How to Get Into Esports

It is no secret that the world of esports has grown exponentially over recent years. There are new teams being created constantly, and new games are also entering into the esports arena quite often. Hearing how much money can be earned by winning in esports and betting on esports might make the gamer inside of you wonder if you have what it takes.

Being a member of an esports team requires a very high time commitment. You will likely spend anywhere from 8 to 12 hours each day playing video games. Although this might sound amazing to some of you, it is good to keep in mind that this would be your new normal and it might become monotonous. 

If you are still interested in hearing about how to get into esports after hearing of the long hours you will need to put in, then you should keep reading to find out how you can get into esports.

How to Start an Esports Team 

This is certainly an option, but it might not be the best option for most people. Starting a successful esports team requires a lot of money and extra time on top of the time spent playing the game. You will need to find a way to put a team together and coach them to compete.

This might mean that you will have to be the leader or hire a coach to guide your players through strategies within the game. As you can imagine, the costs will start to pile up. Unless you have some serious capital ready to invest into your esports team, it is probably not a good idea to start one.

However, if you do have the money necessary, or want to do it anyway, then here are some steps and tips on how to start. First things first you will need to choose a game to specialize in. You can’t start an esports team and have them play five different games. You need to pick a game and all of you need to master it if you want to be successful.

Next, you will need to take care of some other aspects like picking a location for your team, create team branding, set up a recruiting process, find sponsors, build a fanbase, promote the team, etc. As you may now realize, it is a lot of work, but it is very rewarding with some competitions paying the winners prizes in the millions of dollars.

By starting your own esports team, you are starting a new business. This is why you need to have the skills necessary to do things like make a branding strategy for your team, learn how to market your team to fans and sponsors, among many other business-related skills you will need to have. 

If you are someone who is skilled in business and loves video games, then this might be perfect for you. However, if you are someone who only cares about playing video games and knows nothing about running a business, then you might want to stay away from starting your own team until you can learn some of the necessary skills.

How to Join an Esports Team

Joining an existing esports team is perfect for those of you that want to be a part of esports without having to handle the business side of it. Joining an esports team is not easy though. You will need to be extremely good at the game of your choice, and know-how to market yourself to get team scouts to look your way. 

Luckily, there are more and more high schools across the U.S that are beginning to have their own esports teams. And if you live internationally, your school might already have an esports team. This would be a great opportunity for you to get started playing competitively. Regardless of how good you are at the game, playing casually with a group of friends is not the same as practicing with a team during a scrimmage. 

Joining your school team would be a great way for you to gain exposure into how the competitive world of video games is. Although it might not be your end goal, it sure is a great way to start. 

Show Off Your Skills Through Streaming

One of the most important things when trying to join a professional esports team is to get exposure. There are millions of people playing video games every day across the globe. It doesn’t matter how good you are if nobody knows you. You need to get your name and skill set out there. One way many people chose to do this is by streaming on a website like Twitch. 

Streaming allows gamers to build a fan base for themselves, and it gives them a platform to showcase their skills to professional scouts. However, streaming can be a challenge of its own. Some people stream for years to only get 5 or 6 people to watch them play. Meanwhile, others are able to pull audiences in the thousands. 

Despite how hard it can be, streaming is perhaps one of the best routes to joining an esports team. Not only will it allow you to have a platform to showcase your skills, but it will also allow you to have your gameplay recorded so you can watch your film and improve. 

Final Thoughts

Getting into esports is no easy task. There are already so many talented professional players that the chances of getting into a team over them are slim. However, it is still possible. Those who are able to get into an esport team typically love what they do because they get paid to do something they enjoy.

Overall, if you are willing to put in the work you can get into esports. Just remember that nothing is guaranteed and it won’t be easy. As long as you are willing to put in the time and effort that it takes to get your foot in the door, you too can live a life of getting paid to play video games. Just try to have fun and stay dedicated and the results will eventually come.