In Fortnite (PC, PS4, iOS & Xbox One), several professional eSports teams are currently forming, even though there is not yet an official league. One team has inadvertently signed a very young player.
eSports in Fortnite? What’s it all about? Officially, there is still no established eSports league in Fortnite. Players are just playing casually or participating in unofficial tournaments – like the tournament in Vegas featuring streamer Ninja.
However, many professional eSports teams expect an official presence of the Battle Royale game in electronic sports soon.
Therefore, top eSports organizations (like TSM) are already snatching up the best players before the competition does. This can lead to strange surprises.
Team Secret is looking for the best players in Europe
What happened? The eSports team “Team Secret,” which is primarily known for Dota 2 and CS:GO, wanted to build its own Fortnite team in America and Europe. To do this, they signed 4 top gamers for their future Fortnite team: two Norwegians, one Latvian, and one Brit.
“We didn’t even know he was only 13!”
How did the kid get into the team? It was only when it came to drafting the contracts that Team Secret’s management noticed something: Kyle “Mongraal” Jackson from the suburbs of London is only 13 years old! Here’s John Yao, CEO of Team Secret:
“When we saw him in his videos and in the game, it was not recognizable. But it was immediately obvious how mature he was, and he sounded like the other guys.”
What kind of person is he? The “other guys” are 17, 20, and 21 years old. However, they seem to get along well with the kid. He has been gaming since he was 9, started with Call of Duty and has been fascinated by Fortnite and its building mechanics for a year now. In particular, he is captivated by the large “skill gap” between casuals and pros.
Official league regulations could cause trouble
Is it legal for a 13-year-old to be an eSports pro? Since Kyle is not yet of legal age, he needed to obtain permission from his parents to sign the contract with Team Secret. This seems to have been no problem.
Rather, team leader Yao is concerned that there might be an age restriction in the yet-to-be-established Fortnite league. In other leagues, like Overwatch, players can only participate from the age of 18. However, there will still be plenty of other tournaments outside the league that one can participate in without age limits.
Astronomy or eSports?
What about school? Some teenagers might neglect their education in light of an impending career as an eSports player. Kyle, on the other hand, wants to continue studying hard and going to school. He is particularly interested in astrophysics and is fascinated by space and its exploration.
Being part of a pro team in Fortnite is also a dream come true for the young boy.
Note: The title image does not show the young Fortnite pro. It is a freely usable image from the web (via pixabay).
How does the 13-year-old play? Is he really good at Fortnite?
You can see the young pro “Mongraal” in action here. Particularly, his building skills, meaning how fast he can build structures in Fortnite, seem to be impressive.
When does Season 4 start and how will it proceed? You can find out here!
