A YOUNG Andersonstown man is making a name for himself across the world by playing the popular video game Pokémon competitively.
Mattie Morgan (23) has been playing the video game since he was 10-years-old.
The video game series, which began in 1996 takes place in a shared universe in which humans co-exist with creatures known as Pokémon, a large variety of species endowed with special powers. The player then trains the Pokémon to compete with others.
Playing the game competitively involves participation in the Pokémon Video Game Championships (VGC). Mattie travels around the world competing in tournaments and is currently seventh in the world.
"I started off playing the video games with my friends when I was around ten. I then found the competition side of it online," explained Mattie.
"I started playing more and more. When I was 13-years-old I went to Dublin for my first tournament and won it.
"At 14, I reached the top four best players in Europe. That is when it really kicked off for me and I have been competing all over the world.
"In 2023, I won the Swedish Championships in Malmo and also represented Ireland in the World Championships in Japan that year too."
Mattie has already earned thousands of dollars from the hobby as well as travelled across the world playing competitively and hopes to one day become world champion.
"At the minute, I am seventh in the world," he added. "It is a big hobby for me but to do it competitively is a dream come true. It does take up a lot of my free time. I have been in eight tournaments since September all over the world.
"My aim is to become the world champion. It has been a dream since I started."
You can follow Mattie on Twitter @MattieMooVGC
