Teenager is making over £150K a year by playing the video game Fortnite

Teenager is making over £150K a year by playing the video game Fortnite

A teenager is making over £150K ($200,000 USD) a year by playing the video game Fortnite - but he's saving nearly all the money he makes. Alex Benabe, 19, regularly plays for 12 to 24 hours straight and he once live-streamed for 37 HOURS without stopping for anything except bathroom breaks. On average Alex plays for about ten hours a day in his father's garage, which has been converted into a high-tech gaming center containing $50,000 USD worth of equipment. His game of choice is Fortnite Battle Royale -  in which 100 players brawl in a free-for-all fight to the death online. The successful teen is also prepping to compete in the Fortnite World Cup in July, a tournament with a $30 million prize pool. Alex, who goes by the name "Destroy" online, said he always knew he wanted to be a professional gamer. "I've been playing games since I was seven-years-old," said Alex, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. "To be honest I didn't have a plan B.

I knew I didn't want to go to college and I knew I didn't want to get a job."My first game was Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

I made my first bit of money when I was thirteen. "My career really started in 2018.

I got very serious around then and was making $40k-$50k a year." Alex now earns a whopping $10k-$12k a month on Twitch, a top live streaming platform for gaming. He also rakes in thousands from playing to live audiences in stadiums and from deals with the gaming software company Epic Games. "I made around $60k last year from Epic Games for performing well in certain matches," said Alex, who also has a lucrative contract with the professional esports organization Luminosity Gaming."Unfortunately, Luminosity has a nondisclosure policy, so I can't tell you exactly how much I make, but their offer was very aggressive," he said. Alex's father and manager, Manny Benabe, 41, said that his well-heeled son is saving nearly all the money he makes.But he did recently spend $50,000 dollars converting his garage into a high-tech gaming center.For the average gamer, seven high-end gaming monitors might be excessive, but for Alex, it's a prudent investment.He said: "When playing at this level, high-end gear is a necessary expense. "I mostly play Fortnite, but I want to continue to grow in other games as well.  "I also want to grow my brand and do YouTube videos and blogs. "When it's time to switch games, I'll find a game that my fans like." But it isn't all fun and games.

In order to keep a competitive edge, Alex has to maintain a rigorous practice schedule. "I play every day for at least eight hours.

Some days I play up to 12.

On average I'd say I play around 10 hours a day, but I've played 24 hours before.

My longest stream ever was actually 37 straight hours."I eat on camera and take bathroom breaks as necessary." There is also a physical toll that can come with professional gaming."There are times when my back hurts.

I get active and stay in shape to counteract the stress of sitting in a chair all day," he said. "I hit the gym four to five times a week and have a personal trainer.

It definitely helps me mentally. "Streamers work inside most of the time.

So working out, even an hour a day, gives me time to get outside and keep myself balanced."  Alex asserts that maintaining discipline through gaming and exercise has even helped him control his Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). He said: "Growing up I struggled, always getting in trouble and getting in fights. "I was super hyper and had lacked self control."When I started taking gaming more seriously, I wanted to stop taking my [ADHD] medication.

I didn't want to depend on medication to function. "Gaming also kept me out of the streets.

Philadelphia can be a really toxic place if you fall in with the wrong crowd.

Gaming kept me from choosing the wrong friends."

A teenager is making over £150K ($200,000 USD) a year by playing the video game Fortnite - but he's saving nearly all the money he makes.

Alex Benabe, 19, regularly plays for 12 to 24 hours straight and he once live-streamed for 37 HOURS without stopping for anything except bathroom breaks.

On average Alex plays for about ten hours a day in his father's garage, which has been converted into a high-tech gaming center containing $50,000 USD worth of equipment.

His game of choice is Fortnite Battle Royale -  in which 100 players brawl in a free-for-all fight to the death online.

The successful teen is also prepping to compete in the Fortnite World Cup in July, a tournament with a $30 million prize pool.

Alex, who goes by the name "Destroy" online, said he always knew he wanted to be a professional gamer.

"I've been playing games since I was seven-years-old," said Alex, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

"To be honest I didn't have a plan B.

I knew I didn't want to go to college and I knew I didn't want to get a job."My first game was Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

I made my first bit of money when I was thirteen.

"My career really started in 2018.

I got very serious around then and was making $40k-$50k a year." Alex now earns a whopping $10k-$12k a month on Twitch, a top live streaming platform for gaming.

He also rakes in thousands from playing to live audiences in stadiums and from deals with the gaming software company Epic Games.

"I made around $60k last year from Epic Games for performing well in certain matches," said Alex, who also has a lucrative contract with the professional esports organization Luminosity Gaming."Unfortunately, Luminosity has a nondisclosure policy, so I can't tell you exactly how much I make, but their offer was very aggressive," he said.

Alex's father and manager, Manny Benabe, 41, said that his well-heeled son is saving nearly all the money he makes.But he did recently spend $50,000 dollars converting his garage into a high-tech gaming center.For the average gamer, seven high-end gaming monitors might be excessive, but for Alex, it's a prudent investment.He said: "When playing at this level, high-end gear is a necessary expense.

"I mostly play Fortnite, but I want to continue to grow in other games as well.

"I also want to grow my brand and do YouTube videos and blogs.

"When it's time to switch games, I'll find a game that my fans like." But it isn't all fun and games.

In order to keep a competitive edge, Alex has to maintain a rigorous practice schedule.

"I play every day for at least eight hours.

Some days I play up to 12.

On average I'd say I play around 10 hours a day, but I've played 24 hours before.

My longest stream ever was actually 37 straight hours."I eat on camera and take bathroom breaks as necessary." There is also a physical toll that can come with professional gaming."There are times when my back hurts.

I get active and stay in shape to counteract the stress of sitting in a chair all day," he said.

"I hit the gym four to five times a week and have a personal trainer.

It definitely helps me mentally.

"Streamers work inside most of the time.

So working out, even an hour a day, gives me time to get outside and keep myself balanced."  Alex asserts that maintaining discipline through gaming and exercise has even helped him control his Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

He said: "Growing up I struggled, always getting in trouble and getting in fights.

"I was super hyper and had lacked self control."When I started taking gaming more seriously, I wanted to stop taking my [ADHD] medication.

I didn't want to depend on medication to function.

"Gaming also kept me out of the streets.

Philadelphia can be a really toxic place if you fall in with the wrong crowd.

Gaming kept me from choosing the wrong friends."