Final answer:
Based on the provided excerpts, the most reasonable inference a reader can draw about a gaming career is that it d) demands many hours of practice before competitions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The texts describe the reality of professional sports and allude to the gaming industry's similarity in its competitive nature and potential for financial gain. Like professional athletes, gamers must dedicate considerable amounts of time to improving their skills and strategies to excel in tournaments, where the outcome can translate to monetary rewards such as prizes and scholarships.
Gaming also offers potential career paths with the growth of college and professional esports signaling opportunities in the industry. Despite the trivial portrayal of video games as an activity in one excerpt, the context of competition and prizes indicates a professional level of involvement that would necessitate a significant commitment to practice. Therefore, the most substantiated inference to make is option D: A gaming career demands many hours of practice before competitions.