Jake_OW
Family
He has a dog and two cats.
Name Origins
He says that he chose to use his real name because he felt that it was meaningful to use it in a space that is usually known for anonymity.
Gaming Origins
Jake_OW grew up participating in many outdoor activities. His first video game was Crash Bandicoot on the PlayStation 1, and he competed in that as well as many other titles against his brother in various console video games in after school. The first video game that he really took seriously was Kill Zone 2, although he did also play Call of Duty and other titles when he was older. It was only when his brother went to college when Jake_OW was still in high school that he started playing PC games, with the first competitive game that he really focused on being Team Fortress 2.
He knew that he wanted to pursue esports and felt that Overwatch had potential when it was being advertised, so he preordered and started playing it the day after it was released. Despite going to study in the Netherlands for the summer that year, he still managed to rank within the top 500 in the EU for the first season on his MacBook Pro.
His parents were supportive of his gaming pursuits, as he was always careful to ensure that he was performing well at school and doing whatever else he was meant to do before he spent time gaming. In college, he tended to just try to get by, though.
Prior to streaming fulltime, Jake_OW completed his degree in Economics and Philosophy at Deninson University in Ohio.
Professional Gaming
He joined his first professional Overwatch team when he was in his third year of university. From there, he transitioned to a few other teams before signing with the Houston Outlaws in October 2017. Outside of competing in matches, he also ventured into casting in 2018 at the Overwatch World Cup in South Korea. He retired from the pro-scene on December 7, 2019 in order to focus on his streaming and casting careers. On December 20, 2019, it was announced that he would become one of the official casters for the Overwatch League in 2020. He rejoined Huston Outlaws as their coach in March 2021.
Income
According to his chat bot, Jake_OW has ~1,220 subscribers. This means that his base monthly income is around $3,050 USD per month, excluding revenue from tiered subscriptions, advertisements, sponsorships, casting fees Twitch cheer bit donations and tips.
As the OWL stipulates a minimum player salary, we know that he was earning at least $50,000 USD per season when he was still competing with the team.
Streaming Hours
He hasn’t established a set schedule yet but tends to stream almost daily for between 3 – 7 hours per session.
Quotes
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As you progress tot the higher levels of the game, it’s not just about who has spent the most hours playing the game, who has the most knowledge, [etc.] You know, the elements of trust, coordination, communication, these things are much more important at the highest levels. Do, we’re getting into maximizing our sleep schedule, our diet, living a healthy lifestyle, if you don’t do these things, you just can’t compete at the highest level.
Sources
Gaming Setup
Streaming Setup
