Only 30 years ago, people played video games for the sake of their own pleasure. They could not wait to find time to enjoy playing them with their friends. In modern times, pleasure has remained the same but some things have changed.
Today, for example, you can build a career by playing games. Before the corona, there were arenas filled with tens of thousands of spectators cheering for teams competing for huge money prizes. In addition, millions of people follow these matches live via the Internet, while sponsors invest large amounts of money in this sport. No, we are not exaggerating. Gaming is considered a kind of sport, so much that there are bookmakers rated here where you can bet on your favorites. It is currently estimated that this industry is worth about $ 160 billion. By 2024, it will exceed $ 200 billion.
The gaming industry is a huge sector that, in addition to the development, marketing, and monetization of video games, includes the production, distribution, and use of content. It can be divided into those who create the game (game developers) and those who play them (gamers). Gaming includes all games that are a form of entertainment on a computer, mobile phone, or console.
A career in playing games is the most attractive choice for young people because it is an industry that offers players a lot of room to seize opportunities. There is no easy way to enter this industry because it is a world full of professional gamers who gather to achieve the best possible results. Who can be considered a gamer? It is a professional player, i.e. a full-time competitor, who is paid to play video games. Most professional players are usually paid by their teams or sponsors to compete in the biggest tournaments in the world. Many of these tournaments offer huge money prizes for the winners and can make up the bulk of an individual’s earnings.
The difference between a professional player and one who plays games as a hobby is the amount of time spent repeating the exercises over and over again. Professionals often train between six and eight hours a day to keep their reflexes in top condition, and often that number of hours increases. Therefore, if you are young and ready for something like this, and you are not sure where to start, now is the right time to take all the necessary measures to get information. For starters, you are probably wondering – how to start a career in this?
Find a Game You’re Good At
To become a professional and make a career out of gaming, you will need to hone your skills in one of the games. Learn it to the smallest detail. Only the best ones will become pro gamers and earn money by winning competitions. You do not have to be good in all games, but to be a grandmaster in one. To get there, you have to invest many hours in practice. Perfect your skills until you become invincible.
Games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, Dota 2, Call of Duty, PUBG, and Fortnite already have leagues in which it is possible to compete and make money. Motivation is also a very important factor. You have to really love that kind of occupation and game in which you compete and devote yourself to it to the fullest.
Most games are intended for the PC platform but choosing your depends on the game you have decided to improve in. If you are more attracted to games intended for the console, you will be able to become a professional player but in that case, the genres are a bit more restrictive since such games are focused on fighting. Nintendo and Microsoft want to have a share in this extremely lucrative industry, so this way of gaming is becoming increasingly popular in the world. If you think that you are better at playing games on a console than on a computer, you may want to consider making it your primary source of income.
When it comes to genres, many gamers who like playing games as a hobby like to try themselves out in a variety of them. One day they enjoy a fighting game, while the next day they would rather play a strategy. Since we already made it clear to you that only the best can succeed in this industry, it is best to choose the genre in which you are the best and in which you enjoy. Choose the genre that motivates you the most and commit to becoming the absolute best.
When you decide to choose a game, you will have two options – to choose a game that is already popular or one that is yet to become popular. The advantage of choosing a game in which there is already a possibility of competition is that those games already have certain resources that are invested in professional gaming and there is a well-established way in which everything works. LoL, Dota 2, and CS: GO already have a large player base and sponsored tournaments with lucrative prizes to play for. The bad side is that rookies, in addition to so many professionals, find it harder to break into the market.
By all accounts, if you are just starting out, you will have a hard time deciding on one game. It is hard to make a choice if you do not know what the game contains, so you should try as many of them as possible. In time, you will come across the one that suits you and that you like to play. And when that happens, know that you have found your game.
Learn All the Tricks in the Chosen Game
It is not bad to play against bots at first. Many multiplayer games allow you to practice this way. If you are still learning and trying out different strategies, this is the best option for exercising. You can choose a level and play the easier ones first before switching to the harder ones. You will not only learn the controls faster and how to properly position your fingers during the game, but you will also catch some tricks.
To become a professional, it takes a lot of time, patience, dedication, but also talent for the type of game you have chosen. It may sound cliché to you, but it is absolutely true. If playing games is your hobby, you know how much time such a hobby takes away from you during the day. You can imagine how much it would take away if it was actually your profession. Talent will make it easier for you to become a professional. Take CS: GO for example. If you have played it, and you decide to make Call of Duty the game on which your career will be based, you will be at an advantage, since both games require similar skills.
To improve your game, explore all the strategies and techniques that exist. Stay in pursuit of the best tips on new strategies and techniques for optimizing your game. You can find many tips on the Internet in the form of tutorials on certain games. Sometimes some things you learn will seem insignificant but maybe they will help you win a game, or at least be at an advantage.
As you have probably noticed or heard, there is a lot of jargon in the games. It varies, depending on the game you are playing. In Dota 2 and LoL there are the terms stun, hex/voodoo, disable, lane, neutrals/jungle, and ancients. In first-person shooters (such as CS: GO), players give unique names to specific locations. This facilitates communication between players, while it is unlikely that the opposing team will understand what you are talking about.
Acquire All Necessary Equipment
Make sure you have good equipment, especially a keyboard and mouse. It is really frustrating when some equipment ‘betray’ you during the game. There is no doubt that brands like Razer, SteelSeries, CM Storm, and Logitech produce the highest quality equipment for gamers. Devices from these manufacturers last a long time, are precise, react quickly, and will improve your game.
Equipment is something you really need to invest money in because hardware specifications play a key role. Some games will require stronger computers with better features but will generally work without problems even if you just adjust the graphics settings. The equipment varies in shape, size, and sensitivity, but you know what you will need for the game you are playing. Choose the equipment that seems best and most convenient to you because it is known that professional players practice and play tournaments on exactly the same equipment. If you are not sure which brand to choose and which features are best for your chosen type of game, seek advice from other players or on one of the YouTube channels or forums that deal with this topic.
Watch Streamers and Professional Competitions and Make New Friendships
The rise of streaming turned out to be one of the most important events in gaming. It is a great way to collect important tips and tricks to master the game faster. If you want to become the best, you have to look at the game from all aspects and apply various techniques, such as moves that would not otherwise occur to you or a quick movement of the wrist or finger. Watching videos and competitions like this live will help you discover a lot about the game, what you need to pay attention to, and what its goal is. You will see how professionals do it, how their team works, what their strategies, decisions, and tricks are. On the other hand, if you are already very good, sometimes you will need the inspiration to let your imagination run wild and come up with a new move. Again, streaming video helps you with that.
There is another option in gaining new views on gaming, and that are tutorials and guides on various YouTube channels in which individuals comment on someone’s playing and explain what is happening in the game. If you have difficulty passing a level, you can always look for a video that explains in detail how you can master it.
It is also very important to make contact with other players. It is something you have to do and it will help you develop the game. If you really like gaming, it will be really interesting for you to establish a connection with those who share the same passion with you. It is very important to join the right networks and make contact with other players so that you can practice together. After that, you will know what it is like when you compete, and therefore what you should pay attention to. This way you can also pick up some tricks from the better and more experienced ones. On the Teamfind website, you can find forums and tools with which you can communicate with teams and players.
Join the Team and Participate In Tournaments
The next step towards your goal is to join the team. At that moment you already have to be great in your game and have a good reputation in the gaming community and, as we have already mentioned, communication with other players is very important. You can also make acquaintances on online forums. Maybe the team will contact you and ask you to join them. However, keep in mind that this is one of the privileges of the best.
If that does not happen, go on a search yourself. Find a team that wants to accept you. It will mean a lot to you if you play side by side with those who play better than you or have a different set of skills. You have to become part of the team if you want to compete in tournaments. Competitions in playing games are mostly intended for teams and the entry fee is high. There are many competitions, and the most lucrative ones are in Call of Duty, Dota 2, and LoL.
Once you perfect your game and technique and start winning on regular basis, sponsors will start paying attention to you. Winning a big tournament or ranking high in multiple competitions can lead you to get paid to compete in tournaments where you fight with the highest-ranked players in the world. How much will you be paid? It depends solely on you, your progress, but also a little luck.
