LOS ANGELES _ Tyler "Ninja" Blevins is taking a break. He doesn't do that often, but he is forced to briefly stop and relax while the backdrop is changed for a commercial he is shooting in Long Beach.
As he scrolls through his phone, he looks up and notices a middle-aged crew member staring at him.
"Can I please take a quick picture with you?" the man whispers, knowing he shouldn't be asking for a photo while on the job.
"Of course," Blevins says.
"My son is such a big fan," the man says as he snaps a quick selfie. "He's not going to believe I met you."
If you haven't heard of "Ninja," chances are you're either not between the ages of 12 and 24 years old or the parent of someone who is. Blevins is the most popular video game player in the world and the unofficial face of Fortnite, the popular battle royale in which 100 players are dropped onto an island where they fight to the death until one winner is left standing (and dancing).
The simplicity of the free-to-play game has attracted more than 250 million registered players, from grade school children to professional athletes.
What separates Blevins, 27, from other Fortnite players is his skill and following. He has more than 14 million followers on Twitch, Amazon's live streaming platform; almost 14 million on Instagram; more than 4 million on Twitter; and more than 22 million subscribers on YouTube.
His influence is such that Electronic Arts reportedly paid him $1 million to play its battle royale game, Apex Legends, when it was released in February. Without any announcement or marketing, more than 50 million people played the game in less than 30 days.
Blevins typically makes more than $500,000 per month streaming _ double that in his best months. He's not shy about sharing that information because he wants to change the perception of gaming and esports. He wants young people to aspire to be streamers and gamers, just like previous generations aspired to be football and basketball players. And he wants parents to be supportive of those aspirations, knowing it's possible to make a career out of it.
"Give it 20-30 years and it will be accepted ...," he says. "There's no doubt in my mind. This is the gaming generation."
