He plays Rec Room around 20 hours per week (Picture: SWNS/Rec Room)
A teen from Bristol has raked in thousands of pounds by playing video games, using the funds to support his studies and hobbies.
17-year-old Mason Bristow has pocketed a whopping £17,000 by playing Rec Room, a free multiplayer online game where you can create and explore virtual rooms, as well as connect with fellow gamers around the world.
With his hard-earned cash, the teen has gone on vacations with buddies, bought himself clothes and shoes, and even financed his own college education, earning the unwavering support of his proud parents.
Mason lives at home in Bristol with his dad Alan Bristow, 63, a support worker, and mum Natalie Bristow, 50, a nurse, along with his four siblings.
Now, Mason has his sights set on making a full-time living through gaming while completing his studies.
While he isn’t officially employed by the game company, Mason makes real money. That’s possible through collecting in-game currency, which he is then able to cash out.
The teen claimed he spends between 10 to 20 hours per week playing the game and creating new content.
Mason started playing Rec Room, which can also been enjoyed in VR, back in 2018 and continued through the Covid-19 pandemic when most people were encouraged to stay indoors.
Mason has made so much money playing video games his parents now encourage him to log on – instead of doing homework (Picture: SWNS)
His dedication certainly paid off as he swiftly built a loyal following on the platform, boasting 21,000 followers and over 1.5 million visitors to his room.
In April 2021, Mason scored his first paycheck for £800, which he claims was the most cash he’d ever seen at once.
Emboldened by his initial success, he continued playing the game and creating more rooms, and now he pulls in a sweet monthly haul of £800 to £1,200.
A different Rec Room player has made a Wordle room in the game (Picture: Rec Room)
There’s also a room where you can play Uno (Picture: Rec Room)
‘When I received the first payment, I was very sceptical and wasn’t sure if this company in America would send me the money – then one month later I had my first paycheck,’ Mason said.
‘I was shocked, it was the most I’d ever had in my bank account at once, I was so shocked by the amount I had – I felt my life was going to change from that point.’
Initially, Mason’s dad, Alan, had his fair share of doubts about this newfound income stream. However, after reaching out to Rec Room and getting all the necessary information, his concerns were allayed.
Alan also said that the company sent Mason new software so he can design in 3D now, making him even prouder of his son’s progress and success.
He started playing the game in five years ago (Picture: SWNS)
Mason, who has dyslexia, says he wants to show anything is possible despite his learning difficulties and has encouraged his friends who struggle at school to play the game too.
‘Mason’s been under pressure with education and is dyslexic so he struggles sometimes. As a parent I’m so so proud of him – he wanted to go to acting college and we couldn’t afford it as a family,’ Alan explained.
‘But because he started earning his own money it enabled him to go to the college he wanted.’
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A teen from Bristol has raked in thousands of pounds by playing video games, using the funds to support his studies and hobbies.