Getting Started in Esports
“How do I get involved with esports?” This question has been popping up in many of my conversations and I feel it is a pretty simple topic to cover. The answer is: “Do something”. While that does seem blatantly obvious and ridiculous as answer, it’s the best one. “How do I get my start in esports?”, it’s such a vague question. To answer this properly, let’s break it down into helpful steps:
- What interests me?
What do you like to do? Do you have any passions or challenges you would like pursue in esports? This is the most important question to ask yourself. You will find it a lot easier to keep motivated doing something you like or are passionate about. If you do not know yet, try things! There is absolutely zero harm in trying various jobs or experimenting in fields.
Do you have a passion for journalism? If you do, start writing. There’s a tremendous amount of websites where you can post esports related content. If you’re a student, submit works to your student newspaper. Cover your local scene as a start. In my opinion, it is better to work your way up to the major stories as it builds credibility and your knowledge of the scene. By doing so you learn a lot about events in your area and it can even broaden your understanding of esports as a whole. You can even volunteer to write some articles for media sources or for a team, it may not be glamorous, but it’s a start.
If you’re interested in management, help out with your esports clubs at school or with other organizations. These offer a good entry level start. The experience you gain is immensely valuable. Managing a team, fostering teamwork, leadership, organization, marketing…these are all skills you can learn or apply to them. You can help run social media accounts, assisting players, help the coaching staff, literally anything. As I’ve previously mentioned, if you’re a great designer and have a flair for broadcast, you’re a hot commodity and ultra valuable (please make esports pretty…there is some terrible graphic design out there). From there, keep looking for the best opportunity for you to grow as an individual whether paid or unpaid.
- Not everyone can be progamers.
Just like how not everyone can be an astronaut, not everyone can be a pro player. If you have been hard capped at a certain skill range and you have done your best to improve, chances are it’s not meant to be. It’s difficult to shatter a dream like that, but sometimes it is necessary in expanding your outlook. People dream of holding up a trophy in triumph after a big game, but not everyone can. The odds of becoming a pro gamer are incredibly stacked against you. If you’re not in the top 0.5% of players, you’ll probably go unnoticed or just don’t have the skill set to compete with the best. That being said, even if you can not be a pro, do not lose your passion for your game.
However, is your passion there for that game or field? If it is, look what else you can do. Are you good at strategy? Are you interested in sports psychology, commentating, coaching, management or anything related to this field? Then there is a place for you. You have to make this place and promote yourself. Create your opportunity by doing what you can offer better than anyone else. We’re now back to the “do something”. Now that you’re determined to succeed in esports, find what drives you. What is it which you want to do? What is it that you think you can do better than anyone else? Find it. If you do not know what it is, keep trying things until you do. Once you do determine what it is, work your butt off.
