A pro gamer can make more than six figures playing popular games such as League Of Legends competitively. But while the financial rewards of being a champion are high, it turns out that many pro players don’t have a significant other to come home to at night. And, as one elite gamer explains, it has nothing to do with the myth that gamers are insecure nerds who live in their mother’s basement.
Alex “Xpecial” Chu, a League Of Legends master, spoke to Business Insider about why so many players are single — there’s a theory that relationships make players play badly. It’s not because they’re cursed, but rather due to how difficult it is to make time for both a significant other and training to be the very best:
Chu cites a former player for Counter Logic Gaming, one of the top teams in the LCS. According to Chu, the player was the best of the best during the 2011 season, but then he started dating someone he met through the game. As the gamer spent more time with the girlfriend, his play noticeably dropped off. Before long he was out of the league. Now he earns a living by streaming his gameplay on the website Twitch.
Part of the problem is that many people do not recognize professional gaming as a profession. While the job may be fun, the training regimens players go through are both time and labor-intensive, making it difficult to do other things. Chu said the reason he doesn’t have a girlfriend is because he spends eight (minimum) to 14 hours a day practicing, leaving him with very little time to actually do all that stuff you have to in order to maintain a relationship:
“This is a harsh thing to say [to a girlfriend], but it would be like, ‘I love you, but I can’t love you more than I love League of Legends,'” Chu says. “I’m married to League of Legends essentially. I can’t do both. Girls will have to wait until later.”
While that mantra may seem a bit cold, it’s also one that many in other industries subscribe to as well. Considering Chu is currently making more than most of us will in a decade, it makes sense that he’d secure his future before trying to merge his life with someone else. Some professional gamers do have significant others, though. Three gamers on Chu’s team are attached and still playing well.
(Via Business Insider)