Summary
Professional gamers capitalise on their video game playing skills to build a full time career out of participating in tournaments and winning prizes
The professional gaming industry has been receiving a great deal of interest in recent years
Who is a professional gamer?
Playing games as a rewarding profession may sound too good to be true, but in the modern digital world, many people have made a promising careers out of it. Professional gaming, also known as esports, has become a serious business today, opening up a whole new avenue of opportunities. However, do note that becoming a professional gamer takes quite a bit of dedication and perseverance and a little bit of talent.
With that out of the way, let’s take a look at your prospects in professional gaming.
What are the career opportunities for a professional gamer?
The industry has received a great deal of interest in recent years and a career in professional gaming is now a reality. With numerous organisations investing millions of dollars into developing new and innovative games, the sector's tremendous growth has created new revenue streams and opportunities for individuals who want to pursue gaming as a full-fledged career.
The growth of this sector has particularly interested the student community, where it has emerged as an alternative career option, particularly for students having keen interest in gaming, game design and programming or coding. Here are three career opportunities for professional gamers:
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Game designer: This is where a gamer can use their experience and come up with ideas that eventually turn into games. They would obviously be working alongside a group of talented artists and programming professionals to make their concepts into real games.
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Youtube influencer: Gaming YouTubers are often social media influencers who record video games while actually playing them, to show their audience how to play the game. Gaming videos on Youtube are one of the most popular content online.
Once you are sure of your prowess as a video gamer, starting a Youtube channel is one of the easiest ways to kickstart a career in this field. With good content, you can grow your following and monetize your efforts as well. Total Gaming, Techno Gamerz, Carry is Live are a few of the well known gaming channels on the platform that you should surely check out.
3. Gaming Consultants and Brand ambassadors: Pro-gamers may also leverage their expertise to help brands and firms to develop and test their games, as well as create go-to-market strategies. They are also often hired as brand ambassadors for promoting these games on different platforms.
What is the difference between a pro gamer and a streamer?
When on enters into the arena of professional gaming, these are two words that keep coming up and they may confuse a newbie. What is the difference between streamers and professional gamers?
To answer the question, streamers stream gameplay on the internet for fans to watch, whereas professional gamers are all about the competition. Streamers focus on getting comments and showing off their individuality. Professional gamers, on the other hand, also share game-winning tips, tricks and tactics on their channel for greater audience engagement.
Interested now? Let’s then take a look at…
The 6 steps to kick-start your professional gaming career
Step 1: Choose a genre
Professional gamers generally stick to one game, platform, or genre. With so many options of games and places to play, it's impossible to master them all. So, you'll have to narrow down your options.
To start, select a genre, examples would be strategy games or racing games. You can choose multiple genres, but the more specific you are, the better your chances of success will be. Selection of platforms, like PC gaming or Play station gaming, is also crucial here.
Step 2: Join a forum
There are many gaming forums over the internet where pro gamers, streamers as well as novice gamers can interact. These are a good place to start your gaming journey. Once you have a deeper understanding of how gaming as a passion and career works, you will be in a better position to chalk out a path for yourself. This is also a good place to determine if you have indeed selected the right genre or should make a change before you immerse yourself into it.
Step 3: Invest in resources
This is an obvious one - you need the right equipment to play. There’s no need to purchase everything at once, especially when you are just starting out. But you must make sure you have the items you need to make your gaming experience hassle-free.
Some of the crucial resources you’ll need to kick start your journey in professional gaming are:
- A gaming laptop or pc
- A high quality headphone
- A high quality webcam
- Good quality speakers
- A mechanical keyboard
Step 4: Join a team
This step comes after some hard work and practice. You must first play and practice and establish a place for yourself in the gaming community. Once you’ve done that and have a sufficient Youtube following or have won a few gaming events, you'll be a strong candidate for joining a gaming team. Joining a team comes with its own advantages. You will be able to learn from professionals who have more experience of the game and may well be better than you. It also gains you an entry into many national and international contests that you otherwise may not be able to enter.
Step 5: Take part in tournaments
After competing in local gaming events, the next step to turning pro is to enter into tournaments. Obviously a team helps with this, but networking can also be a game changer here. There are a number of prestigious private games that are played around the world, and it takes connections to get you into these. Take part in different professional tournaments and analyse what other players have to offer, and accordingly try to upgrade your skills to match that level. You must also focus on growing your follower base and player status when participating in these tournaments, along with keeping an eye on prizes.
Step 6: Find sponsors
The sign of a true professional is finding a sponsor. Participating and winning a tournament is great, but the prize money alone cannot be a steady source of income, especially when one takes it up as a full-time career option. Professional gamers can earn on the side from sponsorship deals with brands that pay them to promote their products or advertise on their channels.
Contrary to widely held notions, a gaming career isn't a low income option limited to playing games and championship fights. There are many different careers in gaming that allow you to become a part of this exciting gaming industry, while making it a viable professional option as well. Follow your passion and these six steps for a successful career in professional gaming.
Last updated on 09 Aug 2022
