South Korean Gamer Earns Rs 36 Lakh A Month Playing Video Games In His Mother's Storeroom
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Basit AijazUpdated on Mar 26, 2021, 13:50 IST
The cramped studio is an unlikely home for a budding millionaire, but the 24-year-old's gaming prowess — mixed with quick-witted commentary and high-school-level humour — has seen his income climb to about $50,000 a month (Rs 36 lakh)That puts him well into the top one percent of earners in South Korea, but he remains grounded and doesn't let it effect his humble lifestyle.He makes money from fan donations, sponsorship — sometimes consuming local energy drinks midstream — and advertising on YouTube, where he has more than 400,000 subscribers.
For many gamers, COVID-19 has been a blessing in disguise. As coronavirus-induced lockdown forced people across the world to stay indoors, some people made the most of it.
None more so than Kim Min-kyo, who has being making a fortune, just by playing video games for up to 15 hours a day. He has been live streaming those games and has been watched by thousands of fans. In a converted storeroom on the roof of his mother's Seoul apartment, he has been minting money, literally.
The cramped studio is an unlikely home for a budding millionaire, but the 24-year-old's gaming prowess — mixed with quick-witted commentary and high-school-level humour — has seen his income climb to about $50,000 a month (Rs 36 lakh), News18 reported.
That puts him well into the top one percent of earners in South Korea, but he remains grounded and doesn't let it effect his humble lifestyle. "I'm not really into cars or spending lots of money," said Kim, who eats, sleeps, washes and works in the small space.
"My mum manages all my income so I never have a lot of money on me," he told AFP.
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Live streamers, known as "Broadcast Jockeys" or BJs in South Korea, are hard-wired to the digital infrastructure of youth culture. They entertain for hours with an interactive mishmash of chat, gaming, dance, music, eating, getting drunk or even just sleeping.
A few can earn over $100,000 in a good month from broadcasting live on home grown platform AfreecaTV, and uploading edited content to YouTube.
Kim, who often streams himself playing online battle game League of Legends in his pyjamas, builds on his content with conversations that flirt with the country's social boundaries. "Maybe sometimes you need to do something absurd to attract followers," he acknowledged.
Also read: Steam Records 120 Million Monthly Active Users As Gamers Use Lockdown Time
He makes money from fan donations, sponsorship — sometimes consuming local energy drinks midstream — and advertising on YouTube, where he has more than 400,000 subscribers.
For live-streamers, the coronavirus has been good for business. Over the first four months of last year, as the South Korean government urged people to stay at home to control the outbreak's first wave, time watching videos on smartphones surged, according to the Korea Communications Commission.
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