Formula One’s McLaren to offer job to the ‘best virtual racer in the world’

Those long gaming hours will finally pay off, as McLaren is offering the “world’s fastest virtual racer” a job. File photo

Remember when our parents used to scold us for “wasting time” playing video games all day?

Those days are long gone, as the unprecedented rise of esports and professional gamers have proven that being good at video games could actually turn into a lucrative career.

British Formula One racing team McLaren is banking in on the latest trend, by hosting a competition to discover the world’s fastest virtual racer.

As if joining a sports tourney wasn’t sweet enough, the winner will actually earn a one-year contract with McLaren as one of its “official simulator drivers,” the Business Insider reported.

“The winner will genuinely be a key part of our team at McLaren,” Zak Brown, McLaren Technology Group’s Executive Director, confirmed to the news outlet.

“This is for real: we absolutely require additional support across our two simulator platforms, so the competition and the selection process will be rigorous, ruthless, and compelling to watch.”

He added: ”[This is] a unique and exciting proposition [and] one that connects the worlds of racing and gaming in a way that’s never been explored before.”

Aside from simulating high speed races for one of the world’s most popular racing brands, the lucky winner will also be tasked to work with engineers at various grand prix circuits, to help improve the machinery used by the team’s prized drivers, Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne.

The “world’s fastest gamer” job opening, meanwhile, was dubbed by McLaren as “the greatest job in Esports.”

Check out the promotional video below. — Khristian Ibarrola, JB

Need to know more about World’s Fastest Gamer and how you can get involved? Let 8-bit explain. #esports #WFG #LogitechG pic.twitter.com/823ENv4rBc

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) May 4, 2017