The world has changed from the traditional view that making a career for yourself you have to go through all the education options to then get a job and have a “proper” career. However, kids ambition these days are not setting their ambitions on taking that route. Kids ambitions are to make it in electronic world for example becoming a YouTube star, an Instagram influencer and they are even taking up e-sports.
E-sports is nothing new and has been around since the invention of the video game. The first recorded gaming competition took place at Stanford University in 1972 with the game Spacewar the game in question.
Since then though the e-sports community has just grown and grown. Players are getting interested in wanting to join a team or simply watching the events either in person or being live streamed. During the pandemic e-sports popularity grew and the numbers are still just as strong now the world is open again and sports has returned.
The standard of e-sports is massive. It is an incredibly serious business and should be taken seriously as an option for people who want to make a career of it. Not only does gaming require a huge amount of skill but the money is also there.
E-sports is even able to generate their own esports new betting sites where fans can bet on their favourite players or teams across a wide range of games. It generates more popularity and helps establish the e-sports business as a conventional sport.
Since 1998 prizes for winning tournaments has increased hugely. The prize pot has increased by $151,097,817 which is a massive take home event for the best player in that tournament. Obviously, there are a lot of differences in the prize pot with different tournaments but since 1998, over $535,350,000 has been paid in esports prizes amongst 54,650 players, in over 26,400 tournaments.
If you can become one of the top e-sports players, you can earn more than some professional sports. Some golfers, badminton players and even UFC fighters do not make as much as some professional e-sports.
The most profitable game to play is Dota 2. The top 21 players, in terms of financial gain, play Dota 2. Danish player Johan Sundstein has made $7,183,917.80 overall ($7,172,191.58 playing Dota 2). The 28-year-old is still consistently making money each year as well as opposed to winning big and not keeping a steady income. In 2021, he made a staggering $214,180.00 by winning 5 tournaments. Even in 2020 with a pandemic hit world which meant he was only playing online tournaments but still made a brilliant $75,571.40.
Even as a mid-range professional player, you are expected to make $50,000 – $75,000 annually from salary and that is even before tournament wins and sponsorship deals.
As times are evolving, we should not be dismissive towards children who say they want to become e-sports players because this is a pathway to making money and doing something they enjoy.
