Lyndhurst’s own Zander Kim makes it big in the world of gaming

June 6, 2019

By Joe Sandomenico
Staff Writer

For many teens, playing video games is a hobby to get a break from the real world, but for former LHS student Zander Kim, playing video games is much more serious than that.

Kim, who would have been in 11th grade this year, dropped out at the end of his sophomore year to embark upon his professional gaming career. He said he began playing video games like CS:GO, Runescape and Team Fortress 2 when he was around eight years old and feels he was destined to become a professional gamer.

Kim started gaining a lot of attention in the summer of 2018 through his gameplay of Fortnite that he uploaded to YouTube.

“I started getting recognized by some of the best players in the game,” Kim said. “Ghost DMO recommended me to Ghost, and I got signed right before the fall skirmish [for Fortnite] started, where I placed second and won $30,000.”

Kim said being a professional gamer has changed his views on what used to be a relaxing pastime.

“Now that playing games like Fortnite is a job to me, it doesn’t have that carefree vibe,” Kim said. “I stress out a lot if I don’t do well, and I only have fun playing in events for money.”

Kim said he plays around eight hours of video games every day and said his practicing methods for Fortnite have helped put him above others in competitions.

“Everyone in Fortnite focuses on building mechanics aiming, but I spend all of my time in scrimmages and practicing endgame situations,” Kim said.

Junior Dachi Sulava, who is an old friend of Kim’s, played against him many times.

“When I first played with him, I knew he would go pro because of his dedication and seriousness towards playing,” Sulava said. “When he would say he wasn’t good enough, it would get a lot of people mad because we all wished we could be as good as him.”

Sulava said Kim was a great person to play against even though his skills made him tough to beat.

Sulava said it is amazing that Kim has made it as a professional gamer, but he believes Kim should have stayed in high school.

“In my opinion, I don’t think becoming a gamer is a good idea without having a backup plan, but I’m sure Zander will make the right decision when the time comes,” Sulava said.

Kim said he was a little hesitant to tell his parents about his gaming career until it was official.

“I never told my parents I was playing Fortnite until I got my offer from [the competitive gaming team] Ghost, where the contract was a full-time job that came with benefits. That’s when they understood gaming could be a job, and they knew I cared more about gaming than school, so they were happy to see me making a stable income,” said Kim.