HILLIARD, Ohio — For 14-year-old Dublin resident Jonathan Weber, gaming is a way of life.
The last year has been quite lucrative. In fact, Weber, who goes by the alias “Yung Calculator,” has earned $210,000 in the National Fortnite Series competition.
- The Dublin, Ohio gamer has brought home more than $200,000 over the last year playing the combat-style video game
- He says he's living the dream of every teenager and he's confident his skills will take him to the next level
- He goes by the alias “Yung Calculator” and has more than 33,000 Twitter followers
He loves the rush of team competition and confidence is not a problem.
“I do everything better than everybody else. I outsmart them, I out-build them, out-aim them, everything," said Weber.
Fornite is a survival game that pits 100 players against one another in head-to-head combat to be the last one standing.
The “Yung Calculator,” recently caught the eye of Justin Kogge, founder of Vanguard and co-owner of the Esports facility Game Arena in Hilliard.
“We knew that we could help with multiple parts of making sure that all he has to do is focus on Fortnite, but had the support system that he needed to be successful,” said Kogge.
Yung Calculator's accomplishments have catapulted him to more than 33,000 followers on Twitter.
Weber says his biggest challenge is time-management, balancing practicing his craft with three days a week of online schooling, eating healthy, sleeping and exercising.
Kogge, a competitive gamer himself, says Weber knows where he wants to go in the future.
“He definitely has a better vision than most 14-year-olds for what they want to do. But he's also realizing that this is a huge opportunity for him, and he's taking full advantage of it,” said Weber.
Weber has another big tournament in Anaheim, California next month.
Right now, he says he's not thinking too much about the future. Instead, he’s enjoying the ride.
But he's excited about the road ahead and the explosion of the gaming industry — a business that brought in more than $150 billion in 2019.
“The rapid growth of the industry is just so exciting. There's more money, more hype, people watching you play, it's very fun to be a part of,” said Weber.