A YOUNG lad who became a millionaire at just 15 by playing Fortnite revealed how it nearly ruined his life.
Jaden Ashman, 20, was Britain’s highest-earning player, raking in £1million in tournaments from his game controller.
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The young lad even treated his mum to a new house with his winnings, crowned champion at the Fortnite World Cup in 2019 when he was just 15.
At the time, Jaden claimed he was “really happy” after spending eight hours in his room each day had finally paid off.
But, it turns out this wasn’t the case.
After the initial rush of bagging a life-changing jackpot, the gamer now recalls the depression and obsession that came with it.
Sharing the pitfalls of the gaming world, Jaden admitted to his TikTok following: “I was very unhappy with who I was’.
“When I was playing, I was on top of the world, but every night when I lay down on my bed and I looked at myself, I wasn’t happy with where I was.
“Mental and physical health is completely overlooked in gaming and years of neglect left my body in a complete state as well as my mind.”
The Fortnite legend, known in the universe as Wolfiez, showed snaps of himself at the time revealing a “frail, unhealthy” body.
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He continued: “I couldn’t even walk to the shop and back – that’s how unfit I was.
“And my relationships with my friends and family had also suffered. I felt alone and I fell into a bit of a depression.”
His mum, Lisa Dallman, previously spoke about her son’s gaming addiction to the BBC and admitted: “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.”
Meanwhile, Jaden told how his days revolved around the game to the extent he was abusing his body and personal hygiene.
He even quit school at 15 to focus on his gaming.
What is Fortnite?
FORTNITE is an online video game played by up to 250 million people across the world.
In it, 100 players compete on their own or with a small group of pals to grab weapons, gather resources and build defences, before fighting it out to be the last man (or team) standing.
Matches take about 20 minutes, and you can drop into a new game within seconds of your previous one finishing.
It’s bright, it’s cartoony and it’s fiendishly compelling.
Skill is rewarded but luck also plays a huge role, meaning no two games are ever the same and everyone feels like they have a chance of winning.
Fortnite has also made its developer billions.
In Europe it’s rated 12+, meaning it’s suitable for those aged 12 and up.
The battle royale mode is free to play, but there is also a story-driven single player and co-op mode called Save The World that players have to pay for.
Pop culture crossover events are very common because of the game’s huge audience.
These involve players being able to buy themed outfits for the movie, TV show or brand, as well as getting some themed activities in-game to do too.
These might be new places to explore, new challenges to complete to win themed accessories, or new game modes that are loosely related to the theme of whatever is being crossed over with
The teen would wake up “hop straight on [his] PC”, forgetting to eat and shower.
Jaden went on to become a pro player for Red Bull, taking part in esports tournaments across the world.
But, he confessed he couldn’t face looking at himself in the mirror when he wasn’t logged on to the game.
Wolfiez became Jaden’s entire identity and he struggled to cope with who he was as a regular teen outside his success on Fortnite.
“I was very unhappy with who I was,” said Jaden.
The NHS National Centre for Gaming Disorders offers help to those like Jaden who were struggling with a gaming addiction.
Founder and director Professor Henrietta Bowden-Jones said previously: “Gaming disorders can have a significant impact on children and their family to the extent it can take over and stop them from living their normal daily life.
“From avoiding school or work, engaging in violence, to family breakdowns, the harms to those suffering can be significant.
“We also know as with other addictive and mental health disorders, the earlier they are identified and treated the more successful the outcomes will be for both the individual but also for the wellbeing of the family members who are also impacted negatively by someone’s excessive gaming.”
Since acknowledging and accepting his mental health battles, Jaden has found a new sense of purpose.
Now, the young lad focuses on building his physique at the gym and leading a healthy lifestyle.
“Feeling sorry for yourself gets you nowhere. You must take action and that is what I did to change my life,” he told his followers.
“This is where I started my fitness journey, to change my life for ever.”
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The gamer has come a long way since winning the Fortnite World Cup, at which time he told the BBC: “Me and my mum, we clash quite a lot. Like, 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.”
Gaming disorders
Source, NHS England;
If gaming has become a problem for you, or someone you know, there are resources available:
The national centre is based in London, but treatment delivery is mainly online making it accessible to the whole of England without patients having to travel for treatment.
The average age of a gamer seen by the clinic is 17, with children aged between 13-14 and 16-17 also making up a higher proportion of patients seen.
Treatment length varies based on patient need, ranging from a one-off session to family therapy lasting over a year, the average treatment time is around three months representing 12 treatment sessions.
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