The Millennial Mentality
I'm sure many of you all are familiar with this headline from a month ago: Ninja Makes $500k a Month Playing Fornite Battle Royale.
If you're anything like me and would have already done the math before reading another word, yes, that's $6M a year for playing video games. For those of you who don't know anything about that headline, Fortnite is a viral video game that has become extremely popular as of late. Many people, even celebrities, realize a hefty stream of revenue by streaming their game time on the Twitch platform. Twitch is a streaming platform for anything video games. Like YouTube, the more subscribers you acquire, the more money you make.
Many folks from the older generations critique the Millennial Mentality. In their eyes, these extreme examples have corrupted our minds and have caused us to lose respect for hard work. However, I'd like to disagree. I think we all grew up in the startup era, hearing story after story of people going from zero to hero in a matter of months. This hasn't corrupted our minds, but instead, it has opened our minds up to alternative options. This day and age, people will find a way to monetize almost anything. So, why not focus on building a career around something you love — even video games.
My point is this: it doesn't have to be something really out there like video games, but when you focus on something you're passionate about you will naturally become great at it. You won't want to improve at something you hate doing.
A family friend and recent mentor of mine, Tom Erikson, said something I really like, "the more fun you're having, the more money you make." Many people would snicker at that, but I find it to be incredibly accurate. Especially in the startup space where 90% of companies fail. Why not fail at something you love?
If you're anything like me and would have already done the math before reading another word, yes, that's $6M a year for playing video games. For those of you who don't know anything about that headline, Fortnite is a viral video game that has become extremely popular as of late. Many people, even celebrities, realize a hefty stream of revenue by streaming their game time on the Twitch platform. Twitch is a streaming platform for anything video games. Like YouTube, the more subscribers you acquire, the more money you make.
Many folks from the older generations critique the Millennial Mentality. In their eyes, these extreme examples have corrupted our minds and have caused us to lose respect for hard work. However, I'd like to disagree. I think we all grew up in the startup era, hearing story after story of people going from zero to hero in a matter of months. This hasn't corrupted our minds, but instead, it has opened our minds up to alternative options. This day and age, people will find a way to monetize almost anything. So, why not focus on building a career around something you love — even video games.
My point is this: it doesn't have to be something really out there like video games, but when you focus on something you're passionate about you will naturally become great at it. You won't want to improve at something you hate doing.
A family friend and recent mentor of mine, Tom Erikson, said something I really like, "the more fun you're having, the more money you make." Many people would snicker at that, but I find it to be incredibly accurate. Especially in the startup space where 90% of companies fail. Why not fail at something you love?
Most of our class is about to graduate, so I thought this topic rather important. As soon-to-be USC grads, the working world in your 20s is truly a playground. Play the field. Find a passion. Master it. Work hard no matter what seat you're sitting in, and you'll end up somewhere that you are truly happy to be. For me, that's Venture Capital, but tomorrow it could be drag racing.
In the face of uncertainty, we all have to learn to appreciate the journey.
Hi Carter:
ReplyDeleteSurprisingly, I did not hear about the headline: Ninja Makes $500K a Month Playing Fortnite Battle Royale. However, I have recently observed how many people are actively engaged with this new videogame called Fortnite and I do not understand why. It would be interesting to learn more about what strategies Fortnite has used to acquire so many initial users for this online game.
In my opinion, any rational individual would play video games to earn $6M a year. That payoff is absurd and many industry professionals do not even make half of that! I did not know that Twitch was similar to Youtube except for video games. On Twitch, if I develop a video game and organically increase the amount of users that play my video game I would get compensated for it?
Also, I completely agree with you that people must pursue their passion and figure out a way to earn a living from it. Imagine leading a life doing work that you do not enjoy. That would lead misery and high levels of frustration. Also, the new generation does work hard but they are just working towards achieving the goals that interest and motivate them. It is important to love what you do. At Recode, a technology conference, Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon said "I tap dance into work everyday", because he just loves what he does given that it excites and challenges him.
Overall, great random blog post and best of luck in pursuing your career in venture-capital.
Best,
Amirteymour Moazami
Amir, you do not even have to develop a video game. On twitch, you play someone else's video game and stream it for others to watch. Apparently, video gamers like to watch the best of the best play games, much like real sports. This is why many people talk about esports becoming a big deal — maybe even entering the olympics. There's a huge market demand for streamed video game content.
DeleteThanks for the comment, Amir
Got it. Thanks for the prompt response.
DeleteI have been grinding fortnite recently so reading about Ninja in your introduction was interesting. I would be lying if I said I haven't tuned into his stream just to see what the big deal is. Ninja clearly does what he does because he loves it and brings viewers joy. I liked the quote you used concerning happiness because no amount of money in the world can make up for you hating your life. Great job on this post.
ReplyDeleteYou become a idol for me. You always change my the Way of thinking .
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