Benjy Fish was encouraged by his mother, who also serves as his manager, to switch to home schooling so that he can focus on his Fortnite career. Benjy Fish has qualified for both the Solo and Duos finals in the Fortnite World Cup, representing the NRG eSports organization. He has won £25,000 from playing Fortnite professionally so far, and if he’s successful in the World Cup, could potentially win millions.
While some may scoff at the idea of a 15 year old quitting school to play video games professionally, there is quite a bit of money to be made from pro gaming. In fact, a study released last year claims that pro gamers could soon make more money than professional athletes. Considering this, it’s comparable to someone putting off school to join any other professional sports league.
Of course, pro gamers can make money from more than just winning competitions. Pro gamers can also run YouTube channels and host Twitch streams to make significant sums of cash. While Ninja and DrDisRespect have become millionaires from Twitch, even lesser-known pro gamers can rake in thousands of dollars from their content. One example of a less-famous pro gamer is Nick Overton from Iowa, who makes more than 97% of the state from his gaming content.
With this kind of money on the table for streamers and in the Fortnite World Cup, it makes sense for Fish to put his traditional schoolwork aside. And plus, it’s not like he is giving up on his education entirely. As previously stated, Fish is being home schooled, and he is also meeting with tutors.
As eSports continue to grow, one has to imagine that there will be more stories of young kids quitting school to pursue the profession. As long as they have the skills, kids could genuinely become millionaires playing video games.
Source: Daily Mail, Instagram
