Is it possible to earn hundreds of thousands as a Cyber athlete?
Gaming has become so mainstream and so popular that competitions are becoming international events and prize money is climbing ever higher.
Gaming could even become an Olympic sport in the near future. Here are three pro gamers and tips on achieving their level of fame.
1. The Team Newbee Pro Gamers
It seems unfair putting a full team in an article about pro gamers, but this team broke all world records when it received 5 million dollars for winning the Dota 2 international tournament.
It made each of them a millionaire, (until the Chinese tax system took its slice).
2. Lee Jae Dong (Jaedong)
He has already won over $500,000 and has won three major championships playing StarCraft II and StarCraft Brood War.
He is a professional gamer who plays as if he were playing chess by trying to anticipate threats before they even appear.
3. Johnathan ‘Fatal1ty’ Wendel
He has won over $450,000 in 36 tournaments by playing Quake and Painkiller.
He is one of the very few Western players to earn more than $100,000 from gaming. Though to be fair, there are far more people in the East than in the West.
You Have To Play Against Other People Online All The Time
Playing on your own against the computer is not going to make you a pro gamer. Even old games from 20 years ago like Dungeon Keeper 2 now have online functions where you can play other people. Jaedong himself made his money playing a game that is over a decade old.
Pro gamers have earned their skills playing online. Take the example of the Rocket League game. Playing against the computer even on an intermediate (not hard) level is very tricky and playing on hard mode against the computer is diabolically difficult. However, it is a walk in the park when compared to online pro gamers who can intercept a ball in mid area and score.
Tactics are changing so often in Rocket League that tricks that people thought were useless, such as the mid-air back-flip boost are becoming staples of the game. Playing against online players is the only way you will ever reach the heights you need in any online pro-gaming situation.
Build A Website And Promote Yourself
You need a professional website that you bought (not a cheap free one). It needs to show your achievements first, which includes your position in competitions and things such as your official speed run scores. It needs a biography, and maybe a short inspiring story about how you started on the SNES, or how you worked every weekend to buy your first PlayStation.
It also needs a page for your schedule that shows where and when you will be playing next. You can show off your trophies and hours played statistics too, all of which you can harvest from Microsoft, Sony, Steam, etc. You also need numerous “good” pictures of yourself playing or at sponsored events.
Finally, you need to have your own Facebook fan page, Instagram profile, Twitter profile, and any others that are relevant, like Tik Tok if you want attention from China and Japan. All of this is needed so you can build a fan base, and so that sponsors can find you and see how amazing you are.
You Need To Dedicate Yourself Daily
To become a pro gamer, you need to go to work eight hours per day, then come home and play for at least six hours every day, and then put in eight to twelve hours over the weekend.
You need to play online, and you need to start promoting yourself so that you get sponsorship. People with sponsors can dedicate themselves fully and finally reach the top as pro gamers.
If you want to save money while you play on your Xbox, sign up to Lootfeed. It’s a unique way to save as you “pay yourself” for your gaming time.