eSport and Why Amateur Leagues are Shit
Want to break into eSport through amateur leagues competitions? Look no further! This is definitely not the right place for you. The current amateur leagues in eSport hold little to no value for competitors who seek to become the next Faker or Ferrari 430. In this article we will break down the fundamental flaws of amateur leagues, harsh reality that affects the lifespan of a professional athlete, and the proper steps a gamer needs to take to “go pro”.
The Current League
As a fellow gamer we have always had that one competitive friend who is just slightly better at every game we play. Well, these are the friends that will typically end up playing in one of those dreadful amateur leagues.The fundamental problems with these leagues are — like you guessed it, very little competitions and notability. Ranging from university level competition to your plain old amateur leagues, you are competing with little to no exposure. Most professional organizations simply will not scout players from these leagues.
It is necessary to note that it is very difficult to breakout from these leagues as university level of competition are often filled with already-established professional gamers. The harsh reality for university students that want to breakout into the scene is that they are forced to play against players who are less committed to school, spend more time in practice sessions, and have more passion for the game.
Take my personal experience for example, I never liked the idea of participating in amateur leagues prior to breaking out as a professional gamer. I was very upset at every moment when I lose versus a professional gamer in the league. Post leaving the amateur league scene for a long period of time and returning as a professional gamer, I began to see the discouragements that a professional gamer unintentionally offers to other competitors. Many amateur league players have the mentality of giving up versus top players even before the match has begun. This negative way of thinking and giving-up early often means that amateur league competitors will very likely lose passion and give-up all together in becoming a professional gamer.
Sport and eSport
Traditional sports such as basketball and American football have dedicated university programs and recruitment processes whereby players can be drafted directly into the NBA or NFL. In comparison, eSport is quite the backwards story. Players who want to become a “pro” desperately send in hundreds of applications to teams in hope that one of these teams may have a specific role that needs filling. Since there isn’t a draft system in eSport, competitors that wishes to join top teams needs to at least already be able to stand toe-to-toe against a professional gamer. More often than not, players not only need to consistently place in the top 5 rankings in the region, but also have a good reputation with the community to be considered a candidate for top teams.
Even at a professional level, many eSport competitors are paid less than minimum wage in America. Yeah, you heard that correctly. Even some of the best and most talented players for games such as Heroes of the Storm and SMITE are very much underpaid. As an amateur competitor, you have to have an explosive amount of passion to overcome the financial difficulties of a professional gamer. Of course the more you win the more you will earn too, but that is still far less than what any professional NBA or NFL players will make. This level of risk-reward will typically stop most university level students from attempting to become a professional gamer as typical university graduate can make at least $40,000 — $50,000 per year.
Solution
To overcome the current issues with amateur leagues and the future of eSport competitors, the following must be in place:
- Higher salaries and age limitations for professional gamers
- League tier participation restrictions
Age limitation for eSports is one of the few things that I advocate strongly as most eSport competitors are below the age of 18.Most of them are forced to dropout of school and spend 10–12 hours a day in practice sessions to pursuit the dream of becoming a professional gamer (with poor pay). Ultimately, an age restriction and higher salary would not only make both amateur and professional eSports more appealing, but also more competitive. Due to the nature of eSport careers being fairly unstable, unless a competitor is set course to be drafted to a premier professional team, he or she should not be allowed to participate in any professional eSport event before the age of 18. This will not only lower the dropout rates of underage eSport competitors from school, but also open up more options for high school students in amateur leagues.
Higher player salary without say will be beneficial to players and serves as an incentive for amateur players to take a step forward towards professional gaming. With more money there will be an increase of players participating in amateur leagues, making the amateur leagues more prestigious, (hopefully) resulting in more direct player recruitment and drafts from into premier teams.
As of now — to become a professional gamer from an amateur league you will have to:
- Sacrifice many more hours of your time outside of school to practice (likely dropping out)
- Be satisfied with a below minimum wage pay
- Understand that there is a high chance of failure
- Be able to consistently show top level results in tournament events
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