Those who spend a lot of time playing computer games are usually accused of idleness and wasting time. But the story of Dmitry Frishman proves the opposite. At 19, he successfully makes money on online games. And combines his hobby with his studies. Frishman is a World of Tanks player from the Na`Vi eSports club. He plays under the nickname SL1DE. For the last two years, the guy has devoted almost all his free time to games.
From hobby to work
Frishman learned about the game World of Tanks from a friend four years ago. "In my adult life, I played a small number of games. But if I started, it turned into a serious hobby," Frishman recalls. During this time, he managed to try German, Soviet, American and French tanks. Frishman played light, medium, heavy tanks and artillery. He pumped up his account simply by playing. "At first, my goal was to reach level 10 in different branches of different tanks. When I started participating in tournaments, I focused on the technique of the game,” says the cyber sportsman. To improve his statistics of victories, he played in a platoon.
When the opportunity to participate in one-on-one tournaments appeared in World of Tanks, Frishman began to try his hand at this direction. That’s how he earned his first $100 and met professional player Dmitry Palashchenko. It was he who opened up cyber sports to Frishman, inviting him to his team. In 2013, the 17-year-old guy moved with Palashchenko to the Red Rush team. At that time, one of the most significant victories for Frishman was the victory at the World Cyber Games 2013 tournament as part of the Ukrainian national team Team Dignitas. The prize for first place was $35 thousand.
In 2014, the entire Rush team signed a contract with Na`Vi. Now, all related issues related to organizing the comfortable stay of the players at the tournament are handled by Na`Vi managers. The club supplies the team with gaming devices, supports them financially, and issues visas. "Na`Vi offered us great support conditions. Their principle is that the player should only be engaged in the game," says Frishman. The World of Tanks team of the Na`Vi eSports Club consists of seven people. These are guys from Ukraine and Russia. Each of the team has their own tasks: someone is a scout, someone is on the front lines. Frishman plays on Tier 8 tanks AMX 50 100 and Ru 251 - these are support tanks. "If we draw an analogy, such tanks can be compared to snipers: they cover from behind, support, and inflict damage," the eSportsman explains.
This tactic works - in 2014, the team took gold in the Grand Final of the Wargaming.net League and won $55 thousand. Now Frishman does not pump up his gaming profile in any way. There is no need for this, because the competitions are held on special tournament accounts.
The team participates in five or six tournaments a year. Before them, the guys train for 7 hours a day. There are also training sessions so that the participants can communicate in person and discuss the nuances of the game. "Now team play has reached such a level that there are practically no universal tactics for winning. Each opponent requires a special approach," says Frishman. In the winter off-season, team training takes place two or three times a week for three hours. On other days, gamers play alone to stay in shape. Despite the many hours of training, the players try to go to bed no later than 1 a.m. "In eSports, the psychological state of the player is very important, which largely depends on the physical one," explains Frishman. In addition to training and studying at the university, the eSports athlete manages to study English and go to the gym. An important role is also played by the support of family and friends. "My biggest fan is my grandfather. He actively supports me and almost always watches tournaments with the participation of our team," the athlete shares. For Frishman, eSports is work, a favorite thing and a way of life. He is often approached with a variety of questions about the game. The athlete has a group on VKontakte and a YouTube channel.
How gamers make money
The main source of income is winning tournaments. According to Forbes Ukraine, in five years of its existence, Na’Vi has won almost all the world’s largest eSports tournaments, earning more than $3.5 million. Of course, ordinary team members earn less than organizers and coaches. But their salaries, according to the above-mentioned source, are $750-1 thousand. The salaries of key players can reach $8 thousand. But team organizers are ready to make such expenses. On the one hand, they need to retain eSportsmen who can take part in about 20 tournaments a year. On the other hand, in case of a win, all costs are recouped.
For those who want to make money on online games, it is important to have good reaction, determination and be mentally stable. Also, for a good game you will need an easy-to-use mouse and headphones. And professional gamers can't do without a 24-inch gaming monitor.
How to get into a team and move from the category of slackers who sit in front of a monitor for days on end to the category of professional eSports athletes?
Those who spend a lot of time playing computer games are usually accused of idleness and wasting time. But the story of Dmitry Frishman proves the opposite. At 19, he successfully makes money on online games. And combines his hobby with his studies. Frishman is a World of Tanks player from the Na`Vi eSports club. He plays under the nickname SL1DE. For the last two years, the guy has devoted almost all his free time to games.
From hobby to work
Frishman learned about the game World of Tanks from a friend four years ago. "In my adult life, I played a small number of games. But if I started, it turned into a serious hobby," Frishman recalls. During this time, he managed to try German, Soviet, American and French tanks. Frishman played light, medium, heavy tanks and artillery. He pumped up his account simply by playing. "At first, my goal was to reach level 10 in different branches of different tanks. When I started participating in tournaments, I focused on the technique of the game,” says the cyber sportsman. To improve his statistics of victories, he played in a platoon.
When the opportunity to participate in one-on-one tournaments appeared in World of Tanks, Frishman began to try his hand at this direction. That’s how he earned his first $100 and met professional player Dmitry Palashchenko. It was he who opened up cyber sports to Frishman, inviting him to his team. In 2013, the 17-year-old guy moved with Palashchenko to the Red Rush team. At that time, one of the most significant victories for Frishman was the victory at the World Cyber Games 2013 tournament as part of the Ukrainian national team Team Dignitas. The prize for first place was $35 thousand.
In 2014, the entire Rush team signed a contract with Na`Vi. Now, all related issues related to organizing the comfortable stay of the players at the tournament are handled by Na`Vi managers. The club supplies the team with gaming devices, supports them financially, and issues visas. "Na`Vi offered us great support conditions. Their principle is that the player should only be engaged in the game," says Frishman. The World of Tanks team of the Na`Vi eSports Club consists of seven people. These are guys from Ukraine and Russia. Each of the team has their own tasks: someone is a scout, someone is on the front lines. Frishman plays on Tier 8 tanks AMX 50 100 and Ru 251 - these are support tanks. "If we draw an analogy, such tanks can be compared to snipers: they cover from behind, support, and inflict damage," the eSportsman explains.
This tactic works - in 2014, the team took gold in the Grand Final of the Wargaming.net League and won $55 thousand. Now Frishman does not pump up his gaming profile in any way. There is no need for this, because the competitions are held on special tournament accounts.
The team participates in five or six tournaments a year. Before them, the guys train for 7 hours a day. There are also training sessions so that the participants can communicate in person and discuss the nuances of the game. "Now team play has reached such a level that there are practically no universal tactics for winning. Each opponent requires a special approach," says Frishman. In the winter off-season, team training takes place two or three times a week for three hours. On other days, gamers play alone to stay in shape. Despite the many hours of training, the players try to go to bed no later than 1 a.m. "In eSports, the psychological state of the player is very important, which largely depends on the physical one," explains Frishman. In addition to training and studying at the university, the eSports athlete manages to study English and go to the gym. An important role is also played by the support of family and friends. "My biggest fan is my grandfather. He actively supports me and almost always watches tournaments with the participation of our team," the athlete shares. For Frishman, eSports is work, a favorite thing and a way of life. He is often approached with a variety of questions about the game. The athlete has a group on VKontakte and a YouTube channel.
How gamers make money
The main source of income is winning tournaments. According to Forbes Ukraine, in five years of its existence, Na’Vi has won almost all the world’s largest eSports tournaments, earning more than $3.5 million. Of course, ordinary team members earn less than organizers and coaches. But their salaries, according to the above-mentioned source, are $750-1 thousand. The salaries of key players can reach $8 thousand. But team organizers are ready to make such expenses. On the one hand, they need to retain eSportsmen who can take part in about 20 tournaments a year. On the other hand, in case of a win, all costs are recouped.
For those who want to make money on online games, it is important to have good reaction, determination and be mentally stable. Also, for a good game you will need an easy-to-use mouse and headphones. And professional gamers can't do without a 24-inch gaming monitor.
How to get into a team and move from the category of slackers who sit in front of a monitor for days on end to the category of professional eSports athletes?
