When I first met Joey “Lucky” Aldama, he was sitting in a two-bed hotel room with about 25 other old friends from all over the country. Everyone was playing Smash Bros., exchanging regional craft beers and carrying on.

The next day, Lucky will do the same thing on a stage in front of thousands, with nearly 100,000 more fans watching at home.

Lucky plays Super Smash Bros. Melee, a 14-year-old Gamecube game, for a living. What was once a grassroots gaming scene sustained by forums and a few dozen people is now the one of the biggest esports, giving top players like Lucky the opportunity to make enough money playing that they don’t have to maintain traditional jobs on the side.

The money he makes from attending tournaments across the country helps him provide for himself and his loved ones. Mashable caught up with Joey at The Big House 5, a massive annual tournament held in Dearborn, Michigan, to see what the man behind the Fox was really like.