It is said that old HAM radio people used this concept. Adjusting spark gap depending on strength of lightning strike. 

They were always a strange bunch with frizzy hair.

 

I would definitely file this under "do not try this at home" 🙂

 

Spark-gaps and discharge tubes (effectively a spark-gap in a controlled environment) do still find their uses, mostly in specialised applications. IIRC the last time I saw a small one was in a landline phone.

 

Try a search on Alibaba to see what's available. The vast majority that are still actual discharge based are intended for radio-frequency applications.

 

Stick to MOVs, they just work.