Whoever said that you can’t make money playing video games can shut their mouths up.
Samuel Hassan, a Pakistani teenager, just won the prize money of £4 million (or approximately $6.63 million) when he and his team won the grand Defence of the Ancients 2 competition. The group managed to make it on top among the 18 competing teams. The prestigious gaming event was held at Seattle’s Key Arena.
Evil Genius, Hassan’s team, also took home a whooping $1.2 million when they hit first place at the DotA Asia Championships. When he was still in Pakistan, Hassan loved the game so much that he decided to sell his bicycle just so he could play some more. Hassan currently resides in Rosemont, Illinois where he eventually became a member of the US-based eSports gaming team.
Watch the video of how Evil Genius triumphed over China’s CDEC:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhC5x5qFG2Q
CDEC Gaming won $2.8 million as they came in second place.
Career in Video Gaming
There are, of course, many other ways to earn from playing video games aside from joining competitions.
Alex Ceskavich wrote an article for BusinessInsider labeling video game playing as a “lucrative career path.”
He shared that some gamers make big bucks by sharing gaming-related content on Twitch.tv and YouTube.com. Those who have ventured into streaming (playing video games for others to watch online) make “upwards of $300,000 a year.”
He, however, warned that “it’s not all fun and gaming” if you do decide to take this seriously. Like any other type of work, it can be stressful and a little less enjoyable since there are reports to fill and researches to perform.
Other possible video game career paths include working as a game designer, programmer, animator, audio engineer, writer, translator, and more. Ultimately, it all boils down to picking the opportunity that works best for you and matches your skills in the first place.