Climbing the Gaming Ladder: Becoming a Pro Gamer

We might have felt the surge of competition in our blood once or twice when playing our favorite video games. We felt the adrenaline surge in our veins as we defeated our enemies in a multiplayer spar. We all know what it feels like to bring home the glory a couple of times in our gaming career. But some take it to another level that wasn’t conceived before: pro gamers.

Professional gamers are a whole different breed from hardcore gamers. They are hard workers who aim for consistency in their performance. Moreover, unlike most of us, they don’t play games as a hobby. Instead, they play it as a sport, as something they can continuously improve upon. But becoming a pro gamer isn’t easy, and it doesn’t rely on talents and skills as you thought it would.

The Pro Gamer Scene

We all know that gaming is a billion-dollar industry. However, one sub-markets driving this billion-dollar industry is the pro gaming scene.

It was only recently that the pro-gaming scene became as big as it is now. Before, many events that introduced pro gamers were made by independent organizations with a tiny budget. But nowadays, huge organizations such as ESL Gaming and Intel head these events, multi-million dollar price pools. In addition, one of the highest prize pools in these tournaments has reached a staggering $100 million.

This shows how much the scene has grown throughout the years. So how can you get started as a pro gamer?

A Good Gaming Rig

Before you get started, hardware is everything if you want to practice. You certainly don’t want the performance of your hardware to affect your training sessions. You’re going to need to invest in a good gaming computer setup. This will make a difference in the way you practice and how you can climb the ranked ladder of your favorite game.

This is probably the essential thing you’ll need before you start your career. After that, the next thing you need to do is practice and climb the ranked ladder.

Practice, Practice, Practice!

Becoming a pro gamer is all about practicing and being consistent about it. Most gamers don’t know this, but about 80% are pro gamers.

It’s important to choose your favorite game of all time and ensure that game has a healthy pro-gamer scene that supports the career in their ecosystem. Many games have an Esports scene, but not many have a good one. Some of the best Esports games are Apex Legends, DOTA 2, League of Legends, and more.

Climb the Ladder and Get Recognized

Most games with a healthy Esports scene have a ranked ladder. This is where people show their capabilities as gamers and where they can be recognized.

Most pro gamers start their careers by reaching the top of their game’s ranked ladder. It’s a long struggle, but one that rewards many gamers greatly. Once they’ve reached the top one percent of players, many recruiters from different Esports teams have a good chance of recognizing you. Once they do, they are likely to ask you to try out for their team.

We can’t stress this enough, but this is a long struggle, and it will require you to do it every day. But this is the most reliable way to start your pro gaming career.

Hone Your Team Playing Skills

If you see yourself on top of the ladder, but you’re not getting any teams to recognize you, then maybe it’s time for you to hone your team playing skills.

The majority of Esports games are played by a team, and if you’re not a team player, there’s a low chance you will get into a group. So read a couple of books about team play, or maybe hire a personal coach that can help you out with your team plays.

Compete

Another way you can get recognized is to compete in local gaming scenes. Many small organizers do gaming events in almost every state. Visit those events and play for a team that’s willing to take you in. Although the price pools for these events are pretty small compared to international ones, some recruiters visit these events. This increases the chance of you getting discovered.

Academy Teams

Lastly, if you’re on top of the ranked ladder, you can always take the initiative to apply for an academy team. Many Esports teams have an academy team where they hone the skills of the best-ranked players in the game. It’s one of your best bets if you don’t want to wait for the recruiters to get to you.

With this knowledge, you should start your pro gaming career with no problem. Just keep practicing and climbing that ranked ladder the best way you can, and you should get recognized in no time.