A pro gamer’s life after eSports
For most sports, your mid-20s are your prime. You’ve grown from an ambitious child into a fully capable adult and you’ve got years of tough training behind you. Physically and mentally, the pieces have all fallen into place. You’ll never be better than you can be for the next couple of years.
But not in eSports. In eSports, you can practically throw the promise of your 20s out the window. It’s happened to too many players to ignore: total burnout by about the age of 20. These figures alone should be enough to convince people that eSports isn’t just a child’s game; it’s a serious sport with high physical and mental demands. But that’s a conversation for another time.
Why are eSports pros getting worn out so fast? Rarely is it a lack of commitment or dedication. For American Nick Taber, it was more of a time issue. Nick got into competition at the age of 14 shortly after the release of StarCraft 2. This was this game and this was his dream! Few of us are lucky enough at 14 to know what we want to do with ourselves.
Nick was impressing audiences at age 15 and won the grand finals at the World Cyber Games, earning $1,000 dollars. Not bad for a 15-year-old who spends all his free time playing games. Nick was riding high, convinced that he had years of pro gaming ahead of him. As soon as he finished high school, he planned to dedicate himself to StarCraft domination full time.
But even for Nick Taber, one of the most promising talents in pro gaming, reality had to hit. During his senior year of high school, he began to realize he’d be at a huge disadvantage as soon as he got out. Too many other players — especially the growing number of Korean pro gamers — had already spent years as full-time pro gamers. He’d put on a good show as a part-timer, but realized that he wouldn’t be able to keep up. At 18, he was already past his prime.
For others, the reality hits when they realize how difficult it will actually be to make a living as a pro gamer. Many people dream to game for a living, but the number of people who actually earn a livable wage in competitions is very low. For these young players who hit the pro gaming wall, the letdown is difficult.
For Nick Taber, his young identity was closely intertwined with pro gaming. What would he do with his life if not gaming? Nick went to college, but even in his third year as an information technology major, he hasn’t found the kind of direction that pro gaming gave him.
Like every other sport and type of celebrity, pro gaming isn’t all glitz and glam. The industry has certainly grown over the past several years (at least a few people really can make a decent living as pro gamers) but the payoff isn’t always worth the investment and sometimes determination isn’t enough. Think you have what it takes to make it as a pro, or would you rather keep your hobby a hobby?
