When I was 8-years-old, my biggest achievement was successfully faking a stomach ache so that I could bunk school and watch cartoons at home. Meanwhile, 8-year-old Joseph Deen is busy becoming a legend.
According to News18, Joseph Deen from California is the world’s youngest professional Fortnite gamer and he has recently received a whopping Rs 23 lakhs as a signing bonus from the group Team 33 along with a high-speed computer system.
Just like many of us loved playing Sonic or Mario when we were kids, Joseph played Fortnite ever since he was 4-years-old. However, his gaming skills developed and reached a different level. He was so good that influential people from the gaming industry began to notice.
Tyler Gallagher, Team 33’s chief executive and co-founder was told by his scout that they “needed” to sign Joseph or someone else would.
According to BBC, Joseph is “too young” to be playing Fortnite. The game first came out in 2017 and is rated PEGI 12 or ESRB “teen” certification for its “frequent mild violence”.
However, Joseph’s parents have no problem with him playing the game.
“I’ve looked at the game and I don’t think we’re doing anything wrong. He’s a balanced child and comes from a good family and he’s not affected by it,” said Joseph’s mother.
She lets him play 2-3 hours every day after school and a little more on weekends. Joseph, on the other hand, asks his mom for permission every day before playing the game.
Just like many of us dreamt of becoming doctors, teachers, and rockstars when we were young, Joseph knew he wanted to become a professional gamer.
“I’ve thought about being a professional gamer a lot, but no-one took me seriously until Team 33 came along.”
His signing bonus has now been safely kept in a savings account which will be of much use to him when he gets older, said his mother.
This makes me want to reevaluate all the life decisions I have made so far, especially when I was a kid!