This year, Telkom put up a million rand<\/strong><\/a> in prize money for a new tournament, the DGL Masters.<\/p>\n Eight of South Africa\u2019s top teams, called multi-gaming organisations (MGOs), were invited to compete against one another throughout the year, earning prize money in each competition.<\/p>\n The Prize money was split evenly between two games: Defence of the Ancients 2 (Dota 2), and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO). Both games are owned by Valve Corp.<\/p>\n The DGL Masters culminated in a massive tournament at rAge 2016<\/strong><\/a>. Bravado Gaming won the CS:GO competition, while White Rabbit scored a major upset<\/strong><\/a>, defeating Bravado in Dota 2.<\/p>\n Both MGOs walked away with R200,000<\/strong> for winning their respective games<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n Bravado took another R90,000<\/strong> for placing second in Dota 2, and White Rabbit received R35,000<\/strong> for placing 5th\/6th in CS:GO along with Aperture Gaming.<\/p>\n This is in addition to the prize money they won in events leading up to the grand final.<\/p>\n Although Telkom\u2019s DGL Masters series offered the biggest prize pool in South Africa, there were several other big tournaments this year.<\/p>\n Evetech hosted its Champions League CS:GO tournament in September, where Bravado walked away with R75,000<\/strong><\/a> of the R150,000 prize pool.<\/strong> Aperture\u2019s second place earned them R40,000.<\/p>\n Kwes\u00e9 Sports also had the first leg of its African Championship Esport (ACE<\/a><\/strong>) R100,000 FIFA 17 tournament at rAge, with the finals set to be played on 19 November after a second set of play-offs in Cape Town.<\/p>\n South Africa also got some love from game developer Blizzard this year, with locals given an opportunity to qualify for the Hearthstone Europe Summer Preliminary<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n The qualifier\u00a0also had a R16,000 prize pool, with first place earning R5,000, while cosplayers and artists were also given a chance to win a share of R2,500.<\/p>\n Although the top professional gamers internationally can earn six- or even seven-figure salaries (in US Dollar<\/a><\/strong>), South Africa has a long way to go to get to that level.<\/p>\n There has been increased interest from sponsors and even game developers themselves in South Africa\u2019s budding e-sports scene, but professional gaming is not a viable career choice just yet.<\/p>\n Wesley \u201coDu\u201d Rose, one of Bravado\u2019s Dota 2 players, told MyGaming earlier this year that it would take another 3\u20135 years<\/strong><\/a> before pro gaming might earn you a decent salary.<\/p>\n Industry heavyweight, Paul \u201cReDeYe\u201d Chaloner, who was the host of The International, Valve\u2019s massive $20-million Dota 2 tournament, offered a global perspective on South Africa\u2019s e-sports scene<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is no reason why South Africa can\u2019t catch up to the international level,\u201d said Chaloner.<\/p>\n He said that regular prize money and increased publicity are the two most important things needed to grow of e-sports in South Africa.<\/p>\n \u201cTelkom are doing a fantastic job, but they can\u2019t do it alone,\u201d said Chaloner. \u201cCompanies need to understand that they can get a lot out of eSports.\u201d<\/p>\n While the prize money in eSports nowadays is huge, becoming a pro gamer is not the only way South Africans can make money from games.<\/p>\n Gamers from all over the world are making money on video services such as Twitch and YouTube.<\/p>\n Pewdiepie is a typical example given as a \u201cLet\u2019s Player\u201d on YouTube, who makes videos of his gameplay and uploads them to the site.<\/p>\n However, he is also a bit of an anomaly \u2014 with over 48 million subscribers he is the most popular YouTuber on the platform, with next closest, HolaSoyGerman, at 29 million.<\/p>\n Forbes\u2019s $12-million estimate for Pewdiepie\u2019s 2015 earnings<\/strong> is therefore not indicative of what the typical YouTube gamer might earn.<\/p>\n That said, YouTubers and Twitch streamers can earn a decent living online, with their online exploits opening opportunities elsewhere in the media industry.<\/p>\n Another field where South Africans have already enjoyed success is video game development<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Studios such as Freelives, QCF Design, Runestorm, and The Brotherhood<\/strong> have built and released games that have enjoyed financial success.<\/p>\n Nola Payne, the head of the Information and Communication Technology faculty at the Independent Institute of Education said that the rapidly growing industry is looking for skilled workers<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n Payne said that local career opportunities currently include software development, graphic and multimedia design, plot design, map design, and storytelling to create the game plan.<\/p>\n \u201cSouth Africa already has a thriving and growing game development and design industry, which is set to explode in coming years, as leading institutions start offering major gaming-related degrees,\u201d said Payne.<\/p>\n![\"dgl-masters-rage-2016\"](\"http:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/DGL-Masters-rAge-2016-640x360.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nDGL Masters not the only gaming in town<\/h3>\n
Playing games not a viable career in South Africa\u2026 yet<\/h3>\n
![\"video-game-development\"](\"http:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Video-Game-Development-600x360.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nMore than one way to make money from games<\/h3>\n