How to Start Your Esports Gaming Career in 2024 ?
7 min readHow to Start Your Esports Gaming Career in 2024 ?
Are you wondering ‘how to get a job in esports’ or ‘how to become an esports player’? Fret not, we are here with a detailed guide to help you dive into the world of gaming and kickstart your esports career.
The world of gaming has gone through many changes in the last few decades. From the days of online Pong and Snake to our now streaming 3D interactive games, we’ve seen some major milestones. And more changes are on their way with the boom of esports opening many new avenues for gamers and gaming enthusiasts.
In this blog, we will dive into how to get into esports and you can kickstart your esports career. Let’s get started.
Overview of Esports –
The biggest change in gaming history is here. Esports is taking the world by storm with more than 300 million fans worldwide. A rise in viewership of 450% since 2014, and an estimated 80 million fans in 2020. As a result, it has become one of the fastest-growing industries in the world.
The new technological tools for disrupting gaming are changing how we play games. Virtual reality (VR) headsets are beginning to make their way into people’s homes. With innovative new gaming hardware, gaming-related companies are now on a collision course for exponential growth. The hardware for VR headsets is already being mass-produced, and software to run on these headsets is already being developed.
However, despite this increased acceptance of gaming in different forms and methods, many question ‘is a career in esports viable?’ or whether or not it will take over our society as people predicted it would. Every new technology brings forth its own set of pros and cons, but Esports stands out as an intriguing exception and catalyst for more change.
Career in Esports –
Every year, more and more people are understanding the value of gaming. The new technological tools for gaming are changing how we play games. With innovative new gaming hardware, gaming-related companies are now on a collision course for exponential growth.
The scope of a career in esports has also created opportunities to be part of this growing industry either as a player or as an organization or even working in the field for managing these events etc. For those who are interested in pursuing a career in esports, here are the upcoming exciting opportunities and how to make it happen.
How to Get Into Esports : Step-by-Step Guide –
When it comes to pursuing an esports career, it will serve you well to know what you are getting into. You must prove your skills and make a name for yourself in the industry if you want a long-term career. Here are a few important steps to get you started on your esports journey.
Become an Esports Streamer :
Great stories often have humble beginnings. One of the best ways to get into esports is to become an esports streamer first. Just pick up your favourite game and start streaming on popular platforms like YouTube or Twitch. You basically live-stream your gaming sessions as you play.
By doing this, you can interact with viewers and also show them a glimpse of the competitive side of the gaming world. Moreover, flashy moves and clean gameplay also hook users and give your stream a lot of attention. In this era of social media, all you need is one amazing clip and you will be viral in no time.
However, one of the drawbacks of this job is that earnings will be shallow for quite some time. It will require grabbing the attention of sponsors or a popular esports team to start earning. But it can be challenging since there are others like you out there doing the same thing.
Offer Your Services to an Esports Team :
If you are wondering how to get a job in esports without streaming, you can join an esports team. Much like sports, joining an established esports team will give your esports career a huge push.
Aside from joining a team with sponsors and salary, you will also get the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of esports competition. Moreover, you will also learn necessary skills like team coordination and more that will increase your value as an esports player.
Esports Tournaments and Sponsorships :
Another popular way of starting your esports career is participating in tournaments and attracting sponsorships. Most sponsors keep a close eye on regional or local esports tournaments to scout fresh talent. If you can showcase your skills and charisma in these tournaments, you can attract sponsors who will hire you as their representative.
However, it can be tough as you have to compete with other skilled players but if you manage to pull it off, your esports career will be sailing smoothly.
Learn the Intricacies of Esports :
Did you know that there are entire courses about esports now? Moreover, these courses are offered by acclaimed universities in the United States and the UK.
It is one of the best ways to kickstart your career as it will help you learn about the industry from experienced teachers and curb the learning curve.
Moreover, it will serve as an excellent opportunity as most of these universities also offer scholarships and placements, giving you a free ticket to be a part of the best teams in the world.
Explore Other Options in Esports :
The above-mentioned ways are related to gaming. However, many other career domains in the esports industry can help you start a career in esports.
Esports Journalist :
If you think journalists have no role in the world of esports, you are terribly mistaken. Esports journalists are responsible for reporting and getting things rolling in the industry. From engaging blogs to videos, journalists show the world of esports to viewers everywhere.
You can think of them as the Piers Morgan of esports. If you are interested in this field, you can also pursue a career as an esports journalist.
Commentator/Caster :
Another popular domain in esports is being a commentator. If you think this won’t provide you with the necessary exposure, you couldn’t be more wrong. Take a look at Joe Rogan, he started as a commentator for the UFC and is now the face of podcasting all across the world.
When it comes to being a commentator/caster, it is all about making exciting commentaries about how things are going with the esports event. A caster’s job is to convey the emotion of the games to the audience through their commentaries. You can also take it a step further and share your insights to keep users engaged.
Team Coach :
If you are not sure about your skills as an esports player but know your strategies like the back of your hand, a team coach will be the perfect job for you. You will need to strategise and create a team of players to become the winners.
However, it can be especially tough as this job requires you to know your teammates on a deeper level, including their strengths, weaknesses, tolerance levels, clutch potential, and other details.
However, if you manage to pull it off, it is incredibly rewarding. Even though you are not a frontline soldier anymore in the esports world, you are the commander who is guiding their soldiers towards victory.
Manager :
Manager is a broad role in the esports world, especially if you are not pursuing gaming. For example- you can be a social media manager and handle how the esports team is represented on various social media websites, including posting tweets and stories.
Event manager is another managerial role where you are responsible for organizing events and ensuring that they are going smoothly. This role offers a lot of exposure and is perfect for polishing your managerial skills.
Production Crew :
Lastly, you can also start your esports career as a production crew which is responsible for how things are broadcasted to the viewers. If you think this role is not that important, you would be wrong.
Who do you think is responsible for how the videos are taken or how is editing done to maximize engagement? The production crew is responsible for everything related to broadcasting. If you have the necessary skills to make broadcasting exciting, this can be a great job opportunity for you.
Final Words –
The rise of esports has been a major milestone for the gaming industry. After video games entered the mainstream media, they opened up countless opportunities for gamers to make money while playing their favourite games.
The future of esports looks promising as it can be seen as a new way of seeing sports and gaming altogether. With the rise in popularity and fan base, there will soon be more opportunities emerging to make money by doing what one loves to do best; be it, playing video games, organizing events, training a team, or being responsible for broadcasting.
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