14-year-old Fortnite gamer from Dublin has won more than $200,000

Since he started to compete professionally in online Fortnite competitions about a year ago, Jonathan Weber — who plays under the moniker "Yung Calculator" — said he has brought home more than $200,000.

Video games are just a hobby for most 14-year-olds, a fun way to pass the time.

That's how it started for Jonathan Weber, who has been gaming for most of his young life. But when he began playing Fortnite — a battle royale-style combat game that pits players against each other in a fight to the last man standing — he realized his skills far surpassed many of his peers.

"I knew I was a top player for a long time, but I never really got the chance to compete," said Weber, 14, a Dublin resident.

Nowadays, Weber has more lucrative and competitive goals on his mind when he plays the game.

Since he started to compete professionally in online Fortnite competitions about a year ago, Weber — who plays under the moniker "Yung Calculator" — said he has brought home more than $200,000, the budding phenom's individual share of team winnings.

>> Related story: Central Ohioans eating up 'Fortnite'

In September, he walked away with $100,000 from a single tournament, the Fortnite Champion Series: Season X. And in December, his team placed second in the Fortnite Championship Series Finals, earning his team $75,000 split four ways.

Weber, known as "Calc" among his friends and competitors, has become such a well-known sensation that he's already been signed to a Columbus esports team.

Welcome our new team! pic.twitter.com/jFgqPemnJ0

— Vanguard (@vanguardwins) November 21, 2019

Weber is the youngest of four Fortnite players — Kalvin Dam, 19 (who plays as Kez); Vinh Phung, 23 (Phung); Kerry Callendar, 23 (iKerry) — who were announced in November as being part of Vanguard, which was founded by Justin Kogge, the man behind the Hilliard-based esports facility Game Arena.

>> Related story: Players find competition, camaraderie at Game Arena

When Kogge signed Weber — who had garnered a significant social media following on platforms like Twitch, where gamers stream matches — it lent legitimacy to the Vanguard outfit, he said.

"Calc is this amazing player; he's just really well respected for his skill," Kogge said. "Just bringing him on, it's having a player who pushes us to be better constantly."

Kogge, who founded the team with Worthington-based Sethi Associates, said the idea was to invest in talented Fortnite players who struggled to juggle esports competitions with other obligations, such as full-time jobs or school.

"They were extremely good, and they were placing and winning some money, and I just wanted to figure out a way for them to focus on it," Kogge said. "When you're that good at something, you should be focusing all your time on it."

In Weber's case, he logs in three days a week to an online high school, but gaming is where his sights are trained. He said he wakes up at about noon every day and spends hours honing his skills, even when he's not competing for accolades and money.

"It just takes a lot of time and effort playing video games, and it's really a grind," Weber said.

Vanguard employs a nutritionist and a physical trainer to keep the players healthy, and it makes sure players have access to financial and legal advisers, Kogge said. The organization also pays a videographer and photographers to create online content and merchandise.

Vanguard players, who take home a salary as well as winnings from competitions, compete in smaller tournaments a few times per week, mostly from their own homes. Weber wins a few thousand dollars a month from these tournaments, but it's major tournaments that can bring in the big bucks, Kogge said.

Now that he's making a comfortable living, Weber said he has invested in stocks and is working with a financial adviser.

Vanguard members don't necessarily compete on teams with each other; Kogge said he would rather they team up with others with whom they already have chemistry. Instead, they represent the team by playing under its brand, and the team takes a certain percentage of tournament winnings.

Professional gamers tend to stick with and specialize in one video game. Weber said he chose Fortnite mostly because he was good at it, but also because of its emphasis on improvisation. And cartoonish combat is just plain fun, he said.

"I like the dynamic of how you can build and do so many things at once," Weber said. "It's really challenging and very difficult, and very rewarding."

elagatta@dispatch.com

@EricLagatta

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