Competitive gaming has taken off in recent years in a way few predicted. Esports has breathed new life into the gaming industry, placing it on par with professional sports like football, basketball, and hockey. Gaming has gone from being a pastime to a full-fledged career for some, with an entire industry sprouting up around it, sponsoring tournaments and teams. Professional gamers have built followings that rival those of the most famous athletes, with fans tuning into their Twitch and YouTube channels to watch their streams and learn from the best.
From the outside, esports looks like an impenetrable fortress to new and amateur gamers dreaming of turning their love for video games into a full-time career. While reaching the highest echelons in the esports world is difficult, there are ways to get into competitive gaming for the highly motivated. In this article, we share our best tips for breaking into esports.
Choose the Right Game
The most important decision you’ll make on the road to getting into esports is choosing the right game. If you choose a game you don’t like, you won’t have the motivation to continue playing it and will never make much progress. While there’s still some debate about whether poker falls under the esports banner, whatever one believes, it is a form of competitive gaming. Online poker has made the game more accessible than ever before, with people from all over the world competing in virtual tournaments. For those new to the game, the road to success often begins with using online tutorials to learn poker and master the basics of the game. From there, they can get a feel for whether it’s the game for them and take it from there.
The same is true of any type of gaming a person is considering. If you’re thinking about choosing a game like Fortnite, you’ll want to start by mastering the game mechanics and learning as much about the title as possible to make sure it’s a good choice for you. The best game will always be the one that fits your playstyle, and which you enjoy playing.
Practice Consistently
While it may be a cliche, “practice makes perfect” is something all gamers looking to break into esports should follow. If you watch the best esports players battle it out on Twitch, it’s easy to believe that they have a natural talent for gaming. While there may be some truth to that, the best gamers have put in thousands of hours of practice to get to where they are today. You have to approach practice with a plan for improvement; otherwise, it’s easy to stagnate. As you play your title of choice, you should identify what you struggle with and areas for improvement.
Once you’ve identified your weak points, you should work on them during your practice sessions. You’ll need to set aside at least one or two hours a day for practice to see measurable progress. During these sessions, focus on things like game mechanics, such as accuracy, reaction time, and strategic decision-making. Recording your gameplay can also be useful for identifying mistakes that you can then address in the future.
Join Online Communities
Online communities are one of the best places you can go if you’re just setting out on your esports journey. Platforms like Discord and Reddit are meeting places for gamers, where they share tips, talk about strategies, and even find teams to join. If you’re not a part of one of these communities, you’re missing out on a lot of easy opportunities to connect with like-minded people to improve your game.
While many people think of online communities and forums as a place to chat with others, in the gaming community they’re also a place to share resources, like tutorials, guides, and play-by-play breakdowns from experienced players. As you become involved in these online communities, you’ll get to know other players and expand your knowledge; you’ll also be exposed to playstyles that are different from your own. On those days when your dedication to esports is wavering, you can find encouragement and support amongst your peers.
Article written by Johny Chris
