Can we really call videogamers professional athletes?
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He’s making about $300,000 a month, he has a fan base numbered in the millions, and he spends at least 12 hours a day playing on his computer. Tyler Blevins, better known by his Fortnite handle “Ninja”, is a superstar in the world of organized, competitive videogaming or eSports. eSports fans tune in via online streaming services to watch professional gamers like Ninja play their favorite videogames in real time. Certain tournaments can attract audiences in the tens of millions attending via live-streaming platforms like YouTube or Amazon’s Twitch to watch gamers compete for cash prizes of up to $25 million. The global appeal of this new form of entertainment has put eSports well on its way to becoming a billion-dollar industry this year. But can videogames really take market share away from traditional sports?