By: Kassandra Thomas
(Gainesville, GA)- He has a manager. He gets mobbed in public. His trips and meals are paid for by his sponsors. He has other famous friends. People wait in line to get his autograph and a picture with him. My boyfriend sounds like your average celebrity…
My 24-year old boyfriend is a professional video game player.
Over the course of two years, he has become a rockstar in the gaming industry, specifically through a free online team game called, “League of Legends.” He is regularly flown out of state to California, Boston, Washington and, this month, China to compete with his team in tournaments.
Aside from his talent and knowledge of the game, his fame comes from his personality. The pro game scene is dominated by the socially awkward. Luckily, he is not one of these people. He is a good, humble guy that’s outgoing and quirky, making his interviews interesting and easy to follow. Fans have been waiting for someone like him and their prayers were finally answered.
To sum it up, I am dating someone who has over 18,000 followers on Twitter. (Being at a women’s college, this has proven to be the most sufficient way to substantiate his fame.) When he’s out of town he tells me about getting mobbed, etc. but it is something you have to see to believe. I had the opportunity to fly out with him a couple times to California and it is unreal. I lost count of the number of guys who told him they loved him, the number of pictures taken with him, and the number of fan girls/guys in general.
Telling friends and acquaintances what he does for a living is sometimes awkward. I can see the judgment on their faces and imagine their sarcastic thoughts, “Video games? That’s ambitious…” When he first started playing, about two years ago, I have to admit that I was even embarrassed to share his career choice. However, I’ve simply learned to ignore any judgment because I could not be any more proud of him. He is living his (and every man’s) dream and he is incredibly happy doing it.
Standing to the side, watching all of this happen, you might think that I would be unhappy and feeling very un-famous and maybe a little jealous. On the contrary, I have never had so much joy. My face hurts from smiling on a daily basis. To say the least, there is something special about knowing that other people (thousands of people at that) appreciate the one you love.
Leave a Reply