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A FORMER McDonald’s worker who became a Fortnite millionaire from his bedroom at 18 admits his love life has taken a hit – as he can only date “like a vampire” in the dead of night.
Teen Jose Hinostroza, from Miami, Florida, US, started banking the colossal sums after posting videos of himself playing video games, including Call of Duty and Fortnite, during the pandemic.
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Hundreds of thousands of loyal fans soon followed, with his every move being eagerly watched as he live-streamed games and tournaments on YouTube, TikTok, and Twitch.
Realizing just how much money could be made gaming full-time, the McDonald’s worker quit his minimum wage role bagging fries and swapped the grill for the gaming chair.
The gamer, known online as qtclaps, swapped gaming for esport TikTok tournaments last year, soliciting donations from those watching his eight-hour sessions to earn cash.
Thanks to a talent for playing well and an army of loyal paying fans, Jose became a Fortnite millionaire at just 18.
The teen was able to splash out on lavish luxuries few could enjoy at such a young age, including a four-bedroom house in Miami, a Mercedes-Benz, and a jet ski.
Despite the glam trappings of gaming eight hours a day, unlucky-in-love Jose admits it’s ruined his dating life as he works such long hours.
Clocking-off time is usually around midnight, meaning anyone wanting to date him would need to be free in the early morning hours.
Jose said: “I was a millionaire by 18. I didn’t grow up with a lot of money so it means more to me, it’s pretty cool.
“It’s huge that I went from earning $8 an hour to six figures monthly. I feel proud of myself.
“This career definitely affects my dating life as I’m only free at night time. I get off at 12 at night, I don’t really have time to go see anyone.
“They’d have to be free in the early hours and suit that lifestyle. It would be like dating a vampire.
“It would be amazing to find someone who shares this passion with me and is free at the same weird hours I am, but I imagine it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.
“Plus, if I wanted to meet someone in the wild, I’d have to go out to places like bars, and by the time I’ve wrapped up the working day, they’re long closed.
“If only dating was as straightforward as gaming.”
Jose said he used to work at McDonald’s during the day, then go home and play tournaments online.
“I would win these tournaments and make $100 a day, so I started recording them and posting them on YouTube, and they got hundreds of thousands of views,” he added.
“I really liked sniping and I was pretty good, pretty fast. I would spend eight or more hours a day playing these games after school.
“This career definitely affects my dating life as I’m only free at night time. I get off at 12 at night, I don’t really have time to go see anyone.
Jose Hinostroza
“I was only working at McDonald’s a month, then Covid-19 came, and my streaming was really starting to pop off on Twitch.
“When I kept winning gaming tournaments and posting the videos and realizing how much I was getting, I realized I could do this as a career.”
The gamer now boasts 200,000 followers on Twitch, 280,000 on YouTube, 450,000 on TikTok and 80,000 on Instagram.
Jose said: “I didn’t expect to reach the figures I did.
“Fortnite was popping at the time, so everybody wanted to watch videos about it. From there, I just kept going and never looked back.
“I could see myself doing this for a few years. I always thought I’d do something with social media growing up.
“My dad wanted me to be an anesthesiologist, but I didn’t like school at all. My family is super proud of what I’ve achieved.”
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