How to become an esports player

Technology has brought lots of options today for picking a trendy career. The digital world nowadays continues to grow at a crazy pace, and that's when esports comes online. Being a relatively fresh field to invest your time in, esports not only brings together some fans that simply like gaming, but also opens up new doors for big brands to interact with these fans, even though the brands themselves seem to have little to do with our favorite video games. Thus, expanding the industry even more. Now, esports is a great field to build your career in, and therefore lots of younger fans look for guides on how to become an esports player. Here we have this topic covered.

The world of esports is worth exploring now more than ever. It is always possible to become an esports athlete, but only if you are disciplined and open to new challenges in your competitive games. The good thing is that the field is not limited to just being a performer of a certain in-game role, there is a need for analytical, creative and technically-specific skillsets as well in esports, and we’re here to discuss the first step for getting into the world of esports. 

Keep an eye on what’s going on in the industry

Proper research is vital in getting a foundation of what to expect from today’s esports scene. There are esports events going on 24/7 around the globe. Teams and talented individuals are competing on air, casters are covering gameplay situations, streamers are delivering content needed both for professionals and amateurs… There is plenty of information, once you have decided to look at what’s going on in today’s esports scene. The media forms are plenty too, in which esports are presented. Video and text guides, forums, discussions, developer diaries and other sources are available mostly free for all. Just pick the discipline you want and slowly dive deeper into its details. This is how you understand how to become a professional esports player in this or that particular game.

Do you like to hear others explain? Do you like to analyze all on your own? You can choose to follow tournament operators or streamers that do live coverages of the most exciting events for each taste. You have several options also to choose where to follow these creators — Twitch, YouTube, personal websites, social media, etc.

Following the popular channels that are presenting the hustle and bustle taking place in esports should become a daily practice, and over time it will become a habit, just like watching news on TV or reading.

Choose a game and a genre

Are you into individual or team competitions? Do you like real-life sports simulations, or unreal worlds with magic and superpowers? Are you keen on setting up strategies? Answering these questions will lead you to the list of games that could be suitable for you to try, if you look at how to become an esports player. 

It’s also recommended to develop the skills that you are already good at. Do you have a sharp eye to aim effectively in shooter games? Do you like to solve in-game situations strategically? Or maybe you're good at predicting the steps of the opponent? Adding up to the already existing skill set might be the most effective and shortest way to gain reasonable experience in esports and improving the playstyle. It is also important to be informed about newly-releasing games that could become the next popular esports discipline, once the developers take good care of the potential of its competitiveness. 

Another important thing to understand, is that games are not always the same, when it comes to the most effective tactics available. Today’s biggest esports disciplines are regularly tweaking the tools of play, be it characters, weapons, maps and other things. Thus, to become a professional esports player means to be aware of all the changes from macro to micro situations.

Choose the team

It is quite beneficial to have a group of players to follow, who are outstanding within their discipline. Through the time you learn a lot from their effective playstyles, mimicking their good sides and concentrating on sweeping out the errors and failures they usually make.

You can take multiple teams and explore their advantages to try to implement them in your own play. Some are doing great jobs marketing-wise (such as FaZe or G2), others are concentrating on carving the best athletes from their own academy talents. But what is crucial for each and every squad, is the synergy and good relations within all of the members outside of the job too. But, perhaps, the best teams are those who are not giving up after failures and keep their motivations high, believeing that they are going to be the next champions in this or that event. Always remember, that tough days are a common part of any esports team in any discipline.

You can even try to invite players to join you in creating your own team. This will provide you with experience of building up the communication and team-based strategies instead of the solo-setups. This could be a longer, but a more result-driven approach.

Follow esports tournaments

Getting to know the basic rules of the tournaments will help you to be updated on how teams compete with each other, what are they allowed to do, and what are the red flags to stay away from. Watching events through streaming or attending LANs are the only choices out there. 

The pandemic has stopped plenty of tournaments that were to take place with the presence of live audience, however, one of the advantages of watching tournaments online is that you have a rewind option, if you want to understand thoroughly what went on at exact moment, you can watch the reply moments later. 

Another positive thing is that esports tournaments are held every month, so it is easy to pick a discipline and start following the top teams. Or maybe it could be a club from your own country to cheer for. Anyway, the opportunities are not few, so go on and dedicate your time to watching esports.

Take part in esports tournaments

Once you have thoroughly examined all of the aspects of your favorite esports titles, it is time to get into the actual play. Discovering leagues for amateurs is easier in case you know where the beginners go for adding up their ranks and experience. Most of the esports title has servers for both the beginners and the advanced. 

Local LAN tournaments, on the other hand, will enable you to get a better understanding of the on-stage experience. Overtime, you will be noticed by various organizations that are willing to add new faces to their academy or main team. There is a constant need for talents in esports, as older generations retire from the pro play, or they simply turn to a streaming career, after they are done with competitions.

Rewatch the games you've played

Many beginners do not understand the importance of re-watching their games, but this practice could have an instant effect on you to not repeat the same mistakes in the next matchups. Try to think of variations you could be using in taking this or that step, depending on the situation. The right thing to do is also to turn to a personal or team coach, who could point out the mistakes you are missing to notice. Visual memory works very well among many, so this could be something to benefit from, when you are considering how to become a real esports player. 

Practice

Just like every kind of professional sphere, practicing your skills in esports is empirical. Sports has the concept of “staying fit”. The same can be applied to the esports scene. Taking a good care of your base and complementary skills should be a daily practice, if you are keen on staying at the top of your game and still continue to hunt down players in ranked competitions. 

Professional players dedicate a lot of time outside the tournaments practicing their weak points in the game. If it is a team-based title, then you need to stay in the connection with your allies outside the bootcamp too. You might want to practice safely online, especially when the COVID-19 cases are not vanishing yet. Keep in mind all of the advices, and soon you'll be able to answer yourself on how to become a professional esports player.

Key points to become an esports player:

• Following the major events in esports.
• Taking the right genre and the game for you (individual or team-based).
• Choose the right team to follow.
• Compete in LAN and online tournaments.
• Rewatch your plays.
• Practice.