Did you know that the biggest esports tournaments can have prize pools of $30 million and upwards? If your working day is spent dreaming of gaming, then a career in your favorite shooter or beat’em up could be waiting for you. All you need to know are a few tips to get to the top.
Unfortunately, it is a lot more hard work than people think. Read on as we give our steps on how to become a professional gamer.
Select a Game
Your first task is to pick a game in which to excel. While you may have a host of the best video games, you need to concentrate on just one.
It needs to be a game you know you will not get bored of playing. This game will be your life and you will need to study every facet of it. For many, it is a game they know they are already good at playing.
Pick a Platform
The platform is important as some games are restricted to certain platforms themselves. For example, Nintendo has a Super Smash Bros tournament that is only on their Switch console. Your main decision will come down to PC or console gaming.
PC has the most competitive games played on it. However, professional console gaming is slowly on the increase. You may find that consoles tend to concentrate on fighting games and sports titles slightly more.
Invest
There are a lot of gaming peripherals on the market, some of which are not required, while some are essential to professional gamers. The first is obviously the platform, and you will either need a console or a state-of-the-art PC to play games on.
After this, you should invest in a comfortable gaming chair. You will be spending a lot of time in this, so it must be supportive and facilitate the correct posture. It does not even have to be a specific gaming chair but could be something equally as useful from an office or furniture store.
Finally, you need the correct control system. This will all depend upon the game you play. You may choose an ergonomic fast mouse and keyboard setup, an arcade stick, or simply opt for a console controller.
Practice
If you want to know how to get better at video games, then you better have the time to practice. In fact, you should be practicing every day if possible. This will involve setting up a dedicated schedule.
Go through your weekly schedule and see where your free time falls. If you are struggling to fit practice in, then other commitments and hobbies may have to go. Start by penciling in the unavoidable tasks, such as the day job or study, and work from there.
Once you have practice times, focus on specific elements each day. Do not have every session as you just playing the game. Simply playing can be a warm-up or cool down after the actual practice.
Practicing can involve working on different scenarios, weapons, maps, or other changeable elements. You may practice move combos or tactics if you are in a sports game.
Study How to Get Better at Video Games
As well as practice time, you should allocate some of your schedule to study. Most games have a wealth of information online to help aspiring players. From Youtube tutorials to online guides, you should have plenty to inform your play.
Join chat forums and social media groups about the game. Talk to others about their strategies and any problems you are facing. They may have advice you had not even thought about.
Another way you can up your game is to watch people stream watch professional gamers play in competitions. Study their strengths and weaknesses, and try to see what tactics they are using. It may not be long until you come up against them.
Network
While networking may sound extremely corporate, one of the most useful gaming tips is to network. Other people will be a wealth of information, on everything from strategy to contests that are happening online. It will also make the experience a lot more fun.
Join a network to learn some tips and tricks from other gamers. Once you get good at the game, you may even be invited to join a team.
Create Revenue Streams
Creating revenue streams is where the hard work starts to pay off and you can begin to think about leaving the day job. There are a few ways to bring in money, and they are not just by winning competitions.
Start by setting yourself up as a streamer throughout your practice journey. This can be done on a number of platforms, with Youtube bringing you revenue for advertising and Twitch charging a subscription to viewers. The amount you make from this will depend upon a number of factors, such as how often you stream and partly down to your personality.
Another way to bump up this total is through donations made by subscribers. You can also sign up for affiliate schemes, which will give you a percentage of a sale if you sell a companies product.
Another of the odder gaming tips to bring in revenue are the number of esports betting sites where you can place wagers on others in competitive esport. Overwatch betting is very popular, and you can learn more about it here.
Enter Competitions
The final step is to enter competitions and get noticed. Start with online tournaments to build a reputation, then go into local competitions. If you work hard enough, you should slowly see yourself work your way up the rankings.
The final goal is to attend one of the huge Esports tournaments. This is the level at which you will begin to earn large cash prizes and you could even get sponsorship.
How to Become a Professional Gamer
In summary, if you are wondering how to become a professional gamer then prepare for some hard work. It takes a little investment, a lot of time, and planning. You will encounter setbacks but if you carry and treat it like a job you should make it in the end.
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