If the growth of esports into a billion-dollar industry isn’t enough to convince you that video games are more than just a way for kids to while away hours on end in their rooms, then consider the career trajectory of professional gamer Leonardo “MkLeo” Lopez Perez.
Today, the 20-year-old Mexico City native is one of the esports industry’s top gamers, widely considered to be the world’s best player of “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate,” a fighting game for the Nintendo Switch where players battle each other as famous gaming characters like Mario, Donkey Kong and even Pac-Man. Two years ago, Perez won the largest “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” tournament ever held, at the 2019 Evolution Championship Series in Las Vegas, taking home a prize of more than $21,000.
But, growing up, Perez’s family didn’t have a lot of money, he says. He lived with his parents and older brother in Naucalpan, a city…
