'I'll be your online bodyguard' (From Daily Echo)
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Schoolboy offers online computer game protection service at £5 a time
12:30pm Monday 9th January 2012 in Game News
Gamer Toby Smith
HE’S not exactly your stereotypical bodyguard.
But at just 15 years of age and standing at less than six-feet, Hampshire schoolboy Toby Smith is offering his services to protect people from across the globe – in the world of online gaming.
From the comfort of his bedroom in Mountfield, Hythe, the Applemore College pupil tutors and protects online players of popular Xbox 360 shooting games, including Battlefield and Call of Duty.
Toby sells his unique service for £5 per 30 minutes of game play, using the website fivesquids.co.uk.
The site allows people from around the world to offer various tasks for £5, including doing their homework, writing them a song, or even becoming their ‘Internet girlfriend’ on social networking websites.
Toby’s profile on the site promises to “take bullets for you for half an hour,” by becoming a “personal online bodyguard.”
Enthusiast Gaming enthusiast Toby, came up with the idea a few months ago after stumbling across the website by chance.
Despite having only had four paying clients so far, his page has already attracted interest from users in Western Europe and even as far afield as America.
“I’m not a millionaire by any means,” Toby said.
“But there’s been a lot of interest out there from people saying it’s a good idea.
“Out of the four clients I’ve had, three of them have been from America, so people obviously like the concept.
“I guess to make any real big money out of it I would need to expand it and maybe pay people to play at different times and on different consoles, rather than just having one boy sat in his room on an Xbox between the hours of 4pm and 7pm.”
Toby’s parents, Peter and Sam, both 47, have praised the idea – and his entrepreneurial ambition.
“Toby’s got a real independent and determined personality and it’s great that this is all him and all his own idea,” Sam said.
“He’s got a real entrepreneurial spirit and was just keen to go out and make some money off his own back, doing something he enjoys.
“But he’s got loads of ideas and real ‘can do’ spirit. If anyone in this house is going to make a million pounds, it will be him.”
Comments(20)
The Salv
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1:18pm Mon 9 Jan 12
G0Rf
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1:27pm Mon 9 Jan 12
hulla baloo
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1:37pm Mon 9 Jan 12
saintsfc14
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1:46pm Mon 9 Jan 12
jessica_rabbit
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2:29pm Mon 9 Jan 12
solomum
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2:48pm Mon 9 Jan 12
jessica_rabbit wrote:Well the report says he is on-line for 3 hrs per evening, so that's £30 per evening x 7 evenings per week = £210 per week as long as at least 1 of his clients is using the service within those hours. Sounds like a fab idea. If he gets loads more customers, he will obviously then consider turning it into a business to meet the requirements of his clients. Well done to a young lad who has some initiative.
what a non story. I would also suggest that the amount he has earnt falls comfortably into his tax allowance, considering his age! Ie he hasn't got one! Four people at £5.
nwillc
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3:03pm Mon 9 Jan 12
hihosilver
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3:46pm Mon 9 Jan 12
100%HANTSBOY
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6:08pm Mon 9 Jan 12
p.s read article 3 times and still don't get it!
p.p.s. has he told his parents that he's paying someone else £10 a night to do his school homework?
Only kidding,good luck to him,sounds like a very bright lad.
molly_macfarlane
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6:35pm Mon 9 Jan 12
100%HANTSBOY wrote:Toby is actually 6ft 1in....I am in his year at school.....
The report says "But at just 15 years of age and standing at less than six-feet" making it sound like he is short for his age....what is the benchmark height for a fifteen year old these days? 7ft ?
p.s read article 3 times and still don't get it!
p.p.s. has he told his parents that he's paying someone else £10 a night to do his school homework?
Only kidding,good luck to him,sounds like a very bright lad.
X Old Bill
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6:45pm Mon 9 Jan 12
Person buys a games console.
Person buys software (game).
Person loads game onto console.
Person then pays someone else to play the game for them.
Have I got that right?
It does not seem to make much sense, surely the idea of buying a games console is to play the game yourself, isn't it?
Good luck to him if he can find some punters out there who are daft enough to pay for someone else to have fun - or whatever you call it.
X Old Bill
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6:47pm Mon 9 Jan 12
molly_macfarlane wrote:A bit more of the accurate reporting that this provincial press is famous for.
100%HANTSBOY wrote:Toby is actually 6ft 1in....I am in his year at school.....
The report says "But at just 15 years of age and standing at less than six-feet" making it sound like he is short for his age....what is the benchmark height for a fifteen year old these days? 7ft ?
p.s read article 3 times and still don't get it!
p.p.s. has he told his parents that he's paying someone else £10 a night to do his school homework?
Only kidding,good luck to him,sounds like a very bright lad.
robhewak
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8:33pm Mon 9 Jan 12
molly_macfarlane
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8:41pm Mon 9 Jan 12
robhewak wrote:go rob. Toby is a very clever boy, who is just using something he would normally use as a past time to make money, doesn't seem like a bad idea to me. If it doesn't appeal to you, there is no need to be abusive, it is not as if you are going to be forced to buy it.
All the people that are dismissing the idea should just look at themselves and realise that a fifteen year old accomplishing more than they ever could
robhewak
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8:47pm Mon 9 Jan 12
molly_macfarlane wrote:very true , he is coming up with fresh ideas.
robhewak wrote:go rob. Toby is a very clever boy, who is just using something he would normally use as a past time to make money, doesn't seem like a bad idea to me. If it doesn't appeal to you, there is no need to be abusive, it is not as if you are going to be forced to buy it.
All the people that are dismissing the idea should just look at themselves and realise that a fifteen year old accomplishing more than they ever could
X Old Bill
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8:57pm Mon 9 Jan 12
molly_macfarlane wrote:The Echo must have deleted the abusive comments - I cannot see any on here at the moment.
robhewak wrote:go rob. Toby is a very clever boy, who is just using something he would normally use as a past time to make money, doesn't seem like a bad idea to me. If it doesn't appeal to you, there is no need to be abusive, it is not as if you are going to be forced to buy it.
All the people that are dismissing the idea should just look at themselves and realise that a fifteen year old accomplishing more than they ever could
Most of the comments seem to be from people who wish him well but don't actually understand what he is doing, or why - Because the report is not that clear.
(BTW; the word is pastime) .
molly_macfarlane
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9:21pm Mon 9 Jan 12
X Old Bill wrote:I apologise for any mis-spelling's or grammar mistakes. English, un-fortunetly is not my forte.I guess it's not really toby's fault that the echo has not clearly explained it.
molly_macfarlane wrote:The Echo must have deleted the abusive comments - I cannot see any on here at the moment.
robhewak wrote:go rob. Toby is a very clever boy, who is just using something he would normally use as a past time to make money, doesn't seem like a bad idea to me. If it doesn't appeal to you, there is no need to be abusive, it is not as if you are going to be forced to buy it.
All the people that are dismissing the idea should just look at themselves and realise that a fifteen year old accomplishing more than they ever could
Most of the comments seem to be from people who wish him well but don't actually understand what he is doing, or why - Because the report is not that clear.
(BTW; the word is pastime) .
Mr Cynical
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10:55pm Mon 9 Jan 12
I think his clients may be rather embarrassed to own up to paying for it! seems a little seedy said like that too...
robhewak
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7:14pm Wed 11 Jan 12
ohpoppycock says...
12:53pm Mon 9 Jan 12
I'm not sure of the percentage on that but I guess it's under 1%.
There was me thinking that my web community getting a mention on Engadget.com was good.