Rapha, the pro God of War Ragnarok player.

It was dead back in 2012 when it was dropped by IEM and niggas started debasing themselves in Shitmania. Same shit different year.

he was playing qc 7 ago, so even if your argument was valid, your premise was wrong https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1657208493

I posted this after he hadn't played QC in weeks and was grinding OW2, also removed QC from "Games Played".

which is a fair thing to note. I'm just saying it's apparent the conclusion that he quit for good was premature, let alone that this makes qc truly dead

Negative.

No qpl announcements ever until maybe last second so why would anyone new want try quake for pro... Even this game has bullshit op rockets soaim intensive guys will ignore this game and gravitate towards more aim intensive gamesl ike overwatch, naturally.

How do you even become a "pro" at videogames anymore?
It used to be

1) You join some free-registration lans
2) You win or do good
3) You make enough to fund further trips or even get some sponsors

Nowadays, it seems like being some twitch streamer that gets views is more important than actual skills.

Depends on the game. Most likely path is getting noticed on the solo ladder. Was the same in Quake, player's would typically make a name for themselves on public servers then get invited into team IRC channel.

In a lot of games you make a lot more for being a "content creator" than an actual pro.

I'd say even in the most popular games with the biggest prize pools you're still by and large better off solely focusing on content creation on YT, Twitch etc than playing purely for performance / rankings.

Unless you're #1 I can't see some one making a decent standard of living being a pro these days.

Even though video games has become a staple of modern entertainment, e-sports remains (and most likely will remain) a subculture supported by marketing dollars and/or community lead grass-roots initiatives, so it's not that surprising that content creation is more profitable.

If we take your example and imagine a player like shroud entered and won every CS tournament ever, I would assume those winnings would still be less than the value of his streaming profile. I think it's worth remembering that via streaming he is also constantly exposing himself, meaning he can continue to garner new fans, expand his base, and as a result, maintain his social capital. On the other hand, as a "pro player" he needs to be constantly winning, or near the very top, to generate the same level of interest.

If we take your example and imagine a player like shroud entered and won every CS tournament ever, I would assume those winnings would still be less than the value of his streaming profile

Much much less.