With the rise of video games as a form of mass entertainment, championships have emerged to seek competition at the highest level. The best gamers in the world live like true rock stars, and many people wonder: “How to be a professional gamer?”
The video game industry has gone on to become one of the most consumed content creators on YouTube. They have allowed the rise of contemporary stars such as Rubius or Pewdiepie, the two channels with the most subscribers on the video social network.
But it is not only about that, in South Korea they have their own television channels dedicated to watching electronic competition, called ‘Esports’ (electronic sports). The prizes of the most demanded games exceed millions of dollars and they manage to win much more thanks to the income from advertising and sponsors.
Over time, electronic competition has grown from being a competition between small teams to become events that fill stadiums and the players are considered real stars: they sign autographs, live in mansions, have expensive cars and have a legion of fans. .
The promise of getting these material pleasures just by being the best in your favorite game is an attractive idea for the millions of gamers who are behind the screens every day, practicing their skills. The good thing about competition becoming popular is that tournaments have sprung up for just about every game that has a multiplayer mode.
Games with more professional gamers
The most popular now are shooters like Counter-Strike, Call of Duty or Overwatch ; MOBAs like League of Legends or DOTA 2; sports games, such as FIFA; or fighting games like Injustice 2 , Tekken, or Street Fighter. However, games that have a significant chance factor, such as Hearthstone, also have a lot of pull.
The biggest problem is that, although all the studios try to develop the next great game that has a strong competitive scene for years and maintains the interest of viewers outside of it; the truth is that nobody knows where hobbies will go and many projects remain in the lurch.
Therefore, trying to be a professional gamer is a risky bet. What good will it have been to practice your technique for so many years if your game doesn’t arouse the interest of tournaments? This is the case of many players who have ascended to the Olympus of games like Halo, Starcraft or Gears of War, to see how what really made money was a game that they had never installed.
The biggest problem with trying to be a professional gamer is the competition that you will meet along the way. Every team is looking for talent, but there are so many good players, and tryouts can be crazy. If you really want to know how to be a professional gamer , do not hesitate: it will not be an easy path.
What do you need to become a professional gamer?
First of all, you need to start young. Being the best at a game takes practice, lots of practice. The younger you are, the more time you can spend on a computer; the faster you learn and the more opportunities you have to get noticed. Therefore, the game you choose has to be in the competitive world for several years.
Second, you have to practice. And we don’t mean playing a couple of hours a day. One of the aspects that few consider when dreaming about the life of the pro gamer is the number of hours a day they spend in the virtual world. Many spend 8 to 10 hours playing. All day. Every day. That pace can easily make you hate the game you fell in love with in the first place.
If you are good thanks to your practice, and young, the third step is to climb to the top of the ranking. Many games have their own rating, and others work with companies that organize the tournaments like ESEA or FaceIt. No matter what it is, make it to the top 20 of players (this, in games that have millions of active players, is as difficult as it sounds).
Once you’re a young prospect, one of the best players the game has ever seen and no team, the next step is to impress who matters. Teams have scouts, but they’ve seen so much that it’s really hard to get a call. If you do, consider yourself lucky and sign the contract. You are a professional gamer. Now the really complicated part begins: moving with your team to a gamers’ house and practicing every day to win a tournament. At first you will have a place in the amateur leagues, but if you earn enough, the “first division” may sign you.
Now all that remains is to show the world how good you are at one of the most consumed forms of entertainment today. The road will have been arduous and tortuous, but you made it: you are a professional gamer.
