Pro Gaming: A journey for a job

Delaney Connell

Angus Nordlund, Staff Writer
October 18, 2018

With video games becoming a worldwide sensation in today’s modern age, tons of people no longer see it as just a hobby anymore.

In fact, to many, it has become a profession.

This group of people has countless names, whether it be “Esports players” or “pro-gamers”; but they all have one thing in common: all they do is play games to pay the bills.

But is it really that simple?

That’s right, playing video games has become a job.

You’ve probably heard of people who “playtest” games for large game-making companies, but they are required to do lots more than just play the games. These pro-gamers, on the other hand, only have to play the game.

The concept has captivated the minds of many young children who adore video games and has many of them wanting to take such a path, but what many do not realize is the dedication it takes to get the job. Some pros are required to play for over several hours a day, practicing and maintaining their skills to stay at the top of their game, while not getting too much free time to do much else.

“It’s not unusual for players to put in 16 hours of practice in a single day,” says professional League of Legends player Martin “Rekkles” Larrson of team Fnatic, in an interview with British Esports Association.

“Players are required to put in many, many hours in order to reach – and stay at – the top level,”  Martin”Rekkles” Larrson expands.

At first, it may seem like Larrson is living the dream: getting paid to play a game he loves for over half a day straight. But, that in itself can have consequences.

You may have heard of the term “burnout” in traditional sports, but it can also be applied to Esports. Where physical sports can be physically tiring, Esports is the same, though some may be tired mentally from staring at a screen for too long.

With all that said, being a pro-gamer does have its benefits.

With an average salary of 60,000 dollars and a retirement age of around 25 to 27, along with being able to be a caster or analyst afterward, you have it all.

You can essentially be a celebrity just from being good at video games, but there is also the benefit of the competition and representation. Players all around the world get the chance to represent their countries and teams by battling it out in massive tournaments where they can make a name for themselves just by showing off their skills in whichever games they play.

Take, Josue/Josh “Eqo” Corona for example. Before being noticed and picked up by the Overwatch League team, the Philadelphia Fusion, he was barely known by anyone in the Overwatch gaming community who had interest in Esports. Now after being signed and being given the chance to show his talent to the world on the big stage, he has now found himself on the main starting roster while at the same time being the only Israeli player in the entire league. He also was on the 2017 Overwatch Israeli national team where he selected to participate in a global tournament called the Overwatch World Cup, where he represented his country. His story is similar to many other pros, who  also need to put in the dedication and hard work to have the chance to be scouted and brought up to the big leagues. There are, however, players who are sometimes already well-known for their skills in certain games which carries on to other games where they, again, make it big, but even they had to work their way up to the top in the beginning in the same way.

While there are the social benefits of being a pro-gamer/ Esports player, there is also the technical benefits that players gain.

This year, both Blizzard and Riot Games announced that Overwatch and League of Legends Esports, respectively, announced that the game’s leagues would both be taking on a franchise model.

This includes having health insurance for the players, while at the same time creating player associations to give the pros an opportunity to voice some concerns or complaints they have. Though it may at first seem like this would not be needed for players, it is actually quite the opposite. Even Esports players are prone to injury and can suffer because of it.

One example of this happened when both Ladislav “GuardiaN” Kovács of Natus Vincere and Olof “olofmeister” Kajbjer Gustafsson both suffered from wrist injuries at MLG’s Columbus Major for the game Counter Strike: Global Offensive, which subsequently had an impact on their performances at the tournament. Though this may not seem like too much of a concern, the fact remains if players sustain bad enough injuries, they may never play again. There is even the risk of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome which is an even worse wrist injury where if a wrist is strained badly enough, it causes a numb tingling feeling that is caused by a pinched nerve in the wrist.

The players association might also seem like a waste of time since it does not seem like the players would have anything to complain about as since their whole career seems to revolve around just playing games and getting paid for it, but there is a good reason for this.

Many players in the past have been tossed aside and have not been paid by their teams due to them being viewed as nothing more than a tool to help others make money. A case of this found light recently when it was reported that many of the staff and players of the now disbanded Denial Esports were reported to have been owed over 35,000 dollars. It was found that the team’s owner, Robby Ringnalda, had failed to pay many associated with the organization, while at the same time forcing them to pay for many utilities which would ultimately lead to them having to get loans from friends and family members. Denial reportedly owed almost every one of their teams money from their Overwatch roster to even their Paladins team, to name a few.

So, it is by now quite obvious that the path to pro as a professional gamer is not as easy as many think. There are challenges to face, obstacles to jump but there are enough benefits to boot. What many need to keep in mind is that if they want to take this road then they must have the dedication and skill necessary to make it to the top. Once the are there, it is only the beginning.

 

Sources

 

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