Competitive video games are commonly known as esports, a term that describes the world of professional gaming. These games have become much more than just little boys playing on their consoles at home for hours. Today, pro gamers can be of any gender and come from every part of the world.
The industry is highly lucrative, with some successful players making as much as USD$35,000 a month. Esports has grown leaps and bounds and has become one of the most streamed sports in the world. Getting started isn’t too complicated, however. Below is a simple guide about this growing sport.
Practice Makes Perfect
It’s not necessary to be a pro player to be involved in esports. However, as things stand, becoming a pro isn’t easy; a person must have exceptional skills. So, if you want to make it into the big leagues, you can hone your skills by playing for fun.
Note that practicing esports is just as intense as practicing for other sports. Some gamers’ daily routines revolve around their online playing persona. It’s advisable to have a schedule, hire a coach, stream videos of other games, and spend some time with experienced teams.
Esports athletes need a strong mind, healthy body, and quick reflexes to compete in the big leagues. Therefore, physical exercise is just as important as practicing your gaming.
Can You Make Money From Gaming?
To answer this question, we have to understand what is a professional gamer. A pro gamer earns money from esports playing in tournaments, leagues, etc. It’s their profession. Esports can be very lucrative for players. Having paid out over USD$218million in prize money, Dota 2 is the highest paying game so far.
The average income for professional gamers is between USD$1000 to USD$5000 per month. There’s also sponsorship money for the more popular pros, which can be significant.
In 2021 alone, the total esports prize money awarded amounts to USD$144 million—that’s in more than 2,900 esports tournaments worldwide.
These stats prove just how lucrative this industry is.
Get The Right Equipment
It doesn’t matter how good a player is; they’ll lose a match quicker if their mouse and keyboard or other computer components can’t keep up with the game. Investing in the right equipment is vital for a smooth game and a better chance of winning.
Gaming rigs are outfitted with top-notch components and accessories, like gaming mice and keyboards, ergonomic swivel chairs, multiple monitors—the works.
The gaming equipment needed for esports is specialized and has detailed standards and specs. Like a large RAM or a gaming monitor with at least a 75 Hz refresh rate. A computer rig that can’t handle a competitive game’s graphic demands and high-speed action will cause lags and display errors. Of course, a pro gamer should also have a reliable internet connection.
Which Games To Play?
Players or teams can play different types of games, like multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA), Real-Time Strategy (RTS), First-Person Shooter (FPS), and fighting games are very popular genres.
Classic and popular franchises in gaming like StarCraft II, Call of Duty, Rainbow Six, Counter-Strike, Fortnite, DOTA 2, and League Of Legends are still among the highest-paying games out there in terms of prize money offered.
Fortnite, a game released in 2017, has a total prize of USD$20 million for 2021 alone. In 2019, the total Fortnite prize money was USD$30 million.
Best Gaming Streaming Platforms
Twitch is one of the largest social networks for gamers and is regarded as the most popular among gamers for functionality and ease of use. Best of all, it’s free. Twitch, in 2021, has a total concurrent viewer number of 2.84 million. The most popular Twitch streamer has a following of around 17 million.
For a platform that started out wanting to be Twitch, YouTube Gaming has grown a lot since its inception and has gained popularity on its own merit. Facebook Gaming allows you to create and follow gaming content under the main Facebook app. It’s perfect for the gamer looking to build a good social media following. More than 230 million users are using Facebook gaming per month.
Final Thoughts
Esports is so diverse and inclusive. If you’re not a player, you can find your niche in other areas of the sport like content creation, game developing, testing, or even a game artist. To compete, you have to have the proper equipment and the diligence to practice and hone your skills. Esports can be lucrative for the successful pros. Game developers have given out prize money amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars.
Esports pros can also corner sponsorship money and be successful game streamers in the many streaming platforms.
Caroline is doing her graduation in IT from the University of South California but keens to work as a freelance blogger. She loves to write on the latest information about IoT, technology, and business. She has innovative ideas and shares her experience with her readers.
