10 MOST EARNING GAMERS

Playing video games and getting paid
good money to do so is probably high up
on the list of dream jobs for many of us,
and it’s become a newly lucrative reality
for some talented gaming enthusiasts.
Nowadays, electronic sports – or eSports
– have truly exploded worldwide and
have created a subculture of full-time
gamers making comfortable livings
playing the games they love.
For more than 60 gamers the world over,
prize money has topped $100,000 and
for the elite serious gamers, prize money
has extended well beyond this. Keep in
mind that the calculated earnings here
don’t include any and all sponsorship
deals, team salaries or even income that
many players get for streaming their
practice games. The list compiled below
is based purely on tournament winnings
– and the numbers are huge.
So, next time you think about forcing
your child or partner to turn off their
video game, consider they could be
simply in training! This isn’t all talent
and training though; these professional
gamers have invested serious money in
state of the art technology to make sure
they’re quite literally at the top of their
game.
10. Dmitriy “LighTofHeaveN”
Kupriyanov – $270,156
Russia’s Dmitriy “LighTofHeaveN”
Kupriyanov takes the number ten spot.
His total earnings are compiled from 23
tournaments. At 26, LighTofHeaveN has
set himself up financially. In most of the
tournaments he’s played in he has
placed 1st or 2nd at international level.
His game of choice: Defense of the
Ancients, or DotA as it’s known in the
gaming community.
9. Jung “Mvp” Jong Hyun –
$390,116.38
Jung “Mvp” Jong Hyun has played in 49
tournaments thus far. He has become a
legendary player in the GOMTV Global
StarCraft II League. It’s a league hosted
by Blizzard Entertainment and GomTV
in South Korea – although it’s an
international tournament, and there’s
an English stream available as well.
Hyun is not only a professional player of
StarCraft II, but of StarCraft: Brood War
and is a four time Global StarCraft II
champion.

8. Jang “Moon” Jae Ho –
$424,757.00
Jang “Moon” Jae Ho has played in a total
of 78 tournaments. He is 27-years-old
and his gaming career included playing
as Night Elf in Warcraft III (Night Elf),
and a Zerg in StarCraft II.
He’s won over ten high-profile games
including five championship
tournaments as a player of Warcraft III,
four seasons of MBCGame’s World War,
and three nationally televised South-
Korean leagues.
Moon has earned himself the nickname
of “5th Race” for his gameplay in
Warcraft III, and has developed
benchmark strategies that others have
been adopted by others in the gaming
world. Moon has the honor of having
played in more televised WarCraft III
games than any other player; he’s a
serious professional. No wonder he has
made his way to number six on the top
earning gamers list – this guy is nearly
unstoppable.

7. Jang “MC” Min Chul –
$426,526.25
Jang “MC” Min Chul has earned his place
in the gamer world after playing in 75
tournaments, and earning almost half a
million dollars doing so. MC is still very
young at 22 and has a lot of time to
move up on this list. He’s one of the best
Protoss players out there, and
consistently performs at a seemingly
unbeatable level. MC is known for his
pregame and postgame ceremonies – one
of his most outlandish moments was
when he dressed as Murloc for the 2011
MLG Providence Pro-Circuit, and not
only that, but he performed an elaborate
victory ceremony after he won against
fellow gamer Mvp.

6. Clement “Puppey” Ivanov –
$433,638.84
Estonian Clement “Puppey” Ivanov is
pretty impressive. Having played in less
than half of the tournaments MC has
played in, Puppey has still earned more.
At 23, Puppey finds himself as team
captain of Natus Vincere – a Ukranian
eSports team – and in this position he’s
lead his team to victory in both the
ESWC and The International. A
significant amount of his earnings have
been won playing DotA 2.
5. Oleksandr “XBOCT”
Dashkevych – $435,838.84
Oleksandr Dashkevych, or XBOCT, is 29
and has played in a total of 36
tournaments. He is part of the Ukrainian
team Natus Vincere, and he plays DotA 2
professionally. He is known for his talent
as a Carry, and esports.com reports that
he maintains ‘fast and steady farm’ in
gameplay. This pro gamer helped his
team to victory in several high-profile
tournaments. XBOCT didn’t really earn
big money until The International in
2011, but it certainly seems he has got
the hang of it now.

4. Danylo “Dendi” Ishutin –
$438,142.93
Danylo “Dendi” Ishutin is 24 and has
already played in a total of 38
tournaments. In 2008, he started his
professional gaming career by playing
the original Defence of the Ancients.
However, shortly thereafter he was hired
by a professional gaming team, Natus
Vincere, whose members feature heavily
on this list. Dendi originally played the
first “Defense of the Ancients” in 2008
for a living, until hired by professional
gaming team – Natus Vincere – in 2011
after a DotA 2 tournament with million
dollar prize was announced. He is now
recognized as one of the most successful
DotA 2 players in the world.

3. Lee “Flash” Young Ho –
$446,371.91
Lee “Flash” Young Ho is a Terran player
in StarCraft: Brood War. At 21 (23
Korean) he is the youngest top earner on
the list. Just as his gamer name Flash
indicated, this wunderkind is quick. His
career started strong, as he rapidly
amassed a winning record playing
Proleague games in both the MSL
(MBCGame StarCraft League) and OSL
(OnGameNet StarLeague). He also
became the youngest programer to win a
title in Starleague, at the ripe young age
of 15. Flash has also become the first
player ever to reach both individual
league finals three times in a row.

2. Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel –
$454,544.98
Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel has
developed into a legendary game player,
and has held one of the top earning
gamer spots for the past few years. He
has played in 35 tournaments to date,
and at 35-years-old he is a little more
seasoned than most other players on this
list. Fatal1ty has been most successful
playing first-person shooters, and has
earned massive cash prizes doing so. In
2005 alone, when he played in 10
tournaments, this gamer earned over
$230,000. He’s also an entrepreneur;
using his status as one of the world’s first
prominent professional gamers, Fatal1ty
has received major sponsorship from
computer hardware companies, and sells
his own gaming gear.

1. Lee “Jaedong” Jae Dong –
$504,486.72
At age 25, Lee “Jaedong” Jae Dong is the
top dog in gaming, having earned over
half a million dollars in a total of 47
tournaments. He is a Zerg player in
StarCraft: Brood War and has been
regarded as the greatest Zerg player in
the history of professional gameplay.
He’s also been able to achieve incredible
success playing StarCraft” Brood War’s
sequel: StarCraft II. However, before he
moved on to StarCraft: II, Jaedong made
massive earning playing Brood War. If
he does just as well with the sequel,
Jaedong will be sure to go down in
gaming history as one of the all time
greats.