Christian "IWDominate" Rivera, Diego "Quas" Ruiz, Kim "FeniX" Jae-hoon, Chae "Piglet" Gwang-jin, and Alex "Xspecial" Chu (left to right) are living the dream.
The five young men of Team Liquid earn around $60,000 each, plus what they get through sponsorship and streaming deals, and live for free in a LA condo just for being good at League of Legends, the most popular competitive video game in the world
Despite a roster loaded with top players, it has been stuck around fourth place in North America. With the addition of a former world champion, however, hopes are high that the team will earn a shot at the World Championship's $1-million prize.
Being a professional gamer is a sweet gig, but it's not all fantasy. With high pressure and low job security, gamers play up to 14 hours a day to stay on top of their craft, all while devoting their formative years to skills that may have little marketable value later in life.
That's why Alex "Xpecial" Chu told his younger brother, a talented gamer in his own right, to stay out of pro-gaming. "I know how hard it is," he says.
We visited the team in Santa Monica, California to get a first-hand look.