter how the dispute goes, computer games seem to be developing at an almost uncontrollable speed in China.

By the end of last year, China had over 8 million players of on-line games with about half paying for the privilege to play games that are not free.

Statistics show that sales of on-line games hit 910 million yuan (US$110 million) last year and the figure is expected to more than double to 1.97 billion yuan this year. By 2006, it is expected to rocket to 8.34 billion yuan.

Just take Gu's store as an example. After China's entry into the World Trade Organization, the authorized copies of games dropped in price by about 30 per cent. The sales of authorized copies also increased by about 50 per cent compared with the same period last year.

The game War Craft is the hottest seller, Gu said he sells over 100 sets of the game each day.

"The rising sales shows that on-line game are in big demand in the market," said Zhu Jiayi, CEO of Cybermart.

As the country's economy booms, the people's demand for entertainment has to be met and on-line games with their low cost attract people easily.

In addition, the potential of on-line games also attracts IT companies. China's portal websites such as 163, sina and sohu are all promoting games. Local software developers also try to grab a share of the big e-cake. Jinshan, a software developer, recently announced an intention to invest 20 million yuan (US$2.4 million) in on-line games.

In South Korea, computer games are one of the three "pillar" industries in the country. Japan and USA are also heavily engaged. According to official statistics, 20 per cent of Japan's IT industry is dedicated to games.

Movies, which used to be the champion of the entertainment business, has dropped back to second place replaced by the e-game industry.

"On-line games also stimulate many other businesses such as the publishing industry, IT hardware and telecommunications," Zhu said. "I think it has a rosy future."