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E-sports stars in Southeast Asia’s US$4.3 billion gaming industry train like athletes, battle like gladiators and get paid like bosses
- They train 12 hours a day and live with their team under the constant watch of coaches and psychologists, all for the glory of the arena and a shot at great riches.
- They are Southeast Asia’s e-sports stars of the future – and you might be surprised at how much they’re paid
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Every morning, Brizio Adi Putra wakes at 9 o’clock and enjoys a quick breakfast before settling into his chair for a gruelling 10- to 12-hour shift at work.
The work is so tough his company has hired a psychologist to help him and his colleagues deal with the stress.
But unlike many of his fellow graduates in Indonesia who are hunched over their desks in 9-to-5 office jobs, churning out reports and sending dozens of emails a day, the 23-year-old professional gamer – who goes by the alias “Hyde” – is busy fighting battles in a virtual world.
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“If I had started an office job after graduating from college, I think I would be earning a smaller income than [what I earn] now,” said Putra, from Bandung.
In a region where college graduates earn measly sums in white-collar jobs, e-sports has become a serious career for many young Southeast Asians.
02:15
E-sports debuts at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in the Philippines
E-sports debuts at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in the Philippines
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