Gaming was previously considered a "waste of time," with the competitive scene hidden deep underground. Competitive gaming and esports may now provide a wealth of possibilities for individuals who participate, and it can even be a realistic career path. What is the best way to get started in esports and competitive gaming?
- Choose your game.
- Select a platform for your research
- Invest in a coach and communicate with them.
- Invest in new equipment.
- Practice
- Join a group.
- Form a group.
- Online competitions are a fun way to meet new people.
- Take part in LAN competitions.
- Participate in community activities.
Keep in mind that you do not have to be a professional player to participate in esports, as I will explain later in this article.
Jump to:
- Select Your Game
- SELECT YOUR OPTION
- Make Sure You Know What You're Doing In Your Game.
- Engage A Coach
- Communicate
- Improvement Your Equipment
- Practice
- Take Part In A-Team
- Form A-Team
- Take Part In Online Competitions
- Take Part In Lan Tournaments
- Get Involved In Your Community
- Discover What It Means To Be A Member Of An Esports Team
Select Your Game
Hopefully, you already have an idea of what kind of esports game you want to play. If not, think about what you've been playing the most or excelling at the most. FPS games are among the most popular esports games. SPORTS: CS:GO; Overwatch RTS Warcraft 3; Starcraft 2 MOBA LoL; Dota 2 SPORTS: CS:GO; Overwatch RTS Warcraft 3; Starcraft 2 MOBA LoL; Dota 2 FIFA, Rocket League, Street Fighter, and Super Smash Bros.
I began with RTS games such as Warcraft, but after playing Unreal Tournament '99, I became addicted to FPS games, which is where I excelled online. I used to play UT, UT2k3, Quake 3 Arena, Counter-Strike 1.5/1.6, and CS:GO.
SELECT YOUR OPTION
Do you prefer to play on a PC or a console? Don't get caught up in the argument; it makes no difference which one you favor. Personally, I've never been able to master FPS games on consoles. I had a few friends who were very good at the original Halo, but I never got into it since I was so accustomed to aiming with a keyboard and mouse.
Make Sure You Know What You're Doing In Your Game.
There are people better than you, no matter how excellent you are, and at least one of those individuals probably broadcasts on Twitch or uploads videos to YouTube. Most esports games, in fact, have a plethora of lessons available on YouTube and other websites. In competitive gaming, there is a lot of strategies, and tactics are always changing. You'll need to devote part of your practice time to learn more about the "meta" elements of your game.
Engage A Coach
Getting a coach to help you develop in your sport may be a fantastic option if you want to build a profession out of gaming and competitions pay well. Even to those who played counter-strike back when I was competitively gaming in the early 2000s, the notion of hiring a 1-1 coach for counter-strike would have seemed ridiculous. But consider it this way: Coaches (or the equivalent of a coach) are hired for a variety of sports, pastimes, and hobbies, including golf, piano, tennis, and pottery.
The list could go on indefinitely. Esports may have a steep learning curve, and you're probably already behind the curve. In order to practice something you're not excellent at, you'll have to waste time doing something you're already good at. The greatest advantage I see in hiring a coach is that it cuts down on the amount of time it takes to develop in your sport. Hiring a coach who is better and more experienced than you is nearly always a certain method to develop faster. Another advantage is learning how to take criticism and suggestions, which is a tough ability for many individuals to master.
Communicate
Many esports games require collaboration. Teamwork requires excellent communication. No matter how excellent you believe you are at it, great communication is a talent that has to be honed. It's one thing to be able to speak with your buddies in scrims, but it's another to be able to communicate when the stakes are high and the tension is nearly intolerable. Even if you're playing a more solitary game like Quake or Street Fighter, being able to interact with other players is essential. There are many tools available to help you improve your game, but the "gems" are frequently found in other individuals. It is critical to be able to communicate and to be open to new ideas and criticism in order to improve.
Improvement Your Equipment
This may be more relevant to PC players. If you want to compete at the highest level, you'll need the finest equipment available. This might entail requesting that your family and friends give you gaming equipment instead of a new phone as a present. You may even acquire part-time work for a period if you're truly serious (this could even be done online, such as writing articles).
Practice
There's no way around it: if you want to succeed, you have to put in the time. Certain talents require time investment in order to become competent. The concept of "optimal training" is absent in esports and gaming. It is not always the case that more is better. Injuries are a possibility for esports athletes, although they may be avoided. This is when "esports-specific training" comes in handy. There is a concept known as "the law of accommodation." A famous scientist, Vladimir M Zatsiorsky, claimed that the reaction of a biological item to a continuous stimulation diminishes with time. What does this imply in terms of sports? When an athlete repeats the same exercise, they will reach a plateau and may even get worse at it.
An Olympic weightlifter doesn't simply perform snatches and clean and jerks for eight hours a day, and a basketball player doesn't just shoot three-pointers and do layup drills for eight hours a day. In the realm of esports, this may imply that investing more time in a game isn't always better than investing less (in fact, it could be worse). For every particular activity, there is an ideal range in which to practice it. You've gained 5 hours to spend on injury prevention, demo viewing, and recuperation if you could achieve the same results with 3 hours of practice instead of 8.
Take Part In A-Team
If you're playing a team-based game, you'll need to get more experience on a team as you become more competitive. This does not imply that the first team you join will be the team with which you will spend the remainder of your gaming career. You'll need team experience to join larger and better teams, plain and simple. This will also help you become more well-known and engaged in the community. For first-timers looking to join a team, Reddit and Discord are excellent resources. Write a post, respond to one, or simply hang around for a bit. Millions of other players are in the same boat as you, attempting to join a team for the first time.
Form A-Team
Don't want to deal with tryouts or the possibility of being assigned to a bad team? Create your own team and take charge of it. This will also provide you with experience in positions other than esports; in fact, it will provide you with important experience that you may use outside of gaming.
Take Part In Online Competitions
This is self-evident. You'll need to compete in gaming if you want to be a competitive gamer. There are many amateur leagues available online. Participating in online competitions and leagues is an excellent method to hone your talents and get attention. Here's a rundown of some of the most popular online gaming leagues:
- Capcom Cup
- Dreamhack
- Call of Duty World League
- Mountain Dew League
- Esea
- Faceit
This is a condensed list. If you conduct a fast search, you'll most likely find a league that is reasonably close to you.
Take Part In Lan Tournaments
Don't skip this step. If you're worried, have a look at my article on 10 tips for your first competitive gaming event. Competing on a LAN may be very different from competing online. Not only are you surrounded by people, but so are your rivals. On a LAN, winning may be extremely addictive (but losing can be devastating). Information is aplenty in LAN tournaments. You'll be spending the day with other enthusiastic gamers who can provide you with useful information and advice. A LAN is also a fantastic location to meet possible future teammates. The fact that there is no ping is one of my favorite aspects about LAN. It's uncommon when there's no ping, but it seems like it.
Get Involved In Your Community
If you've followed the previous steps, you shouldn't have to think too hard about this step. But, in case it isn't apparent, if you want to compete at a high level, you need to know people, and people need to know you.
Discover What It Means To Be A Member Of An Esports Team
For more information on whether being a professional esports player is suitable for you, see my article "How to Become a Pro Gamer — What No One Ever Tells You." Check out "Free to Play," a documentary that follows three Dota 2 players: "Fear," "hyhy," and "Dendi" for an intimate look at the difficulties and tribulations of becoming a pro gamer in esports.