The youngest esports player to ever win $1 million has now revealed the huge toll gaming has taken on his physical and mental health.
Jaden Ashman, 20, has admitted he was ‘fragile’, ‘unhealthy’ and suffering from ‘a bit of depression’ after becoming obsessed with Fortnite.
Ashman, known in the esports world as Wolfiez, claimed a silver medal at the Fortnite World Cup in 2019 and applauded his successes at the time.
He became Britain’s highest-earning gamer after winning $1.4 million from tournaments and even buying his mother a house.
But after having to take a few days off from gaming due to pain in his hands, Ashman, from Essex, realized the negative impact gaming was having on his health.
In a video on TikTok, he revealed how his “whole life revolved around Fortnite” and despite being a legend in the esports community, “I was very unhappy with who I was.”
‘Fortnite millionaire’ Jaden Ashman, 20, (pictured) has admitted he was ‘fragile’, ‘unhealthy’ and suffering from ‘a bit of depression’ after becoming obsessed with the shooting game. Ashman, known in the esports world as Wolfiez, claimed a silver medal at the Fortnite World Cup in 2019 and applauded his successes at the time
But after having to take a few days off from gaming due to pain in his hands, Ashman, (pictured) from Essex, realized the negative impact gaming was having on his health. He revealed in a TikTok video how his “whole life revolved around Fortnite” and despite being a legend in the esports community, “I was very unhappy with who I was”
He then shared a montage of himself lifting weights and punching a punching bag, before giving his followers some inspiring advice: ‘Pitying yourself won’t get you anywhere. You have to take action and that’s what I did to change my life. This is where I started my fitness journey to change my life forever’
“When I was playing I was on top of the world, but every night I lay down in bed and looked at myself and I wasn’t happy with where I was,” Ashman told his followers.
‘Mental and physical health are completely overlooked in gaming and years of neglect have left both my body and mind in a complete state.’
He admitted that gaming took a physical toll on his body, claiming that he became so weak that he could not even take short walks, and that he neglected relationships with his family and friends.
“This is my body at the time,” he said, showing an image of himself flexing the biceps of his apparently malnourished body.
‘I was weak, unhealthy. I couldn’t even walk to the store and back – I was that unfit. And my relationships with my friends and family suffered as well. I felt alone and fell into a bit of depression.’
He explained that his “whole life” revolved around the game, claiming that he would “get up, not even eat or shower and immediately jump on my PC to grind.”
‘Not being able to play for such a short time has completely changed my view on things. “I had to sit there and look at my life, not as Wolfiez but as Jaden, and I was very unhappy with who I was,” Ashman said.
He then shared a montage of himself lifting weights and punching a punching bag, before giving his followers some inspiring advice: ‘Pitying yourself won’t get you anywhere. You have to take action and that’s what I did to change my life.
‘This is where I started my fitness journey, to change my life forever.’
Jaden Ashman, 15, from Essex, and his mother Lisa Dallman after qualifying for the championships in July 2019
At the age of 15, Ashman became the youngest esports player to ever win $1 million. He is pictured with his teammate in the 2019 Fortnite World Cup final
His latest revelation is in stark contrast to what he said in July 2019 when he won the first Fortnite World Cup at just 15 years old.
Ashman told the BBC at the time: ‘Me and my mum, we clash quite a bit. For example, she didn’t understand how it worked, so she thought I was spending eight hours a day in my room, just wasting my time.
“So now that I’ve proven to her that I can do things, I’m really happy.”
His mother, Lisa Dallman, told the company in 2019: “If I’m honest, I’ve been pretty against him with gaming. I encouraged him more to do his schoolwork.
“I actually threw away an XBox, broke a headset, we had a nightmare.”