The boy, a student in Scotland, ran the gaming business from his dormitory room.

Maxim Gavrilenko, a student at Lomond School – a boarding institution in Helensburgh, Scotland, has made a substantial amount of money from the sale of a Minecraft server and intends to buy a house for his mother, the Independent reports. 

Mrs. Gavrilenko, a Ukrainian refugee who fled the war-devastated country, is a homeless in Portugal now.

For the 17-year-old schoolboy the popular worlds development game Minecraft is both a hobby and a business, as he gathered enthusiasts from around the world on his server to connect and play together.

The server he has sold, with all user accounts and settings, has earned him enough for a home, according to the source.

“I am very proud that I was able to turn my passion into a profitable business and I plan on treating my mother. […] As a result of the war, she was forced to flee her home, leaving her homeless, so to buy her a property will make all the hours spent on this project worthwhile,” Maxim told The Independent, expecting his mother to settle close to him in the UK.

“We never imagined it would develop into a viable business opportunity, but with guidance from my brother who works in tech, and the school, I was encouraged to explore the possibilities to turn it into something bigger,” said Maxim, who had bought the server for 1,000 pounds soon upon moving to Scotland in 2021.

What was acquired for fun with friends and colleagues, soon grew to a hub of players from the UK and around the world, attracting advertisers and a lucrative offer from a tech firm last May.

Other of Maxim’s family members have remained in his war-torn homeland. His grandparents live in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, his sister stayed in the country to support her partner, who’s signed up to defend Ukraine.