Ever been curious how much money can be earned from playing video games better than anyone else? Well, now you can check into what the top eSports players earn through eSports Earnings, and it turns out that those who have the skills to win touraments can make a pretty large chunk of change from playing video games at a professional level.
But how much money can the top earners make playing video games? The answer is close to half a million dollars. Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel is the highest overall eSports earner, who has thus far made $454,544.98 from professional video game tournaments. The multiple-time Cyberathlete Professional League player of the year has participated in 35 tournaments, averaging out to close to 13 grand per tournament. In a close second is Lee "Flash" Young Ho of South Korea, who was amassed $437,114.53 primarily through Starcraft 2 tournaments. Rounding out the top three is Jung "Mvp" Jong Hyun, another South Korean Starcraft 2 player who has made $377,116.37 overall.
These numbers are nothing to sneeze at, to be sure, and they do not even cover some other sources of income the professional gamers can obtain. Other means of income include sponsorships from being on a professional eSports team, commercials, and revenue from live streaming services such as Twitch TV.
However, those who are thinking about quitting their jobs and trying to make a living as a pro video game player should keep their day job. The sport is highly competitive, with players all over the world trying to earn their spot on the list of best video game players. In addition, while some have earned close to half a million dollars on the eSport circuit, not many are able to earn enough to support the habit full time. Only 61 players have managed to earn six figures from playing eSports, and that is over many years of playing video games professionally.
In addition, some of the top earners have managed to get much of their earnings through one very successful tournament, rather than a steady career. Of the $437,114.53 that Lee "Flash" Young Ho has made, $407,228.05 came from a single tournament win. That is roughly 93% of his total income from eSports overall. He also has the advantage of living in South Korea, where eSports have been popular for a longer time than elsewhere, and has access to these big tournaments and the prizes that come from them.