Video Game Coaches Now For-Hire To Help Players Of All Ages Improve Their Skills

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- There are tutors and private instructors to help kids with everything from school work to mastering a musical instrument. Now, there's something totally new.

Coaches for hire to help children get better at playing video games is a lucrative business, but is it worth it? 13-year-old Leslie D'Incecco seems to think so. He's really good at the game Overwatch, and says a gaming coach could help him take it to the next level. One day, he says, he'd like to even play professionally.

"That's a dream, I guess," Leslie tells CBS2. "You don't really know what you're doing wrong sometimes, I think that's probably what the coach would help with."

As it turns out, more people of all ages are hiring video game coaches to conduct virtual sessions with the goal of eventually mastering their favorite games.

"A good majority of my students are trying to get better so they can beat their friends," coach Harry Darwin tells CBS2. He works for the company Gamer Sensei. "Some parents do it because they want to be better than your kids. There is more professionals trying to take it up the extra level and really go pro, and try to make some money."

The popularity of the video game Fortnite has resulted in a boom in video game coaching because companies recently offered $100 million in prize money. Still, the coaching life may not be right for everyone.

"One of the benefits of coaching is that you get in-depth analysis regarding game play, strategies, and technique," said e-sports expert Richard Ng. "You may find that a lot of the answers you or your child are looking for could be in a video you can watch for free."

Response is mixed among gamers and parents. Some say they would never pay for a service like that, while others have friends who already pay a gaming coach. As video game prize money increases, as too should the demand for video game coaches.

Coaching typically costs around $20 an hour, so before you hire a coach experts say be sure to do your research and check references.