It’s been decades now that parents have been hectoring kids about video games. “Nobody is going to pay you to play video games … no careers in that!”

May not be a career, but a guy who has spent enormous stretches of time with his thumbs on a controller … can make $272,000 for winning The Million Player competition here in the UAE this summer.

All you have to do is be better — at video soccer as played on PlayStation — than the 50,000 people who are expected to enter the tournament.

The tournament will be held during Ramadan, the fasting month, which mostly falls in July this year, and probably will give lots of local kids something to do during the long, hot days. It is open to anyone, and will be staged at nine centers spread across the UAE.

(So if you live in Australia and think you are really good … plan your itinerary now. Deadline for entries is June 20, and the cost to enter is 150 dirhams — about $40.)

One of the competitors will be Omar Abdulrahman, a midfielder who plays for the Al Ain club and the UAE national team.

Omar was at the press conference in Abu Dhabi today, kicking off the countdown to the competition. “I have been playing since I was little,” he said, by way of warning. “I am aware there are some experts on this game and I feel I am as good as them. It is not only great fun for me, but relaxes my mind from the physical and mental workload of training and matches.”

So, good and good for you, according to this elite athlete.

The prize fund is 3 million dirhams, or $817,000, and the winner gets 1 million dirhams, with 300,000 for finishing second. Those finishing 11th to 500th are eligible for a drawing which will award one player a Range Rover and 100 players mobile phones.

See? Hours spent on perfecting PlayStation tactics … not a waste of time in any way.