Esport tournaments have become increasing popular in Turkey, mirroring a quickly growing trend worldwide. In the first four months of the year, a total of $32.8 million was awarded in esport tournaments worldwide.
A total of 60 players from Turkey made $107,976, corresponding to about TL 644,000 at the current exchange rate, in tournaments in the first four months of the year. While Turkey ranked 35th with this gain, Turkish players won $1.2 million in total in last year's tournaments, putting Turkey in 22nd place in terms of earnings. In the first four months of 2019, Ferit Karakaya, aka wtcNN, took the lead in this regard.
Karakaya, 26, who won $18,033 in 2019, has so far made $32,000 in tournaments along with the results of 2019. A total of $11,716 of his earnings this year came from the Apex Legends tournaments. In terms of earnings, Cem Karakoç, aka Mithrain, took second place. Karakoç won $16,733 in the first four months of this year, while his total esports winnings to date have reached $36,233. Karakoç's income this year also came from the Apex Legends tournaments. Considering the four-month profits, Batu Bozkan shared second place with Karakoç at $16,733.
Can Dörtkardeş, who is also is known as Xantares, ranked fourth in 2019 with $8,850 in terms of winnings. Despite his ranking this year, Dörtkardeş holds the title of the Turkish player who has won the most money from esports tournaments so far. Having gained all of his earnings from Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) tournaments, Dörtkardeş has won $197,000 in 71 tournaments from esports in the last six years. He made $106,000 of this amount last year alone.
In the first four months, with 1,753 players in international tournaments, the U.S. led the way in the awards. The Americans, who made $4.7 million in esports tournaments, were followed by the South Koreans with $3.4 million. The Chinese, on the other hand, made around $3 million in esports tournaments in the first four months of the year, followed by Russia with $1.5 million and Denmark with $1.4 million. Last year, the monetary prizes distributed in Dota 2 tournaments totaled $41.4 million, followed by CS: GO tournaments with $22.7 million and Fortnite with $20 million. Although the trio was still at the top in terms of the amount of the prize in the first four months of this year, the ranking changed. Increasing in popularity in 2019, Fortnite ranked first with a total of $5.5 million. $5.4 million was distributed in CS: GO tournaments this year, while the total prize amount in Dota 2 tournaments stood at $5.3 million.
As all devoted players know, sleight of hand and reflexes diminish with age. In almost all sports, the athletes' career ends at 40, but in esports, time is even more brutal. When we look at the age groups that have won prize money in esports in the world, the most winners are 22 years old, earning a total of $42 million to date, followed by 20, 24, 21 and 23-year-olds. So, in esports careers, the major prizes are won before the age of 25.
