A year in the life of Bugha, the Fortnite World Cup champ

On the final day of the Fortnite World Cup, Kyle "Bugha" Giersdorf became the first solo competitor to be introduced at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York.

The 16-year-old smiled mischievously, a small gesture compared to the antics of his rivals. He nodded as fireworks exploded behind him.

Bugha had participated in online tournaments before, but the Fortnite World Cup was his first offline competition.

It was a whirlwind day. Bugha, the first player from North America to compete in the World Cup Qualifiers, played aggressively, earning points in every match. He quickly rose to the points leader as Sentinel Digital Marketing Manager Brandon Phan looked on in excitement.

He had been by Bugha's side from the moment he signed with Sentinels as a professional player, helping him with interviews, preparing for the World Cup, and managing his sudden interest in the boy from suburban Pennsylvania. He pumped his fist as he watched Bugha advance to the final round. Stay alive. Stay alive.

Is this really happening?

Standing in Boogie's way for the $3 million prize was Harrison "Psalm" Chang. But as always in Fortnite, there was no climax between them. Williams "Zayt" Orben defeated Palm, and the fans roared in joy.

It was all over.

Five more minutes passed before Bugha was eliminated. This match earned him fifth place, more than enough for a spot in the World Cup. As the last contestant got off, Bugha smiled, removed his headphones, and leaned back in his chair. A film crew was already waiting behind him.

Confetti rained down on his computer. Bugha raised his hands, shook his head, and smiled in disbelief.

On the morning of July 28, 2019, Kyle "Bugha" Giersdorf was a regular 16-year-old who was good at Fortnite. By the time the sun set, he was a millionaire.

Kyle "Bugha" Giersdorf went from being a 16-year-old Fortnite competitor to appearing on The Tonight Show after winning the 2019 Fortnite World Cup. Andrew Lipovsky/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

Buga and his father, Glen Gearsdorf, visited the ESPN campus in Connecticut State on a gloomy day in February, and the sky was half rain and snow. They passed the corridor connecting each of the incorporated buildings like a maze, and at the long corridor leading to the cafeteria.

About seven months after the $ 3 million Fort Night World Cup championship, the Buga is a modest teenager. She has a rough appearance of sweatshirts and jeans, has a bottle of chocolate milk and plays rather than drinking while talking. Almost no smile, it's too quiet, and it's noisy. Buga often asks questions with the help of his father when he does not remember specific events as a child, but if he is not satisfied with the results, he may leave his father.

Nobody is paying attention to Buga. After winning the Fort Night World Cup, he appeared in a lat e-night talk show and appeared in a CM of the Super Bowl, which was broadcast a few days before coming to Japan, but this special teenager is Fortnight World Nobody seems to be a cup champion. The 1 7-yea r-old Buga is a very wel l-known face behind the story that everyone knows.

It has been a long time since the video game itself became mainstream. Professional video games and tournaments have existed for decades. However, the latter is not as prominent in the American people's consciousness, and the total prize of Fortnight World Cup Bogie is greatly related to this.

About the various upgrades that Buga gave to the lineup

Kyle "Boga" Gears Dorf said that he had not updated his lineup yet since he won the World Cup, and was confused by Arde Okar.

Like many battle royal games, there is a break time before explosively exciting. In an instant, Buga changed from an excellent Fortnite player that other Fortnite players knew to a standard ambassador for professional ESPORTS athletes in the United States. Due to this sudden popularity, he appeared in a CM in the Super Bowl, and a false police reported the SWAT team in front of his bedroom door.

"I used to be more sociable before," I went to a restaurant and went to see high school football games.

Giersdorf admits that he wants Bugha to be with his friends more and not spend almost all his time online with them.

"Go out and do stupid things. Be a teenager," Bugha says.

"I take it to heart, but it's rare at the moment. You go somewhere and everyone's looking at you, but if it's your friends, it's a whole different thing. You really differentiate between school and beyond. "I just try to reach out to my best friends, my two or three friends who have always been there for me."

Kyle "Bugha" Giersdorf accepts the Best Esports Player award onstage at The Game Awards 2019 at the Microsoft Theater on December 12 in Los Angeles. JC Olivera/Getty Images

"You played Battlefield 1942 in a diaper," Giersdorf says. "I've got clips. I've got them in the VCR."

Bugha makes a little tsk and bows his head. "I can't even remember this".

According to the founder's lyrics, Boogie's video game career began with a lucky accidental kill in Battlefield 1942.

Bugha grew up playing video games with his founder. Mario Kart Balloon Battle turned into Call of Duty and then the pre-Battle iteration of Fortnite: Save the World. But even though the majority of their business was game-based, there were doubts when Fortnite's Battle Royale mode became the promotion path.

"He still wanted me to go outside and hike and do things with friends," Bugha says.

"I needed balance," Giersdorf says.

Kyle "Bugha" Giersdorf was featured on the Today Show shortly after winning the Fortnite World Cup solo. A quiet life in the suburbs became unattainable for the 16-year-old by the time he won the title. Zach Pagano/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Buga said, "After I made some money playing the game, he started to approach me more favorably. But before that, he was like, 'I'm trying to get you to do something else, don't waste your time on this.' But I didn't listen to him."

They're both cynics.

Giersdorf says his first reaction to Bugha wanting to be a professional player was concern. In fact, he knew his son was good at video games, but it wasn't until he noticed Bugha participating in matches and small tournaments with his friends online that he realized the true meaning of the word.

Nick "Aspect" McGaia, one of the Boogie's friends belonging to the Fortnite team, recommended booggy in the Centinels organization, and Buggy was soon adopted as a professional player.

"I saw his game and wanted to get him before the World Cup was announced," said fans. Wow, this young man is incredibly good. "

"Kyle is actually said to be the most ful l-fledged competitor in which I come up with. Basically, he just wants to control whatever he does."

Buga talks about his victory in the Fort Night World Cup

Kyle 'Buga' Geass Dorf talked about his victory at the Fortnight World Cup and what he intends to do with his prize.

Geass Dolph told Buga that he had a chance to be absorbed in it, but only if he did not hinder his studies. Buga continued to go to municipal high schools and lived in an ordinary child living in the outskirts of Pennsylvania, but the only difference was that the Fortnite World Cup has begun qualifying. Instead, to participate in extracurricular activities, Buga dedicated all time to Fortnite's game and reached the number of 100 finalists.

"I was at home for about three hours, and I had the opportunity to think about housework, and I had the opportunity during classes and after school classes," says Buga. "But I was playing for 6 hours every night in high school. At that time, I was very ready to participate in the competition and pass the qualifying, so this was the biggest concern."

Buga won the first place in North America in the first week of solo qualifying in the Fort Night World Cup. Later, he stopped performing alone, but also trained for a few hours for duets who had not passed the qualifying. Buga still seems to be blaming himself in his heart for not being able to participate in the duet tournament, but the next moment he pursued such regrets and smiled while thinking of his solo victory.

Kyle "Buga" Gears Dolph is from Pennsylvania, and the victory in the Fortnight World Cup has led to a sports star like the Philadelphia Phillies' Blythe Harper outfielder. Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

After the Fort Night World Cup, ordinary life in the suburbs is no longer an option.

The first two weeks of the World Cup Champion were filled with the appearance of the media, including the appearance of the Tonite Show starring Jimmy Fallon.

"He knew how to convey information fundamentally to society," said fans. "He knew how to fundamentally communicate information to society. I did a lot of things at once."

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His Twitter following grew from 50, 000 to hundreds of thousands. A few months after his victory, Bugha became a victim of "swatting," a criminal act where someone tries to call the police on someone's house under false pretenses, such as taking a hostage. This critical and illegal outburst of emotion led to people's deaths.

"Of course it was scary," Bugha says. "At that point we were scrimmaging and here someone breaks into my door and says, 'Come with us.' I asked, 'Can we just finish the game early?' Because I didn't know what they wanted."

The police officer who responded to the call was still working as a security guard at Buggie Junior School. He identified Bugha and his family and prevented the incident from escalating.

"I got up and went outside, and there were armed people standing on the stairs, watching me fall. "We went to the living room and started talking to them.

There were other configurations too. Bugha switched to online learning to give himself more flexibility in his studies. But he doesn't see anything particularly different about his daily schedule. Before, he flew all over the country, attending conventions and all kinds of media events. Now that he's no longer tied to public school hours, he can make the most of his time and spend as many hours as his current schedule allows.

The life of Kyle 'Bugha' Giersdorf and his family has changed dramatically since July 2019. Now 17, Bugha attends high school online and dedicates all his free time to his Fortnite career. Courtesy of the Sentinel

"He shows up, showers, prepares everything he needs, eats, connects to his stream, and starts streaming for four, five, six hours," Giersdorf says. "Then I start to unwind a little bit by talking to other friends online, playing meaningless things, playing side games. I prepare for two hours for school work or whatever, relax, and repeat.

There are many mornings when my wife has just come home from work and Kyle is already tiptoeing to bed."

Goodnight, Mom," Bugha said, smiling and giving a little wave.

His life at Ilgi Fort Knight has also changed. Boogie, sometimes people go up alone and enter the game, and try to target him and his landing space. This often does not affect his concert, but this is an additional part of his fame that he did not think he would win during the World Cup.

For most professional players in e-sports, the moment when the games you yearn for no longer are fun, regardless of the number of money you have earned. This is often comforted by the fact that streaming is spent by players to spend a certain amount of time in front of the camera in the game.

The victory at the World Fort Knight Championship was not a hobby for Bugi, but a hobby, but Fort Knight became an indispensable part of his life, so it would be painful to him, including seven months later. Not.

"Every time, I have moved my training and my play, and as a result, nothing has changed," says Buga. "Maybe some of my teams I play with, what they are, in fact, as a result of not being hooked on the stream when you play. For me, my family's catalyst is to create everything for another person as a result of my care. I have to attach my efforts. " In fact, for example, it is useful.

Fortnite champions even invite young players into computer games.

The 1 6-yea r-old KYLE "BUGHA" GIRSDORF participates in the line to tell you what you think to create $ 3 million and why Fort Knight will tempt to temptate a young player in a computer game. I did.

Sinnic has the opportunity to say that the honeymoon has not been spent yet. And in a sense, this is not all: 1 7-yea r-old players are not thinking about whether they will be in a Fortnite for the fact that they generally have everything? Bug found his own dream job at the age of 1 6-and in this case he became the best in the world for a certain number of months. Now, there is no special need for the project "B".

At least, the bug was paying close attention, in fact, I don't want to solve any momentum he currently has. His stream distinguishes his motivation during the match and helps, but he still runs streams to develop personal brands and costumes in the spot. In the future, we want to announce more personal products and continue to demonstrate their own originality as a character of public games.

Is it a natural choice for the face of a buha product? Of course, his Zo o-pug.

"I was thinking about what I could do with my dog," he says. "My dog ​​is a big part of my patience. Like, I could make a stuffed animal of my dog ​​and put my logo on it."

I recognize Bugha when he sees himself as an ambassador for the game. He shrugs and taps a bottle of chocolate milk on the table, but doesn't argue with his role in spreading the idea of ​​freezing professional video game players.

Oh, I was at the beach and I read about a guy who had a grandpa win three million," Bugha says to me. He wrinkles his nose as he says that.

"I'm like: 'What? This is it. Why do they know this? I never thought about it, but I, as one for what I've been given, wish that everyone knew who I am.

A week later, after my conversation with Bugha and a day of lights-up at the Excelsior Overwatch tournament home in New York, I'm back in the cab from LAX to my living space. You'll wonder what I like about ESPN.

Every time I make my work into a gimmick, I think people won't understand unless they basically say, "You know normal sports, right?" For example, I write about people who don't hunt sports, but play video games brilliantly. The response usually ranges from, "You're writing about sports?" to unconvinced, "Oh, yeah, actually, I'm basically listening to the order now."

On this trip, everything is different.

"Oh, "My driver speaks." What about a 16-year-old who won millions of dollars?"

They don't understand that he's invited by Kyle Gersdorf, or that he's a "bug". They understand that a young man won millions of dollars and plays a game called Fortnite.

Their kids play Fortnite too. {space}

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