In 2011, total prize money for esports competitions worldwide was just under $10 million, according to a report from online news portal sohu.com. By the end of 2015, it had skyrocketed to $64.5 million, a 551 percent surge from four years ago.

Attracted by the fat rewards, esports lovers, including even middle school students, are yearning for a career in the industry. However, only few gaming players can reach the top of the pyramid in this field.

Chen Zhihao cautions young aspirants against focusing solely on becoming professional players, saying "the success depends on both talent and good luck sometimes".

Wang Xu, chief analyst at GDC, said: "Today, professional esports players' incomes are polarized, and most players are at the bottom. Since the age suitable for playing esports is quite young, the players are getting younger, of which most are not well-educated and usually lack life experiences."

Wang believes qualified esports professionals will be the key to the industry's future development.

"Just like many other fields, esports needs talent," Wang added.

"According to open internet data, the industry now needs 260,000 more professionals, including data analysts, competition operators, teachers for esports education and training, professional managers and content producers."

That's not all.

Xiao Hong, CEO of Perfect World Co Ltd, a leading Chinese movie and gaming conglomerate, says the industry is now in its early setup stages, which still need time to be more mature.

"Esports need regulations. There is still a long road to make the sports standardized," he added.  

 

The golden cup of the 2017 Mid-Season Invitational Finals is on display at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro last week. [Photo provided to China Daily]