American Diabetes Association | Online classes | Private | Los Angeles

Blake is well into his second year of homeschooling now. Online classes have replaced the private tutors his parents hired the first year, but he still does his homework and household chores without being asked. On his first trip to a major gaming tournament -- the 2008 World Cyber Games National Finals in Los Angeles -- he came in fifth. “I ended up barely losing the tiebreaker,” Blake says. “It was a lot closer than I’d thought it would be.” He’s made a grand total of about $3,000, including a couple of small sponsorships, but he’s in talks with some potentially big sponsors. “They don’t want me to talk until we sign a contract,” he says.

He’s still signing autographs, though. Girls buy T-shirts with his picture on them. At benefits for the American Diabetes Association and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, kids pay money to play against him. This past New Year’s Eve, he played for a packed house in a museum theater. So many people showed up, they had to close the doors early. He signed almost 300 posters. A woman in her 30s even drove in from Greensboro, North Carolina, to meet him. Players from all over the world seek Blake out to set up games with him on the Internet.

Something has changed, though: Blake is trying to graduate from Guitar Hero to one of the games that offer bigger competitions -- and thus more prize money and sponsorship opportunities. He’s practicing on Gears of War 2 and already is among the best players in the state.