Can You Play Video Games for a Living in Aroostook County, Maine?

Can You Make Money Playing Video Games? 

These days, a lot of people are looking for additional income or a new line of work. Is playing video games for a living something to pursue, and how do you make it happen in Aroostook County, Maine?

A great place to start is at NMCC Falcon Esports. They don’t play for money, but the experience is for a lifetime, and if so desired, could lead to playing for prizes in other leagues.

Learning About Esports at NMCC

Chris Perry is the NMCC Falcon Esports Coordinator at Northern Maine Community College. The program started on campus in October 2019. The team competes in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) in games ranging from sports, fantasy and first-person formats. 

One of the goals of the NMCC Falcons is to give the students the chance to develop in a structured environment. “We don’t play for money. We don’t have sponsors yet. We’re still looking into that, Perry said. “When they go play in other leagues, there are sponsors. That’s where a majority of the money would come from is sponsorship.”

How Much Money Can You Make Gaming?

The kind of money you can make playing video games depends on the event. “Take for example Blizzard, Activision, said Perry. “They have tournaments where cash prizes could be up to a quarter million dollars per team. We had one team do really well - that was our Madden team. if you’re good enough, you could get in the Madden tournament and the Madden tournament can pay out anywhere up to $100,000.”

How Can Players Go on to Play for a Living?

Perry said some Falcons players have gone on to compete in tournaments where they have a chance to win money or prizes, “Some have played in other leagues. Some leagues have monetary value depending on where you finish.” Can they make a living at it? “If they’re good enough they can.”

Dedication and talent goes a long way when it comes to making money from playing video games. “If you are interested in esports, we’ll bring you in,'' explained Perry. “If a student comes in and wants to play, they start playing and they show a lot of talent, they can reach out to other leagues who might have teams looking for other members.”

Can Perry help his athletes go on to compete for money or prizes in other leagues? “I can point them in the direction of the leagues. But we don’t really promote making it a career. If they want to, they can. We give them the opportunity and show them where to go if they want to, but we’re not stressing that we want players to go professional or anything of that nature. At least at this point.”

The NMCC Falcons Develop Good Habits for Students

Playing for the Falcons at NMCC is a chance for a wide range of students to compete in sports. “Esports is a different sport where almost anybody can do it. You don’t have to be that top tier physical player like you do in basketball or something in that nature. Nowadays, students coming in, that’s what they do. Everybody has a tablet or smartphone or computer, or Playstation or Xbox and they play video games. They don’t have to obsess about it but they can still play.”

Players on the NMCC Falcons have a well balanced approach to gaming. They must maintain a good GPA, spend time in the Wellness Center and participate in practices and strategy sessions. “We want to break the stigma that it’s just sitting in front of a computer playing video games. That’s why we incorporate the Wellness Center and try to produce other charitable events,” said Perry.

Additional Insight into the Falcons and Esports

For more information about the NMCC Falcon Esports, go to their homepage. They have everything from the schedule, roster, live streams to the equipment they use. You can reach out to Chris Perry there also. If you or someone you know is looking to get into gaming as a living, check out the article at esports.net about some of the things to consider.