Video games and video game players have always had that negative stigma floating around them, that they’re wasting their time or aren’t doing anything productive for society. Now, some players are proving doubters wrong.

As competitive gaming and e-sports grow more and more popular, so are the prizes for being exceptionally good at these games. Games like League of Legends, Heroes of the Storm, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive are fueling the e-sports scene, it’s becoming easier to make money from playing video games.

The college interest in the realm of online gaming is also growing. Some colleges, such as Clemson University and the University of California, Berkeley, already have e-sports teams of their own, while other schools are beginning to hand out scholarships to players that exceed other players in their preferred game.

A recent success story in e-sports is the game, Overwatch from Blizzard Entertainment. The game has become a giant in e-sports, within a little under a year. In November 2016, the Overwatch League was founded and in January 2018, the League officially began. At first, it was shown weekly on the popular video game streaming platform, Twitch. Later in 2018, the Overwatch League partnered with Disney and ESPN to have the games shown on national TV, along with Twitch. There were twelve different teams from all over the world competing for the overall prize pool of over $3.5 million.

According to ign.com, the minimum salary for players in the Overwatch League was $50,000. While the average salary for professional e-sports players of any game can be anywhere between $1,000 to $5,000, monthly. For League of Legends players, the starting salary in North America can be over $320,000, yearly. Think about that for a second. Earning thousands of dollars per month for playing video games.

Of course, it’s not as simple as just playing a video game. Sure, it might seem easy or even trivial, but players put hours upon hours into practicing in a game to better themselves and their chances of getting noticed, by colleges or official teams.

These players also have to learn how to build communication and teamwork skills, which are both very valuable skills to have in the real world. Competitive gaming may not be considered to be an actual sport, but it certainly holds similar values. You have to work as a team to truly succeed, just like in any other sport.

What it really boils down to is the fact that both physical sports and e-sports are just games. A form of entertainment, for both the players and the audience members. That is what it really is. These players are paid because of their high skill level in any game and their ability to entertain an audience.