Esports aren’t just fun and games

Esports have been on the uprise lately and now colleges are offering scholarships just to play video games. There are tons of different video games that offer a competitive scene. I compete every year in the current “Call of Duty” and that is my esports game. I have made over $500 extra just by participating in tournaments, wagers, and LAN tournaments. Recently I had won a tournament with 3 other players, we had won $50 each with the tournament pot being $300. Second place had received $100 to share equally in that tournament.

For some people, video games aren’t just children’s games, they are a lifestyle. Some people have made playing video games their job.

Esports sponsor sought

In the inaugural year of the Merrillville High School Esports Club, there was a great student turnout and a lot of interest in esports, but the club is in limbo without a permanent sponsor for the club. Merrillville High School is actively looking for a staff member to sponsor the club. You do not have to have any experience with esports.

There are many ways that video games can bring in income for a person, from streaming and entertaining people,  to competing in esports as if you were playing professional sports. Just like any professional sport there are esports teams that pay their players big money just to compete in a game they are really good at. The top tier esports teams give their players contracts as if they were playing in the NBA or NFL.

Some games you can compete in at the age of 15 years old. Pro rocket league players Oski and Atow are only 15-years-old and had recently won the European Regional 3 Fall Invitational with there other teammate AcroniK, who is 17, under esports team Team Liquid. They each took home $10,000 for just three days of competition.

Some esports games have leagues similar to professional sports leagues. For example, Call of Duty has what is known as the “Call of Duty League.” This league consists of 12 teams and 48 players, not including coaches, staff or substitute players. 

Each team is expected to pay all their players a minimum salary of $55,225 yearly, but most players make well over $100,000 a year. These contracts are as big as $400,000 yearly for the best of the best. 

All apart from the regular season the league has about five major tournaments each year. The league has online qualifying matches to earn points for seeding in each major tournament. Each major tournament has an overall prize pool of $500,000 and the winners of the tournament win 40% of the prize pool.

After all five major tournaments the top eight teams with the most points on the season qualify for Call of Duty Champs. This is the biggest tournament of the year and has a prize pool of $2,550,000. The winners of this tournament win $1.2 million of this prize pool.

There is a lot of money to be earned in the gaming industry and also is entertaining for the players. If you could do what you love and become a millionaire as well, I would take my chances on esports.