Innovations that led to technological advances saw the creation of income streams that the youth have capitalised on to makes ends meet.
YouTube is one of the sites that pay artists for content through revenue generated from advertisements and other special perks. Other avenues include live streaming platforms for games and music.
Sylvia Gathoni, a law graduate in Kenya is one of the youths who has made a name for herself in the gaming world. Gathoni, alias Queen Arrow is the first female professional e-sports athlete and is ranked 13 in Kenya.
The Law graduate's interest in video games started at the age of three and as a teenager, she enhanced her skill by playing action games such as Mortal Kombat and Tomb Raider. She has also perfected her art in Tekken, a series of fighting video and arcade games.
Gathoni can earn up to Ksh100K (800euros) from a single tournament.
“I like the challenge that comes with it, you win some and lose some, it’s basically like solving a puzzle,” she said in a past interview with Deutsche Welle (DW).
In 2018, she became the first East African Woman to partner with a global brand, US-based company, XiT Gaming.
She is currently signed to UYU limited, a platform that focuses on cultivating and identifying emerging talents. Gathoni is also a member of the Global Esports Federation.
In 2021, she competed in the Redbull Hit the Streets tournament in South Africa, where she was dubbed an e-sports ambassador.
Even with all of her success, Gathoni has faced major obstacles in her life.
"When I first started gaming, a lot of people, including my parents, were doubtful that I was wasting my time on video games, but I knew players living in both the West and Asia were earning income from it," she said.
“I am hungry to succeed and overcome all these obstacles that have come my way since I started my career,” she added.
Gathoni graduated from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) with a Law degree and hopes to blend her passion with her profession.
“As I studied Law, I realised that there was a niche in terms of esports and regulation of microtransactions in the games industry and I decided that I would venture into esports law to help create policies that will help regulate the industry,” she said in a past interview
