The stereotype wants them to be… classic lazy people. Guys stuck in front of a screen for hours, with the remote control in their hand and their eyes barely… blinking. But there is also the other side. That of the guys who became rich playing video games.
This world has evolved from a hobby for crazy kids into a luxury sport. Countless tournaments have sprung up in recent years, giving these people the chance to win hundreds of thousands of dollars playing Dota 2 or StarCraft. In addition to the tournament prize money, there are contracts with professional teams, as well as product lines signed by the top players, which make them even richer.
Mashable found 10 of these gamers who made a fortune playing video games.
Carlos 'Ocelot' Rodriguez
At just 24 years old, the Spaniard earns around $950,000 a year. He is a professional player and his earnings come from tournament winnings, salary, sponsorships and merchandise sales. He is nicknamed "the David Beckham of video games" due to his appearance and the commerciality of his name.
Johnathan 'Fatal1ty' Wendel
One of the dominant names among "serious" gamers. He turned professional in 1999, winning several titles. For 13 years he held the record for the most prize money in competitions, reaching 454,919 from 35 tournaments. Although the numbers are not clear, his company Fatal1ty Gaming Gear has already sold millions of products.
Jae Ho 'Moon' Jang
He "specializes" in Warcraft 3. The South Korean has earned $443,618 from tournaments and signed a $500,000 contract with WeMadeFox, a professional gaming team, in 2009.
Lee 'NaDa' Yun-Yeol
The South Korean is one of the most successful StarCraft players of all time. He earned $690,000 from his contract with WeMadeFox in 2007. He has earned $247,761 in prize money. He later signed another contract, but in 2012 he left video games to fulfill his military obligations.
Team NewBee
The five members won $5 million in July 2014 at The International 4, an annual Dota 2 competition, according to Guinness World Records. Dividing that amount and adding up their previous tournament winnings, each of them has made over a million.
Lee 'Jaedong' Jae Dong
The highest-paid video game player of 2013, when he surpassed Johnathan Wendel. Last year he broke his own record, collecting $489,384 in prize money. As he was second in the StarCraft II 2013 World Championship Series. So far, he has won $555,104 in total playing video games.
Danil 'Dendi' Ishutin
Outside of the NewBee team, he is considered the second best Dota 2 player in the world. The 24-year-old Ukrainian began playing professionally in 2008, before joining the Natus Vincere team. His prize money to date is $573,147.
Felix 'PewDiePie' Kjellberg
Outside of the competitive world of video games, people like him are turning their passion into an empire. The 24-year-old Swede has built an incredibly popular YouTube channel. He started in 2010, posting videos of himself playing video games, and now has over 31 million subscribers, a record for YouTube. This success earns him about $4 million a year.
Katherine 'Mystik' Gunn
One of the most famous female players. Her bankroll increased by $122,000 in just three tournaments. She is the first woman to win the WCG Ultimate Gamer series, which not only gave her recognition but also an additional $100,000.
Sasha 'Scarlett' Hostyn
Born in Canada, the 21-year-old transgender woman is the next “foreign hope,” a term used for competitive StarCraft players who are not from South Korea, where the top players live. She is the best in North America at the game and has won $105,929 in prize money.
Source: iefimerida.gr
