A Bristol teenager has taken his love for video games and turned it into a money making pastime. Mason Bristow, a 17-year-old who lives with his parents and siblings in South Gloucestershire, has spent the majority of his life playing video games with his friends, but his once hobby has now turned into a brilliant money making machine.
In 2018, Mason and his friends started playing a game called Rec Room, a virtual reality game that allows multiple players to join a session online. It wasn’t until after lockdown in 2021, that the money started to come in, at which point Mason made the decision to turn his hobby into a career and has been creating for the platform ever since.
His aspirations don’t stop there either and while he’s hoping to make it big in musical theatre he has plans for his gaming career as well but he’s going to keep his options open. He said: “I think it got extremely big, and I would want a big team with me working to produce massive games and even come outside of rec room producing games on our own - maybe but that's completely into the future.”
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“I’m in the process of creating a new map which is being sponsored by a company, I can’t say who yet but it’s great.”
While many have found Mason’s story inspiring, others have shown distaste at how Mason has shown failing your GCSEs, no matter how important they are, doesn’t stop you from earning a good wage. He explained: “A lot of people have been shaming me and my family for allowing me to work on games and stuff, saying it's the reason I failed my GCSEs but that’s not the reason, my school failed me.”
Mason has dyslexia, a condition which affects a person’s ability in reading, writing and spelling, which he says his school didn’t help with. He explained how he and his family were told he wouldn't go far if he didn’t get his GSCEs but boy were they wrong. Mason has now earnt around £17,000 all from the comfort of his bedroom, and he’s been putting it to good use.
Further demonstrating that you can get far without GCSEs, Mason has moved onto a Performing Arts college in the city called The Big Act. Studying Musical Theatre, Mason has been able to fund his education himself, which he says ‘allows him to carry on doing what he loves.’
“My parents aren’t as bothered about the hate because people jump to conclusions before reading the whole story. They’re not bothered, they’re happy with what I’m doing and they’re proud of me.”
With all the opportunities professional gaming has to offer, Mason explained how it has really opened his eyes to another world and given him more confidence. He told us: “It’s helped with my confidence knowing that dyslexia won’t define who I am and it won’t hold me back from doing things I want to do like earning money.”
To find out more about how Mason makes money, follow his Instagram here.
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