July 7, 2019
On a boring day at work, quitting the nine-to-five to play video games full time is something many people might dream about.
Landon Trybuch decided to stop dreaming.
He quit his $75,000-a-year software development gig to pursue esports — competitive, professional video game playing.
“I would never know until I tried. So I took a leap of faith,” Trybuch said, sitting at the table of a Burnaby townhouse he shares with three other pro gamers.
“It was terrifying.”
Trybuch, 25, is one of the world’s best players of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He was ranked the 36th in the world out of a pool of tens of thousands of competitors and second best in Canada.
That’s a game that looks a bit like a cartoon boxing match or sumo fight: players take control of video game characters, mostly from Nintendo games, and try to knock the opponent out of the ring three times to deplete their three lives.
Is esports a sport? Is an esports athlete a real athlete?
This weekend, he is testing his skills in Richmond, B.C. at Pinnacle 2019, a major esports tournament. He is the reigning champ and could win $3,500 if he repeats.
Some esports players make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in prizes from international competitions. Trybuch wants to be like them, but it’s a struggle.
Like a character in the game, he juggles three lives as an esports pro. He needs to make all of them work or it’s game over.
Virtual life
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a fast game — as Trybuch demonstrates as he takes control of Pikachu.
A player in Smash Bros. can assume the role of one of over 70 characters but Trybuch, like most top players, specializes in one called a “main.”
For him, that main is Pikachu, the little yellow electric mouse from the Pokemon franchise.
“The strength lies in its versatility,” he said, explaining Pikachu is fast and challenging but good in the hands of a skilled player.
“The faster ones are the ones that have more skill potential. You can really outplay your opponent.”
In his small bedroom, Pikachu merchandise is everywhere. There are stuffed animals on Ikea shelves, plastic figurines on a low dresser and stickers on his Nintendo Switch console.
Trybuch said there’s a sense of identity that comes with a main. He doesn’t say he plays Pikachu. He says, “I am a Pikachu.”
It’s a role he’s had for the past 10 years, since turning competitive.
Professional life
Trybuch’s first competition was in Port Coquitlam in 2010. It wasn’t long before he started going to much bigger events — and winning.
He started developing a reputation. He wanted to get to that next level but felt he didn’t have enough time to practise. That’s why he quit his job in November.
“[My manager] was preparing to argue with me why staying with this company would be a much better idea,” Trybuch said.
“But as soon as I was like, 'I’m going to do esports professionally,' he was like, 'damn, I can’t compete with that.'”
Since quitting in November 2018, Trybuch has tried to leverage his hot skill as a Smash Bros. player to make ends meet.
He is sponsored by The Gaming Stadium, an esports venue in Richmond. He coaches other players over video chat about how they can improve their games. He also generates ad revenue from his online videos on YouTube and Twitch, a video streaming site focused on video gaming. Plus there’s prize money.
That has given him the freedom to practise four to 10 hours a day.
Still, he estimates all that hustle has only earned him $20,000 since November.
Real life
Not all games of Super Smash Bros. end when a player runs out of lives.
Sometimes, one player simply runs out of time.
Trybuch feels he’s running out of time himself. The realities of his financial situation mean he has to go back to working a nine-to-five job which will make it harder to get the practice he needs.
He hasn’t given up, he insists, but knows this is his best opportunity to rise to the top.
Top Super Smash players can earn hundreds of thousands of dollars, but he reckons there are only about 10 or so making that kind of coin.
What has professional video game playing done for Landon Trybuch?
Trybuch feels like he feels he’s maddeningly close to getting there.
“I definitely don’t regret the decision,” he said, of the choice to dedicate himself to the game. “I would never get to that point without taking that leap of faith.”
He’s looking for a big win to give his gaming career an extra life.
Listen to Landon Trybuch talk to The Early Edition host Stephen Quinn ahead of Pinnacle 2019