Shroud Says That Esports Pros Don't Have To Retire 'Until They're 50'
The year is 2040. The grey tints of James "Clayster" Eubanks' hair whisk across his face after he lifts his tenth World Championship in his final year of competing in Call of Duty. Over in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev and Lukas "gla1ve" Rossander are 1v1'ing for the Major championship as the rest of the player base is grinding VALORANT 3.
Sounds quite unfeasible, doesn't it? But in the great mind of Michael "Shroud" Grzesiek, this is what esports could look like in twenty years time.
Unlike mainstream sports, Shroud believes that esports professionals could continue to compete until the age of 50, before finally retiring.
How Old Is 'Too Old' To Be An Esports Pro?
Discussing the matter of retirement in gaming on stream, Shroud claimed that esports pros could continue playing at a high level until the age of 50.
He said: "Maybe 50 is your max. I truly believe that. If you were starting early, say 16/17 playing professionally and you played professionally until you were 50, you’re still going to be playing at a high level.”
What Exactly Did Shroud Say About Age In Esports?
The former CS:GO pro and now VALORANT competitor explained that whilst "you could lose some reaction time,” the experience and game knowledge alone could see you exist in the upper echelon of esports.
He added "I’m telling you, you will still be at that high level if you have that same passion, drive, and motivation to improve. You’ll still get there, you’ll still have it.”
Shroud himself has recently come out of retirement to compete in VALORANT, although his early quit from competing saw him fly to become one of the most subscribed Twitch personalities in the world.
Retirement in esports is a hot debate, with many different avenues available to competitors. However, if esports professionals continue to thrive with experience, Shroud could be on to something...
