Jens, better known as «Snute,» is one of very few in his line of work in Norway. For three years, playing Starcraft 2 has been his fulltime job. In Norway, few people have even heard the word «e-sports». In other countries, it’s already a million dollar industry. South Korea has TV stations dedicated to showing e-sports, and got them in the early 2000s. The best players are idols on par with rock stars and top athletes. In Sweden, the national broadcaster has been showing e-sports for a while already.

The high cost of living makes Norway a challenging place to for a pro gamer. Jens was in a music technology program at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in 2012, before he decided to chance becoming a professional e-sports player. It was a tough choice.

Despite his parents' scepticism, he has never regretted the decision to drop out of university. He has gotten to travel around and competed in countries like Russia, China, Germany, Poland, France, South Korea and the United States – to name a few. He travels for at least 60 days a year and goes on tournaments abroad at least twice a month.

–⁠ I don’t regret my choice. It would have been nice to stay in university as well, but Iʼve got many fond memories of places Iʼve been and people Iʼve met. I wouldn’t have got to experience winning major tournaments in front of huge crowds otherwise, he says.

Uncertain future

Several computer games have professional tournaments dedicated to them. StarCraft II, Jens’s game, is a strategy game. It can be described as a mix of chess, poker and tennis, according to Jens. The key is to think strategically, to be able to read your opponent and to react quickly.

To become a top player, Jens spent countless hours behind the keyboard, but he spends time keeping in shape as well.

–⁠ It is important to keep fit; otherwise you become tired very quickly. When you travel a lot itʼs easy to get sick, maybe catch a cold as I have now, or get jetlagged. For me the biggest challenge is to keep fit, exercise and eat healthy when you are out traveling, – and to get enough sleep, he says.

A career as an e-sport player rarely lasts long; very few manage to stay at a competive level as reaction time deteriorate toward the late twenties. Jens recentyl turned 25, but is not overly concerned about the future.

–⁠ There are more opportunities in e-sports. For example, you can be a commentator when you’re finished playing, or you can work for tournament organizers in different ways. Iʼm nor sure what I want to do right now, but I plan to pick up my studies at some point. But I am gaming for at least one more year, and we’ll see after that.