Professional Gaming & Can Build A Career In It

 

Professional Gaming & How You Can Build A Career In It

If you follow professional gaming , you probably heard about the DOTA 2 gaming championship where 16 teams of the world’s best DOTA 2 players battle for a share of more than US$2.8 million. The champion, Swedish team, Alliance, takes half of that sum from the 5-day event held in Seattle.

Even before the US (recently) recognized gamers , as pro-athletes, there have been many other high-paying tournaments for hardcore players who are into Starcraft 2, Counter Strike and League of Legends (LoL). And age is no limit – big sporting events like these are becoming ever so popular as professional gamers as young as 13 begin competing at a professional level.

For parents who are saying that "you can’t play video games for a living", well, you can thank the people behind the scenes who work so hard for the rest of the world to take pro-gaming more seriously. Apart from the prize money and the fame, internationally recognized players can now gain a US P-1 visa that is usually reserved for sports players. These visa holders can stay and earn a salary while ‘playing’ in the US.

The route to becoming a pro-athlete however takes hundreds of man-hours of practice, skill, determination and teamwork. It is hardly a walk in the park. Here are 10 basic tips to start you off on the path of becoming a pro-gramer.

Recommended Reading: Future Of Gaming: 5 Exciting Emerging Trends

1. Know The Jargon

Not necessarily the first thing to do but it is one of the more important ones, know that there is a lot of jargon involved in multiplayer games , and it’s not just limited to Internet speak. Game jargon varies, according to the games you play.

For example in MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) games like DOTA 2, League of Legends or Heroes of Newerth, there are terms like stun, hex/voodoo, disable, lane, neutrals/jungle or ancients.

First person shooter (FPS) players also give unique names to spots or areas on the map. This allows your teammates to know the whereabouts of enemy players. Competitive gaming rely a lot on strategy and fast and effective communication with your team mates.

2. Practice Against AI Or Bots First

Many competitive multiplayer games today let you practice against

Artificial Intelligence  (AI) or Bots (Robots). If you’re still learning the ins and outs of the game while trying to catch up with everyone else, this is a good place to start.

You will be able to select a difficulty and practice on easier modes before moving on to harder ones. It is also a great place to get the hang of your controls and game user interface without having to think about where everything is. It may feel like a boring task but even the karate kid had slow "wax on, wax off" beginnings. If it helps, think of it as investing time into figuring out how to survive longer on the battlefield.

3. Play And Learn Together

Next up, play with real people. And who better to start storming the battlefield with, than with your friends. That’s the best part about multiplayer games as it pretty much functions as a social gathering of sorts over the Internet every other night.

Playing with friends also means you can quickly learn the game together by giving each other advice or by sharing your experiences. Who knows, this may also be where you form your team of similarly skilled gamers.

Gaming is not always all about fun, it can get intense and include arguments or disagreements, but that is what you have to deal with from knowing your teammates’ playing style inside out. In the long run, it helps to know that you have finally assembled a team who will watch your back when that is quintessential to winning. 

4. Watch Professionals Play

You can only get as good as your imagination can let you, so sometimes you need inspiration from the ones who have been there, done that. Watching professionals play lets you learn how the pros do it, how their complex teamwork and strategies work, watch their key twitch and split decision-making in action, tricks, ploys and more lessons that will help make or your break your gameplay .

The good news is, many pro-gamers allow the world to watch how they play live, made possible with live streaming . The number one site to watch these pros in action is on Twitch.tv. However, YouTube is also a good place to learn a game , even more in-depth. 

Other times, instead of watching someone play, you can opt for tutorials and guides where YouTubers explain what’s going on. You can also find walkthroughs of single player games on YouTube if you’re stuck at a level.