British video gamer becomes millionaire at 15
● Essex boy takes runner-up spot at three-day Fortnite contest in New York
It is every parent’s worst nightmare.
Getting children out of their room, away from their computer and outdoors for some fresh air was already a neverending challenge.
Now the age-old warning from parents that playing video games is a waste of time has been proven wrong, with a British teenager earning himself a fortune from the virtual hobby.
Jaden Ashman won almost £1 million for finishing runner up at the first Fortnite World Cup – and promptly said he was happy to have shown his mother he was not just wasting time in his bedroom.
The 15-year-old from Essex will split £1.8 million with his Dutch partner Dave Jong after they came second at the inaugural gaming tournament.
Jaden competed under the name Wolfiez at the three-day event held inside the Arthur Ashe tennis stadium in New York, which also hosts the final of the US Open.
More than 100 finalists were taking part in the event’s various competitions, having been whittled down from around 40 million who tried to qualify for the tournament and compete for the £2.4m top prize.
Jaden said: “Me and my mum, we clash quite a lot. She didn’t understand how it worked so she thought that I was spending eight hours a day in my room just wasting my time.
“So now that I’ve proved to her that I can do stuff, I’m really happy.”
His mother Lisa Dallman said: “If I’m honest with you, I’ve been quite against him gaming. I’ve been more pushing him to his schoolwork. I’ve actually thrown an Xbox out, snapped a headset, we’ve had a nightmare.
“And then leading up to the games, getting his visa, we had problems with that, so we had a week of a nightmare.
“Then the dog ate his birth certificate, so – and this is not a joke. This actually really did happen.”
Asked about the prize money, Ms Dallman said: “I think Jaden’s not really a materialistic person. He will have a lifetime supply of Uber Eats, and I think that will do him, to be fair.
“Just sitting there playing video games and eating takeaways, Jaden would be in his element.”
Jaden started playing the game on the day it came out.
The online battle royale game has become a popular culture sensation since its launch two years ago.
More than 250m people have played the game and its in-game celebratory dance moves have been recreated by some of the world’s biggest sports stars.
Fortnite has come under increased scrutiny in recent times with critics questioning its impact on its predominantly young user base.