Gaming for a living is a dream for many of us and a reality for startlingly few. However, just because there aren’t a lot of people doing it, doesn’t mean that it’s impossible. Gaming for a living requires an enormous degree of not just skill, but also dedication. You’ll need to practice long hours and get used to getting beaten before you start to rack up the wins. If you still think that you’ve got what it takes, then these are our tips on taking your hobby gaming up a level or two. Whether you just want to win a couple of tournaments, or actually turn gaming into your career, this advice could help you to make those dreams a reality.
Practice Like You Mean It
The first tip is by far the most important and it’s the one that the most people get wrong. Spending all weekend gaming doesn’t necessarily constitute practice. In order to practice effectively, you need to first understand where your weaknesses lie. Play against those who are better than you and ask for feedback if you struggle to identify those areas yourself.
Once you’ve worked out your weak points, work out steps to address them and practice them with intent. You don’t want to practice for 30 hours at the weekend and once during the week. Instead, split your practice sessions up into chunks and make sure that on any given day, you’re getting in at least an hour or two’s practice. Consistency and having a tangible goal ahead are key to making practice sessions count.
Work on Key Skills
One of the weaknesses that you might identify could be a skill that is essential to the game. For example, in FIFA, one of the most popular sports video games of all time, reaction time is a key skill. If you notice that your reaction time is poor then you can practice to make it better on FIFA, or you can devote some time to training that skill in isolation. You could use a reaction timer for just ten minutes a couple of times a day and make notes of your top three and bottom three scores from each session. Plot them out and see how you progress over the coming weeks and months. This should translate to your FIFA skills too.
Don’t Forget Casino Gaming
Whilst so far we’ve looked at games that might fall under the Esports category, a sometimes overlooked sector of competitive gaming are casino games. They’ve been around a good deal longer than Esports, which means they’ve had plenty of time to perfect their gameplay and deliver plenty of choice to players. Getting involved in competitive casino gaming can be easier than getting a foot on the Esports ladder. Freeroll tournaments allow people to enter, usually poker, tournaments completely free of charge and then compete to win. These can be a valuable jumping off point for those wanting to test out their skills in a tournament environment. Of course, there are also some people who play casino games as a career and whilst the winnings can’t be guaranteed, that doesn’t mean it isn’t possible.
Local Competitions
Once you’ve practiced plenty, upped your skills and proven yourself against friends, or people online, the next step is to enter a local tournament. Starting out at the Fortnite World Cup isn’t going to fill you with confidence, but narrowing down the pool of players to those within your state will give you a chance to shine. Look out for tournaments in your area and enter yourself into one. You’ll definitely feel challenged, but the experience could help you to work out whether a career in competitive gaming is for you.