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Key points: Ashley 'Trill' Powell plays Overwatch and is one of Australia's best e-sports athletes

Ashley 'Trill' Powell plays Overwatch and is one of Australia's best e-sports athletes Living in Broome makes training with his US-based teammates difficult, with poor internet "ping" speeds

Living in Broome makes training with his US-based teammates difficult, with poor internet "ping" speeds The popularity of e-sports means top competitors can earn enormous salaries

But for 22-year-old Ashley 'Trill' Powell, overcoming the challenges of competitive gaming from his home in the far north of WA has seen him become one of Australia's best e-sports athletes.

Now based in Dallas and travelling the world to compete, Powell said he was lucky to have found his "dream job".

"I played a lot of games growing up, but I liked going out a lot more," he said.

"So I sort of just played games to pass time."

Powell plays Overwatch, played by more than 40 million people since its 2016 release.

His biggest break came in 2017 when he was approached by Blank Esports to compete in Taiwan.

"When that happened I was like, 'Oh, maybe I can actually do something with this'," Powell said.

"I thought maybe I'd give it a go, why not?"

Australian Overwatch players Ashley 'Trill' Powell and Huseyin 'Hus' Sahin at the Overwatch World Cup group stage in Thailand. ( Blizzard: Robert Paul )

Overcoming the odds

While e-sports were a growing pursuit for young Australians, there were other challenges for those in regional areas.

For Powell, growing up in Broome, about 2,200km north of Perth, meant he had to deal with a substantially worse "ping" — the reaction time of your internet connection — compared to the players from around the world he was coming up against.

Now staying with family in Broome, Powell said the internet speeds put him and other regional players at a significant handicap.

"I'm playing on 300 ping, which is awful, pretty much borderline unplayable," he said.

"You're definitely at a disadvantage."

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Leaving the nest

The other challenge Powell had to face was moving away from his friends and family to pursue his e-sports career.

At the age of 19, he spent months in Taiwan competing in the Overwatch Pacific Championship and he also represented Australia in the game's World Cup competition.

His father, Wayne Powell, said he was initially unsure about his son's prospects.

"After year 12, we were pushing him to get a job when he was doing nothing else," Mr Powell said.

"We didn't realise how big gaming was until he started making it."

But Powell said chasing his dreams made leaving the country easier.

"It wasn't that hard, besides leaving behind my really good friends," he said.

"But I was prepared for it because it's what I wanted to do."

Ashley Powell trains for up to 11 hours a day to keep his skills sharp. ( ABC Kimberley: Lachie Byrne )

Young success

Powell landed a contract with Team Envy, the 'academy team' for the Dallas Fuel, a Texas-based franchise in the international Overwatch League.

Players are entitled to a minimum wage of $US50,000 per annum, the equivalent of just over $70,000 Australian.

But Powell said the world's top teams were willing to cough up much more for their players.

"You get paid what you're worth, if you're super insane you can be getting like $300,000," he said.

"There's players out there getting that."

Powell is one of many young Australians building careers in e-sports. ( ABC Kimberley: Lachie Byrne )

Players also split prize money won from competitions between the six people on the team.

Ben Lehane, manager of the Australian e-sports organisation ORDER, said young players could earn enormous salaries.

"For Australia it's $US100,000 this season," he said.

"At the end of the day one team could be walking home with $US40,000."

This has already become a reality for some young Australians.

Nineteen-year-old Anathan Pham from Melbourne became one of Australia's highest paid athletes last year when he raked in more than $3 million playing video game DOTA 2.

Life of an e-sports athlete

Getting paid incomes approaching those of big-name athletes also meant responsibility, including being willing to train with a similar level of discipline.

Training for this season of Overwatch League, Powell has been spending every day practising online with his team.

Staying in Broome meant he had to get up at 4am and train until 3pm because of the time difference between his Dallas-based teammates.

Team Envy members were also encouraged to look after their health for performance.

"At Overwatch League they have their own chefs for meal prep," Powell said.

"A lot of them are pushed for the gym as well."

However, Mr Lehane said Powell's dedication had paid off.

"He is an exceptional player, once in a generation player," he said.