Find your Motivation
It’s essential to play Esports for the right reasons, just like it’s essential to do anything else in life. The thrill of competition, the satisfaction of progressing as a player, and the sense of belonging to a team and community are all valid reasons to participate.
Positive motivations are what keep players engaged in the long run. Players who are motivated by money, fame, and quick success, on the other hand, will likely burn out before ever becoming a professional. Loving the game will make a world of difference during daily practice as you gradually develop the skills required to become a pro.
Pick your game
The following step is to identify your game. There are two schools of thought: choose an up-and-coming game or a well-established game.
The benefit of selecting a game already established as an Esport is that the infrastructure and resources to support professional gaming are already in place. Long-running Esports titles such as League of Legends, Dota, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) have large, dedicated player bases and, as a result, sponsored tournaments with large prize pools. The disadvantage is that they are more difficult for newcomers to break into.
When a game is new, players have the opportunity to help excavate the game and advance the meta, which is more volatile and accepting of different play styles at the start. Founding players of games such as Rocket League and Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds have propelled themselves to the center of the Esports stage. However, there is a risk that a game’s competitive scene will fail to thrive, in which case you may need to choose a new game.
Our advice is to try a few different ones before settling on the one you truly adore. You’ll be doing a lot of playing with it.
Join the community
Pro gaming is about more than just individual talent; it’s also about the culture that surrounds the game. Spend some time lurking on forums and other places where players congregate before devoting too much time to learning the intricacies of a specific game. The experience will give you a better sense of the road ahead, and you’ll be able to determine whether the pro player journey aligns with your personal goals and motivations.
Immersion in a game’s scene is critical for advancement, so make sure you enjoy the company of other players. For one thing, message boards, forums, and YouTube channels are great places to learn about a game’s meta. Players must interact to keep track of the evolving meta and iterate on it, thereby contributing to the scene they belong to.
Furthermore, the community is a strong motivator for long-term engagement in a game.
Gear Up
Make sure you’re using the proper equipment, beginning with a good gaming mouse and mechanical keyboard. Numerous options range in size, form factor, and sensitivity for peripherals, but it’s best to choose the one that works best for you. Hear what Esports pros had to say about the gaming peripherals they use to get some ideas.
Whatever peripherals you use, it’s a good idea to use the same mouse and keyboard for every scrim and game. Take a look at the pros today. The equipment they use in the gaming room is the same equipment they will use on stage. Familiarizing yourself with your peripherals makes it easier to transition to a tournament environment, where nerves and pressure are present.
When it comes to hardware, consistency is also important. Pro gaming event organizers must choose system components that will not impede gameplay with lag or variable frame rates. Your gaming laptops or PC’s performance should follow suit. Check out our guides on what to look for in a processor, gaming monitor, and storage space to learn more about improving your gaming experience.
Practice
It’s simple to find people to play against, thanks to in-game matchmaking and premium third-party matchmaking services like ESEA. However, if you want to win, you must practise.
First, learn how to play the game’s mechanics. Concentrate on mastering game-specific skills until they become second nature to you. These abilities are invaluable, whether it’s last-hitting in a MOBA, aiming with precision in an FPS, or maximizing actions-per-minute in an RTS. Pro players work tirelessly on mechanics to stay sharp and make minute improvements, but players just starting should see dramatic improvements with practice.
Begin researching the game’s overall strategy while you’re honing your skills. A good Esports strategy has many layers, from the situational approach to a jungle lurking between lanes to top-tier meta. Understanding your role in a given situation is an excellent place to start, as the meta used by pros — such as the nearly unstoppable GOATS strategy that dominated Season 1 of Overwatch League — can be too complex for beginners to coordinate.
Nonetheless, there is a lot to be learned from watching top players. Videos and live streams are both excellent resources for learning good in-game habits and providing a reference point for how you should play the game.
Later on, as you improve, reviewing replays of your matches will allow you to analyze your play style and learn from your mistakes. It’s something that all of the best players do.
Climb the ladder
To become a pro, you must have a strong desire to win at every competition stage. This includes being the top scorer in pick-up groups, climbing the matchmaking ladder, and being the last tournament team.
Please familiarize yourself with the level of competition hierarchy, as each Esport has its system for bringing new players into the fold. For example, in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, a player typically progresses from public games to matchmaking and leagues and tournaments. Different Esports will have different trajectories.
Climbing the ladder allows young players to make their mark. This can help them land a spot on an amateur team (or a home in a sub-community for solo games), a stepping stone to a professional gaming organization.
Find a team
Find a team once you’ve established yourself as a serious competitor. Playing with others, particularly those who are better than you or have different skill sets, is one of the most valuable experiences a player can have.
If you’re exceptionally talented, a team will likely seek you out. If not, you can audition for teams. Team find, for example, has forums and tools for teams and players to communicate. Discord servers, subreddits, and Steam groups are popular places for amateur teams to recruit.
Team-based games such as CS: GO, and Dota 2 necessitate the development of interpersonal skills. So, find a role you enjoy and a group of players with whom you get along. Even for solo games like Hearthstone or StarCraft 2, connecting with a like-minded sub-community has value.
Compete with other people
Learning the game is only half the battle. The other half of the equation is making connections to help you climb the competitive ladder. Begin networking once you’ve established yourself in more competitive lobbies. Make the most of your position as an excellent opponent to connect with better players.
Building relationships with better players can lead to more significant opportunities, such as invitations to private Discord channels where you can play in exclusive scrims and rub shoulders with elite players. Players are more likely to be noticed by professional organizations in environments like these.
Stay Balanced
While the grind mentality is prevalent in Esports, professionals must balance their practice schedule and off-screen activities. A holistic approach to practice, including proper nutrition, exercise, and active social life, improves mental focus and prevents burnout, according to professional gamers we interviewed. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle will enable you to stay motivated long enough to develop the skills that will eventually attract professional organizations.
Live like a Pro
It takes years of hard work and practice to become a pro gamer, but there’s more to it than just grinding. To progress as a player, it’s critical to take a well-rounded approach to training that includes developing social skills, game knowledge, finding positive motivation sources, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
If you follow these principles, you will see improvements in and out of the game.
A career in gaming is the most popular choice for young people because it is an industry with many opportunities. Furthermore, if you want to pursue a game design course after high school, you can look into the national and international universities which offer the best gaming courses. After graduating from a game design course, you can work in various fields. There is no easy way into the gaming industry; it is a world full of dedicated and professional gamers working together to create bigger and better games for everyone. So, if you still have questions and want to seek advice from career experts about the possibilities of a career in gaming, now is the time to act!
Also Read: How to Build A Career As A Gamer