Coin Ops: Gaming's Most Lucrative Moments

When MLB 2K10 came out in March, 2K Sports offered a cool milli to the first person to throw a verified perfect game. Turns out it happened the day it came out! After picking the game up at its midnight launch, Wade McGilberry of Mobile, Alabama made like Dallas Braden after only a few tries, and 2K Sports broke the news last week after a lengthy confirmation process. Big-

What Happened: The CyberAthlete Professional League launched in 1997 and had the preternaturally twitchy-fingered rounding up all over the world to compete in their tournaments for cash and prizes. Pro gamers like Fatal1ty and the Ogre Brothers have competed, and the league has given away more than $3 million to date.

Complex Says: LOLZ, "athletes."

What Happened: Bobby Kotick raked in $14,950,102.00 in 2008. Which was a year before Modern Warfare 2 came out.

Complex Says: Fun fact: Bobby Kotick is actually a gnostic detiy who feasts on bloodlust and gold doubloons. This flesh-sleeve he wears is just to make Earthlings comfortable.

What Happened: MW2 sold 7 million copies its first day, earning more than $350 million.

Complex Says: OK, so maybe Infinity Ward is on its last legs, but at least they went out with a bang...being fingerbanged by Bobby Kotick.

What Happened: Average guy sees that someone has sold forgotten NES title Stadium Events on eBay for $13,000. Said average guy remembers he still has a copy at home in very good condition. Average guy sells his own copy for very un-average $41,300.

Complex Says: Damn, for that kind of money, you could buy, like, 1500 Microsoft Points!

What Happened: Gamecrush.com, a site that employees attractive young ladies to provides sexy-time conversation for gamers, crashed within five minutes of its launch, thanks to 10,000 dudes trying to sign up at the same time. $0.66 cents a minute x 10,000 guys = A lot of dough.

Complex Says: Yeah, yeah, your leet Peggle skillz get our panties moist, but it might be just a liiiiiiitle less shame-inducing to go outside and talk to girls who aren't wearing headsets.

What Happened: The Celestial Steed became available for online purchase on the World of Warcraft network...and went on to make anywhere from $1.5 to $3.5 million dollars in revenue for Blizzard.

Complex Says: Props to Blizzard for getting all that paper, but IT'S A NOT-REAL PONY. If you've got that kind of money to blow, at least spend it on a not-real girlfriend.

What Happened: This year the Nintendo DS (in all its various versions) surpassed the total number of GameBoys ever sold...as well as the population of Japan.

Complex Says: Say what you want about the rise of the iPhone, but our money's on the DS to stick around. C'mon fam, how else are you supposed to be able to play Nintendogs?