LINCOLN, N.D. (AP) - While online gaming might not seem like a profitable profession to most, Lincoln native Remington “Remy” Ihringer’s passion for “Call of Duty” is turning it into a very lucrative one.
At the Call of Duty Championship in Los Angeles at the end of March, Ihringer, North Dakota’s only professional “Call of Duty” player, and his three teammates took second, garnering $200,000, in what is considered the Super Bowl of “Call of Duty” gaming.
“It was a surprise to us, and we were really happy. But, it was disappointing. Obviously, we wanted first,” said Ihringer, 19, adding that the team, Team Revenge, hadn’t expected to rank so high.
Ihringer entered the competitive world of “Call of Duty” in 10th grade while attending Bismarck High School.
“I played video games all my life. To be the best at them was all I wanted to do,” said Ihringer, adding that he has made a lot of progress in the past five years.
Ihringer’s mother, Renae, said she and her husband tried to get their son interested in other activities as well.
“Most parents would kick their kids off the computer, and we tried that to a point, but he wanted to be down in the basement playing his game,” she told the Bismarck Tribune (https://bit.ly/1bgnB9e ). “And it paid off. I don’t know any other 19-year-old who has $50,000 in the bank.”
As a professional “Call of Duty” player, Ihringer said he puts in eight hours in a day, practicing and playing online tournaments as if it was a normal job.
Professional teams are made up of four players, who play tournaments online through Major League Gaming and some live tournaments.
Ihringer said players can make as much as $1,000 per day playing online tournaments and the live competitions have varying prizes for the winners.
He’s been to live tournaments in Dallas, Nashville, Orlando, the North American Qualifiers in Ohio and the championship in Los Angeles.
“I think I’ve done a lot for what I was expecting,” Ihringer said. “This is giant. Eventually, I will have viewers just from getting second in this tournament.”
He said this will help when he starts streaming his game, which is another way to make money from “Call of Duty,” and collecting from ads on streaming services from Major League Gaming or on YouTube.
Ihringer and his team are looking toward the future: Their next stop is a tournament in Paris on May 2-3.
“I hope I get to see the Eiffel Tower, but, when you go to tournaments, it’s exhausting,” he said. “You play every day.”
He said the day usually starts at about 6 a.m. and goes all day, which doesn’t leave much free time.
The team is also considering acquiring a house, where the four of them will live, practice and do online tournaments together.
Beyond “Call of Duty,” Ihringer said he has considered what he will do when he isn’t playing anymore, which could include college.
“Honestly, I have no idea, though,” he said. “I want to see where this takes me first. I want to do something I’m going to like for the rest of my life.”
Ihringer said he’s unsure how long players can go before peaking because the sport has just started, but he expects it will be a long way off for him.
“We’re the pioneers of this,” he said.
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Information from: Bismarck Tribune, https://www.bismarcktribune.com
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