Encouragement, advice, and support for aspiring game designers.
Most gamers have spent at least a few minutes entertaining the idea of becoming a professional gaming athlete.
Fame, money, recognition, accolades, respect all for playing video games for a living (and kicking butt, too)!
If you spend any time searching the internet, youll see that thousands of people pursue this dream.
Not everyone has the chops to cut it in the big leagues of gaming. And when you take a look at these top names in eSports, its easy to see how these players made it as far as they did.
Some of these players are inexplicably fantastic and game-changing cunning. Well take a look at players across a few of the most popular games.
If theyre on this list, its because theyre one of the most popular, or most legendary, or highest-earning, or most promising up-and-coming athletes in eSports.
Amnesiaccame tearing out of the gate with his first championship win inHearthstone.
His name is William Barton, and hes only15 years old. But his young age didnt prevent him from becoming the Americas Winter Champion in the Hearthstone Championship Tour thispast March.
How was a player so young able to compete so successfully in the tournament?Bartonattributes his wins to his deck preparation and correct anticipation of the tournaments metagame. A tournament of this size was a top priority for him, but he declines invitations to smaller tournaments in order tofocuson his schoolwork.
Since, you know, hes only15. He would have needed someone to drive him to the tournament, for crying out loud.
is a Swedish 24-year-old who was voted the best player in 2015 . He also has an impressive404,000 . His claim to fame game is, playing for the team Fnatic. Hes made nearly
Olafmeister has managed to eliminate opponents 29,363 times, with almost half of these kills (46.7%) being headshots. He has experienced 26,630 deaths, leading to a K/D (kill/death) ratio of 1.10. This means that for every 10 times he died, he managed to eliminate 11 opponents.
He inflicted an average of 72.9 points of damage per round and 4.4 of that damage came from using grenades.
Ian Porteris an American, also in his early twenties. He is a retired professionalHaloplayer, but still actively competes inCall of Dutytournaments. He was the first person in the world to hold a Major League Gaming Pro Player title in both franchises (HaloandCoD).
For over a year he has held the record inCall of Dutyas the professional player with the most wins in the game. Since hes won at least seven tournaments in everyCall of Dutygame that hes competed in professionally, its easy to see how hes set and held, that record.
Johnathan Wendelis retired now but got his start as an 18-year-old back in 1999. He is widely considered one of the best FPS gamers of all time. This could be because he got intopro gamingin its earliest days. Or it could be because he dominated, especially in one v one setting.
Quake III Arenawas his debut game, and he placed third in his first tournament. He went on to see continued success inQuake III Arenacompetitions, as well asUnreal Tournament 2003, andPainkillertournaments. He dabbled inCall of DutyandCounter-Strikeas well. He won12 world championship titlesover the course of his career.
Christopher Alesundstarted competing in 2007. Most peoplehailChristopher as one of the bestCounter-Strike 1.6players of all time.
Hes earned over$316,000 dollarsthrough his career inCounter-Strike. Even though1.6was his jam, hes adapted extremely well toGlobal Offensive. He plays for Ninjas in Pyjamas currently, and hes 26 years old.
Lee Jae-dongis another 26-year-old gamer known for his domination in the Starcraft franchise. He has been successful in bothStarcraft: Brood Warand alsoStarcraft II.
He is the 34th highest-earning professional gamer, and the top earner forStarcraftgamers, with over$611,000 dollarsnetted so far. Thats some serious loot, but the man can game!
Lee Sanghyukhas the widely recognized reputation of best midlaner inLeague of Legends.Fakeris notorious for executing exceptional plays against opponents, against all odds, in situations where he had no right coming out on top.
He is the highest-grossingLeague of Legendsplayer with overhalf a million dollarsin earnings. Juststay out of his lane. Its for your own good.
Saahil Arorais the 2nd highest-earning professional gamer in the world. He is aDotA 2player who has earned over$2.1 million dollarsin his time withDefense of the Ancients. Hes placed 1st and 3rd (mostly 1st) in a number of theDotAcompetitions hes competed in during the past two years.
He played with team Evil Geniuses on and off and was hailed as one of the best offers in the world after a potent performance at The International 2014 competition.
Ah, a bit of a tie. These are twoDotAplayers who are still with team Evil Geniuses. They are the third and first highest-earning gamers (respectively). Fear has earned$1.9 million dollars, and PPD has earned$2.1 million dollars.
These two, along with the rest of theirEvil Geniuses team, took 1st place in The International 2015 tournament, which led to some serious prize pool cash.
Written byDustin Tyler- Updated onOctober 1, 2023
10 Awesome Facts About Video Game Designers
Is Indie Game Development A Good Career Choice?
16 Awesome Video Games Made From Successful Crowdfunding Campaigns
Initially focused on web dev, Dustin was introduced to game design by a friend after college and was immediately attracted to the combination of technical skill and creativity required to make an awesome game.
Hes utilized his web dev skills and desire to help others by creating a resource where expert game designers can share what theyve learned with the next generation of aspiring game makers.
No responses yet