A dad who said he wasn't sure what to do with his life now makes a living through playing Call of Duty.
Liam James, known as Jukeyz, is one of the best e-sports players in the world. Specialising in Call of Duty: Warzone, the 26 year-old gamer from West Derby is a two-time world champion in his field and has travelled around the world to compete in tournaments.
As well as earning prize money for competing in these tournaments, Liam gets paid for subscriptions, ad revenue and sponsorships via his Twitch channel. Over 220,000 people follow his channel, watching him play Call of Duty games several times a week on the streaming platform.
READ MORE:Heartbreaking Boys from the Blackstuff shakes Royal Court audience to its core
READ MORE: The 'tried and tested' 29p weed killer gardeners say will clear patios in 'two days'
Liam’s journey to the elite level of gaming stemmed from him having to care for his mum a few years ago. Working to become a professional in the field was a much needed outlet from his caring responsibilities.
Speaking to the ECHO, Liam said: “I love Call of Duty for a starters. I love gaming. But my mum was unwell at the time and I could stay at home and look after her and I could have something to do.
“I love the fact that I could have something to do, instead of just sitting there stressed. My mum's unwell, [I’m thinking], what am I going to do with my life?
“I never had good grades leaving school, so I never knew what I wanted to do and wanted to be. So for me to find something that was obviously a hobby and turn it into a big career and be somewhat successful from it, it’s amazing.”
Liam started his journey by playing small wager matches to a handful of Twitch followers and within a year was entertaining more than 100,000 people on his streams. In 2020 he joined the UK's London Royal Ravens outfit as a content creator and in 2021 he hit his stride in the professional ranks, winning 13 tournaments, including the Europe World Series of Warzone.
Describing his rise, Liam said: “From the moment I started interacting with all the big, big streamers, beating the big streamers, beating the big players, players that have earned millions, that's when I knew like, okay, I'm ready for this.”
It says a lot about Liam’s drive for success that he wrote he had “let people down” on X, formerly known as Twitter, last weekend after his 10th place finish in the most recent finals. That’s despite him and his other teammates winning over £2,500 each for their efforts and having a strong record beforehand.
From the outside, it might look like Liam’s journey to the top has been plain sailing. However, Liam could have not been playing in the finals at all.
Around this time last year, what Liam thought was a bad bout of asthma brought him close to death. He said: “I had a bad chest, but I just thought it was just my normal asthma, just being bad like it is every year.
“I had an asthma attack. I was dead for two minutes and two seconds, and got put into an induced coma.”
Liam woke up from the coma after two days, and this scare acted as a major wake-up call. He said: “It was a minor setback for me. Obviously, to everyone else, they’re like, whoa, you were dead. But to me, it opened my eyes to go to doctors more frequently and get check-ups.
“If you're worrying about something, it doesn't hurt to get it checked out.”
Liam argues that keeping fit is the biggest challenge as an e-sports player, a job where you are sat down in your bedroom for a long period. He said: “I understand that I do need to do more exercise and I eat better.
“That's improved over the years. When I first started to make money from gaming, I was on Uber Eats every day. I was ordering Indian food like three times a week, four times a week for the whole house. You know, because I never had money to order food [before that]."
Much like footballers and other sports players, Liam now undergoes rigorous fitness preparations ahead of tournaments. He is now a partner with Red Bull, joining other sports players like Liverpool FC’s Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dominik Szoboszlai.
Describing his time at the Red Bull Athlete Performance Centre in Austria recently, he said: “I was eating all the things that could make my body feel better, which could make my performance better. When I went there, I was eating all the right food, doing all the right stretches, getting all the right bloods found and all the things that could give me more energy.”
Liam’s rise to stardom has come at a time when more attention is being paid to the gaming industry. He was present at the launch of leveltap in Liverpool ONE earlier this year, a dedicated gaming venue with facilities to host tournaments and broadcast matches from around the world.
Liam said: “I feel like it was really needed. I went to New York last year and that was the first gaming bar I went to. I stayed in a hotel next door and spent my wages in the venue. And I was like, Liverpool needs one of these.”
Liam predicts that the leveltap’s popularity will grow in the coming years. He is also hopeful that, as the esports industry continues to grow, tournaments will be given airtime on the likes of Sky Sports.
However, Liam is not feeling sorry for himself after his recent health struggles. He is dedicated to helping his family, including his young baby, via his gaming career.
He said: “This is my career and I know what I need to do to provide for my family and to keep the things that I've got now. To keep partners, to keep teams, to keep sponsors.
“I don't want to sit there and think, oh yeah, I died last year. I don't want any sympathy.
“I'm still here today and I just know that I’ve got to crack on and get on with my job.”
The Liverpool Daily Post newsletter delves into the biggest stories on Merseyside
Win a 5-night holiday to the Turkish coast at Cook’s Club Adakoy Hotel