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When Aaron Bland grows up, he wants to play video games — and win millions

AUSSIE teen Aaron Bland ditched his part-time job to play video games — and now he’s raking in the cash.

League of Legends player
League of Legends player

WHEN most of us were kids, playing video games was what you did in between slogging it out at school and work.

But for this Aussie teen, retail wages are for chumps — and virtual worlds,he told the Wentworth Courier, are where there’s real money to be made.

We’re talking millions of dollars in actual cash that’s up for grabs in the world of competitive gaming.

Aaron Bland is a 19-year-old from Sydney’s Bondi Junction who is part of the $197 million a year eSports industry.

He might not look like your typical professional athlete, but Aaron has his eyes on the prize and trains as hard as any swimmer or sprinter ahead of the League of Legends International Wild Card All-Stars tournament.

The game counts 67 million monthly active participants around the world, and last year’s winning LoL team won more than $US1 million ($1.3 million) in prize money.

Aaron said he had already started making enough cash to quit his part-time job.

“I used to work at Boost Juice, but I make more than what that hourly rate paid,” he said.

A screen grab from the League of Legends game being played on the PC.
A screen grab from the League of Legends game being played on the PC.

Despite studying at university, Aaron said he wanted to forge a career in the competitive gaming industry.

“My degree is something to fall back on, but it’s my dream to get a job in eSports,” he said.

“I’m a really big fan of the tournaments and the whole atmosphere of gaming.”

While some might scoff at the idea of a professional video game player, Aaron trains two hours a day up to six days a week leading up to a major tournament.

He is signed to a professional team called Legacy eSports, and earns “more than what a normal part-time job pays”.

The eSports industry fast becoming mainstream thanks to major tournaments in the United States being broadcast on ESPN and Fox Sports.

The recent international DOTA 2 tournament made headlines around the world after the winning team Evil Geniuses pocketed a cool $6.6 million for their win.

Aaron Bland (second from left) with his Legacy eSports teammates at the recent PAX convention. Picture: Twitter
Aaron Bland (second from left) with his Legacy eSports teammates at the recent PAX convention. Picture: Twitter

Logging countless hours behind the keyboard, Aaron is prepping to face off against the likes of Turkey, Brazil and Japan at the event being held in Melbourne at the Margaret Court Arena on November 28 and 29.

He’s been playing competitively for two years after taking up the game with mates from age 14.

The University of Sydney student’s gaming career has taken him to Germany and New Zealand for tournaments, but he still struggles with calling what he does a sport.

“I discuss this with my teammates a lot ... It has similarities to sport in terms of the competitiveness and the hours of training you have to put in to get better,” he said.

“But we were raised to think of sport as something with a physical element. It’s great to be taken more seriously in terms of being picked up by mainstream media and the advertising money.”

If Oceania makes it through the wildcard round, Mr Bland’s team will compete again for a shot at the All-Star finals in Los Angeles in December.

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Originally published as When Aaron Bland grows up, he wants to play video games — and win millions

Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/business/work/when-aaron-bland-grows-up-he-wants-to-play-video-games--and-win-millions/news-story/121c4074a422eff5607000db7ac45ff4