My parents thought I was wasting my life playing video games. I became a millionaire by 27.

Dima Beseda became a millionaire by age 27.

Courtesy of Dima Beseda Dima Beseda loved how games like "World of Warcraft" gave him clear goals and objectives.

He skipped university to play games constantly, and his parents were worried.

He's created gaming companies worth millions, and now is investing in AI.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Dima Beseda , cofounder of Spiry.

It has been edited for length and clarity.

I was only 3 when my dad brought our first computer into the house, but it changed my life.

At a very young age, I realized that video games had clear-cut rules.

I liked learning how to achieve something in the games and ultimately beat them.

When I was 13, World of Warcraft came out.

This was a whole new type of game: a world waiting to be discovered.

My successes in the game paid off in the real world: boys from older grades at school started to show me respect because of how well I could play.

My parents, however, were worried.

I always kept good grades in school, but every moment when I wasn't at school or asleep, I was thinking about the game.