AZUSA >> How does a kid from West Covina become a professional video game player?

In the case of Eric “Problem” Wright, his mother hands him an ad for a Madden football game tournament that she found at Blockbuster Video.

“My parents were always very supportive, even with video games,” Wright said. “Of course, it helps when there’s money involved.”

Wright, 28, didn’t win that 2005 tournament, but it marked the start of his career as a professional Madden player. As a three-time winner of the Madden Challenge – the annual world championship event for the game – Wright is considered the greatest Madden player of all time.

By 2007, Wright, born in Whittier but raised in West Covina, was winning every local tournament, but he hit it big the next year when he was featured on ESPN2’s “Madden Nation,” a reality TV show that also featured a Madden tournament.

At 18, Wright won the tournament and its $100,000 prize. He also won the Madden Challenge that year, as well in 2010 and 2013. No other player has won more than one Madden Challenge.

The problem with having so much success at such a young age, Wright said, is that money went as fast as it came.

“I bought my car with cash, but aside from that, I didn’t do anything smart with it,” Wright said. “I had a lot to learn about money management and about being an adult.”

He had even more growing up to do when Madden became unpopular as a video game tournament offering. In 2012, after moving to Azusa, he got his first job at an aerospace engineering business in Lynwood.

In that time, Wright worked almost 20 hours a day – he’d work eight hours in Lynwood, get home around 6 p.m., then stream his Madden gameplay on Twitch.tv until midnight or later. Then he’d sleep, wake up around 6 a.m. and do it all over again.

“It was tough, but I wanted to do what I loved,” Wright said.

Since quitting that job last September, Madden has become Wright’s full-time business. He streams on Twitch most if not all days of the week on Twitch.tv to about 1,000 people at a time, earning revenue from advertising, subscriptions and donations from viewers. He also offers one-on-one Madden tutoring sessions at a cost of $150 an hour.

After winning that first $100,000, Wright dropped out of Citrus College, a decision he’s always regretted. Now that he’s got his dream job and a little more free time, he said he’d like to go back and finish a degree in business.

“A lot of kids ask me how they can be like me,” Wright said. “I tell them the best way is to stick with school. Don’t be like me – I did it the hard way.”

Much like with regular football players, Wright’s season begins in August. But instead of practicing on the field, Wright is tasked with practicing the newest iteration of Madden; this year’s edition was released on Aug. 23.

The road to the top this year won’t be easy. Instead of just the Madden Challenge, this year game publisher EA Sports is holding the Madden NFL 17 Championship Series, a four-event series with a $1 million prize pool split among the events.

While Wright said he feels he’s distanced himself from the competition over the years, he’s certain the big prize pool will raise the level of competition this year.

“Not only are they going after that $1 million, they’re coming after that title of ‘Greatest of All Time,’” Wright said.