How to Become an Esports Pro in 2023?
Do you dream of being paid millions of dollars to play your favorite game? Do you want to get signed to your favorite esports team? In this article, we will show you 5 tips to help you go pro!
1. Specialize in One Game!
The first step to becoming an esports pro is selecting a game. Esports has become so competitive that you need to specialize in one game. There are not enough hours in the day to become a pro at multiple games at the same time. Just think about it, how could you compete against people who spend 12 hours a day playing CS:GO when you are only putting in 4 hours a day?
When selecting which esport you want to specialize in, you need to consider its competitiveness, pro scene, and pathway to becoming pro. Ideally, you want to find an esport that is not overly competitive, has a clear pathway to becoming pro, and is popular enough to command regular 6 and 7-figure tournament prize pools. The top e-sports are League of Legends, CS:GO, Dota 2, and Valorant. While these esports are competitive, there are lots of S-tier tournaments, teams with big budgets, and feeder leagues that give you the opportunity to work your way up the ranks and go!
2. Play a Lot!
Most gaming enthusiasts underestimate just how much time you have to put into a game before you can go pro! Even if you are immensely talented, you will need to spend thousands of hours playing a game before you have the experience to compete at the professional level.
It has now become standard for professionals and gamers who sell their services on in-game marketplaces to play 6 to 8 hours, 6 days a week. If you want to make the jump from amateur to pro, you will need to put in similar hours. To speed up the process, you can play for 10 or 12 hours a day.
The key to making progress quickly in your chosen esport is consistency. You should create a schedule and divide up your gaming time. For example, you might wake up at 7 am and play from 8 am to 12 pm, take a break and then play from 2 pm to 5 pm. It requires serious discipline or an enormous amount of passion to play so many hours day after day. This is a big reason why only a tiny percentage of gamers ever go pro.
3. Play Ranked Matches
To ensure you keep progressing, you need to play people of similar skill level. Luckily, with ranked matches, you are automatically paired with other players of similar ratings. If you continually push yourself and grind ranked matches, you will see your skills increase rapidly.
The other benefit of playing ranked matches is you will move up the public leaderboard. Many pro esports teams sign players directly from public leaderboards. As you start getting toward the top of the leaderboard, teams may start reaching out to you and offering you a trial.
4. Join an Amateur Team
To get tournament experience and impress pro scouts, you should join an amateur team and compete in tournaments. These amateur tournaments will help you understand how offline tournaments work and ensure you can handle the pressure of tournament gameplay.
If you continue to impress at amateur tournaments, it won’t be long until a pro team contacts you. Before you know it, you could sign your first pro contract or earn a place in their academy!
5. Build a Following Online
Becoming an esports pro is not just about how talented you are, being marketable is also a factor. Esports teams make most of their money from sponsorship deals and selling branded merchandise. Esports teams are more willing to sign players who have big followings because they can attract lucrative sponsorship deals and help them sell more products.
To build a following, you should stream on Twitch and YouTube. You should also be active on social media platforms. Even if you can get a few thousand subscribers, this will help you get the attention of pro teams.
Final Thoughts
Becoming an esports pro is extremely challenging. Only a tiny percentage of gamers ever make it to the pro ranks. However, if you put the hours in and follow our tips, you can realize your dream of becoming a pro. Comment below what you think is the most important factor in becoming an esports pro.
Header Image Photo by ELLA DON on Unsplash
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Geek Vibes Nation.
Hi! I’m Bryan, and I’m a passionate & expert writer with more than five years of experience. I have written about various topics such as product descriptions, travel, cryptocurrencies, and online gaming in my writing journey. The latter is one of my favorites topics, and you can find some of my premium casino content at OUSC.