When did eSports turn from entertainment to business? Is it possible to develop in this profession if you do not know how to play? Is there doping in cybersports?
The industry is constantly evolving, but it is difficult to predict which component of cyber sports will be in demand in the future. Business models are changing. In the past, cybersports were managed by tournament operators – they were the legislators of what happens in the market.
Then the responsibility shifted to publishers, but even for them it’s a big question which product will become popular – games are constantly improving. It’s impossible to predict which game will shoot out: some have lost relevance due to complexity, but most remain popular for decades and still break viewing records – Dota2, CS:GO, StarCraft, League of Legends. We are not talking about mobile cybersport, which is already actively developing in China.
By the way, check out the latest news from the world of eSports here https://play-score.com/.
How important is education to a cyber athlete?
On the one hand, it doesn’t really matter. On the other hand, if a cyber athlete doesn’t speak English, he or she won’t be in demand in the industry outside of our region. Without English it’s hard to live in the modern world and eSports is an international story. Tournaments are held all over the world.
Basically, it doesn’t matter what kind of classical education a person has. Just remember that cybersport is called the chess of the XXI century, and this means that it is desirable to have an analytical mind, a certain perspective, patience and persistence.
What skills do you need as a cyber athlete?
In addition to seeing a goal and being able to achieve it, you need communication skills. Cybersport is a team sport that requires analytical thinking to learn your game and your opponents, as well as the ability to process a lot of information. Some games also require math, tactical and strategic skills. You also need to be physically fit – and in good shape – and you need the energy to play for days at a time in serious competition.
It can be compared to professional sports: to be successful at it, you need to devote most of your time to it and develop a number of necessary personal qualities.
Among them: quick reaction, purposefulness, ability to concentrate, ability to build a strategy, desire to win, readiness to use available knowledge, skills and abilities in unexpected situations.
In addition, to master the profession of a cyber-sportsman requires: good eyesight and developed fine motor skills.
Hands are to a network player what feet are to a runner. His success in the game depends on the coherence and speed of his hands.
How to become a cyber athlete
To become a professional cyber athlete, you need to play, play and play again. In addition, there are a few recommendations for beginners.
- Good equipment. Powerful computer, excellent monitor, keyboard, comfortable mouse, headset, table, chair, lighting, background noise. Your attention and concentration depends on it.
- Learning and analytical games. Your games should not only be games, but also lessons followed by analysis of your games, parsing mistakes and preparing data for future battles.
- Practice regularly. You don’t have to play every day, but be sure to keep up the momentum and practice several times a week. Discipline and sports are almost synonymous.
- Get to know other athletes. Professionals enjoy special recognition. What and how they do it, why they do it, how they communicate with the team. Study their strategies and try to replicate their game.
Take care of your health and get plenty of rest. Computer hobbies are associated with a sedentary lifestyle, so it is important not only not to ruin your health and not to threaten your spine, but also to get healthy. Active sports, a variety of exercises and outdoor activities are a great addition to your life.
Benefits of being a cyber athlete
You don’t need a sports field to play this sport. You don’t need an office workplace with bosses, deadlines and hours that come and go.
A cyber athlete equips his workspace at home and makes his own schedule. By playing his favorite games, he makes friends all over the world and makes money from his victories.
Cybersport is an opportunity to live out his dream. For someone who was nagged as a child, “How much can you play?” “I’ll throw away your console!”, it is very important to prove to those around him: a computer game is a serious business, and a hobby brings international recognition if there is initiative and the will to win.
Cons of the profession
Money
Lack of stability in the first stage, which, by the way, can last a very long time. All earnings will consist only of the winning fund. Not only that, you will have to pay for participation in competitions.
If we are not talking about the major league, which is not easy to get into, all the costs are borne by the players themselves. In other words, you can only make money on the games after a significant investment in this career.
Competition
It’s enough to roughly imagine how many people play video games and how many get into professional teams to gauge your chances.
The competition for one place here is more than in a prestigious university. And if you also remember that there are a lot of players, and one prize, it is not difficult to assess the chances of success.
Health
Not everyone can sit in front of a computer for many hours without moving. And it is certainly naive to think that this does not affect their health. Many professional cyber athletes are mandatorily engaged in traditional sports to compensate for the hypodynamia – the low mobility associated with this profession.
Carpal tunnel syndrome or tunnel syndrome is an occupational disease of many people who spend a lot of time in front of a computer. The need to look at the monitor all the time also impairs eyesight significantly.
Nervous strain and overexertion, especially when playing for dozens of hours, are common ailments among gamers. Add to this the irregular schedule – training can take place at any time of the day, sometimes late at night or at night.
Career
The average age of players is 18-25 years old. If a player has no other specialty, the question arises – what to do after leaving professional sports? Some go into organizations, others start thinking about getting a new profession.
There is a place for everyone
To play video games, it is enough to have the appropriate equipment – a computer, a smartphone or a game console. But to become a cyber athlete, you need special qualities: high reaction rate, the ability to think strategically and make quick decisions, knowledge of the rules and mechanics of a particular virtual world, the ability to work effectively in a team and anticipate the actions of opponents. Importantly, like any other sport, these abilities and skills can be developed with regular training.
Cybersport has no geographic restrictions. It is possible to connect to a game server from anywhere in the world – the most important thing is to have a stable Internet connection. So virtual battles are a great way to make new friends and improve your foreign language skills.
But the main feature of the virtual world is the opportunities it gives to the cyber-sportsman. The player can become almost anything: an astronaut, builder, soccer player, tank player, medieval king. He is limited only by the framework and rules of a particular cybersports discipline. But there are a great many: everyone can choose the world of their choice and develop their skills in it.
Not insignificant that cybersport is available to people with disabilities, because in the first place it is an intellectual sport. People can choose disciplines of varying degrees of dynamics and adapt the control of game characters to feel comfortable in the gaming arena.
