How to Become a Gamer Pro

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the eSports market is expected to reach $6.8 billion by the year 2030. These days, becoming a gamer pro can be just as lucrative as many professional sports athletes.

However, like pro sports, reaching the top of the gaming ladder will require dedication, skills, and a bit of luck. It won’t be easy, but if you’re interested in becoming a pro gamer, you’re in the right place.

This guide will lay out the necessary steps that every professional gamer needs to follow. That way, you can decide for yourself whether or not this is a potential career that you’re interested in.

Find Motivation for Becoming a Pro Gamer

There are right reasons and wrong reasons to want to become a competitive gamer. Professional gaming is not a get-rich-quick scheme.

If your motivation lies in money, fame, or the desire to play video games all day long, you’re going to burn out when things get tough. So what are some good motivations for eSports?

Things like the satisfaction of becoming a better player are a great place to start. The love of competition and your fellow community are also excellent motivations. Approaching professional gaming with this mindset will greatly improve your chances of success.

Select a Game

Now it’s time to pick a game to devote your time to. It’s vital that you only choose one game to focus on. Some players go with two, but even this can be pushing it.

When selecting a game you can either pick an established eSports title or a new up-and-coming game. Some of the popular established titles include things like Dota 2, CounterStrike: Global Offensive (aka CSGO), and League of Legends (aka LoL).

Newer competitive games include things like Rocket League, Overwatch, and Fortnite. There are pros and cons to both older and newer video games. The older, more established titles tend to have a more devoted fan base.

There’s also a tournament infrastructure built around them with lucrative earnings for any winners. The downside is that they can be difficult for newcomers to break into.

With newer competitive games you have a greater chance to break into the scene. However, there’s the risk that the game’s longevity won’t last. The prizes for these games also tend to be less lucrative.

The most important thing is that you love the game you’re playing. You’re going to spend a lot of time with it, so if it’s something you don’t enjoy you’ll resent it quickly.

Invest in the Right Gear

When becoming a professional gamer, your PC set-up is incredibly important. Prioritize your monitor, processor, and storage space when shopping for a rig. That way you don’t have any glitchy framerates.

It’s also important to have exceptional internet speeds. Otherwise, your gameplay will lag which will never happen in a professional competition. You should also find a mouse and keyboard that respond well to your play style.

Headsets are important if you’re playing a team-based game that requires communication. Make sure it’s comfortable enough to wear for hours at a time. The skins and in-game purchase transactions are less important for going pro.

That being said, it depends on the players. Some people get a big confidence boost when they get the perfect weapon skin from CSGO cases. So if you fall in this category, don’t be afraid to invest in it.

Practice, Practice, Practice

There are multiple levels to being good at a video game. First, there’s the process of mastering the basic skills. This involves playing the game so much that the mechanics become like muscle memory for you.

However, if you want to go pro, basic skills will only get you so far. Esports is all about knowing both the overarching strategy of a game and the situational strategy for specific matches.

To get this knowledge, you need to watch the pros. Research the different meta strategies for the game you’re playing.

Then apply those principles to your practice. It’s not uncommon for a pro gamer to practice for six to twelve hours each day. It might sound excessive, but it’s the only way to distinguish yourself from the competition.

Find a Team

Some games, like CSGO and Dota 2 require an eSports team for competitions. As such, you will need to find players that you want to work with who are equally skilled as you.

However, skill and devotion aren’t the only factors you should look at. You also want to be compatible with your team. Keep in mind that you can benefit from a team and community even if you’re playing a single-player game.

When you go up against players that are better than you, it can reveal valuable insights into your weaknesses. Then, when you practice you can focus on improving these deficiencies.

Enter Into Competitions

Some competitions allow you to enter and work your way up the tournament ladder. Others require connections for you to be selected. That’s why you should always try to network with other professional gamers.

You can do this by mingling with people in competitive ranking lobbies. Or, you can join Discord servers with gamer pros in them. The more connections you have, the more you’ll be aware of the various upcoming opportunities for pro gamers.

Eventually, you might catch the eye of a professional organization. And once you’re a part of that, nothing is stopping you from entering arena-style events.

Appreciate Learning How to Become a Gamer Pro? Keep Exploring

We hope these gaming tips helped you learn more about becoming a gamer pro. Remember that it’s important to be realistic about the expectation you set for yourself on this road.

There are thousands of other gamers just like you with dreams of going pro. Natural skill isn’t enough to beat these individuals. It’s going to take dedication and significant lifestyle changes.

However, if the stars align, you might be able to make money doing the thing you love. Craving more content? We’ve got plenty of similar advice articles for you. Keep reading to find them.