Should People Avoid Playing Video Games Be Paid?

Playing video games is a hobby shared by many people all around the world, however in modern times an industry of professional gamers is growing rapidly. Professional gaming sounds ludicrous to many of those that saw the hobby as a waste of time to begin with, however to those that are a part of this growing community it was only a matter of time before people began making careers of it. Income in pro gaming may also come from many sources, playing the game itself inherently provides no revenue for players, however like any sport the money comes from more organized sources. Players may earn money from sponsors, streaming, being a part of a team, or simply winning prize money from tournaments, however are any of these sources of income as reliable

However being on a team is perhaps the most reliable method of earning an income as a pro player. The size of a team can depend on what game is being played, although most large scale teams have enough resources to cover several games. For example a team called Cloud9 supports players that play online card games like Hearthstone, and has another squad that plays a first person shooter called Counter Strike: Global Offensive. The size of a team also really depends on how much the team can win in prizes and sponsors. Furthermore most teams provide generous benefits for their players, such a paid travel expenses, housing, and even include healthcare plans. Players however may earn more money from others sources that are a part of being on a team. For example, a team may sign a player that is a popular live streamer, which means he plays games and people can watch him live as he is playing. Streaming is its own source of money, so a team may pick that player up and include a streaming contract as a condition of being on the team. So that player must stream so many hours a week to honor the contract. Essentially a pro gaming team is a haven for

For example, since 2013, the top 15 earning pro gamers have earned between $226,000 and $454,000, while this is a sizeable amount, these players had competed in over 30 tournaments and all played for a team, as well as streamed. For the people that actively seek to make money from playing a game it is a full time job, some streamers wake up and go to bed streaming, it requires a lot of dedication to make any money at all. Furthermore there is some variance in potential earnings, just like there is in any other job, as some games offer a larger prize pool than others. For example one of the most popular games around, League of Legends, may offer a much larger prize pool than a less popular game like Rocket League. Although in some cases there is a significant change in potential earnings, players are not typically motivated by money, it usually just so happens that they are really good at a game they like and try to make money from it. In this regard making money from a video game is much like making money from a real job, not everything pays the