Video-gaming boy wins £1m (and mother’s approval at last)

THE mother of a British schoolboy who won almost £1million in the Fortnite World Cup at the weekend has said she tried to stop him from playing the game by throwing out his Xbox and breaking his headset.

Jaden Ashman, 15, will split £1.8 million in prize money with his Dutch team-mate after coming second in the Fortnite doubles competition watched by thousands at the Arthur Ashe stadium at Flushing Meadows, New York City, traditionally the host of the US Open tennis tournament. Millions of people watched the tournament online on Youtube and Twitter.

The teenager, from Essex, who competes under the name “Wolfiez”, was among 100 Fortnite players to qualify for the video game’s inaugural World Cup, which had a total prize purse of £24million. Lisa Dallman, his mother, said she didn’t “really know much about video games” and had struggled to accept that his Fortnite skills were more than a frivolous waste of time.

“I’ve been quite against him gaming,” she told BBC Radio 5 Live. “I’ve been pushing him to his schoolwork. I’ve actually thrown an Xbox out, snapped a headset – we’ve had a nightmare.” But she added: “I had a feeling Jaden was going to place top 10 … he’s come second and I can’t believe it.”

After the tournament, Jaden said: “She thought I was spending eight hours a day in my room just wasting my time. Now that I’ve proved to her that I can do stuff, I’m really happy.”

Another young British player, Kyle “Mongraal” Jackson, 14, won £181,000 by coming sixth in the doubles event.

The £24million prize pot is likely to be surpassed by another esports event, the Dota 2 International next month.