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Published by Leonardo Calcagno
According to a study conducted by the World Economic Forum, the video game industry is going to be worth $321 billion by 2026. Given how that number stood at just $25.1 billion in 2010, gaming’s growth has been one of the most impressive across any sector around the world. It already makes up 6.1% of all global spending now.
And with so much wealth to go around, the age-old dream of making money playing video games is no longer a fantasy but a very achievable career path. Thousands of video game players compete in tournaments, stream online and bet on themselves in their favourite titles across the competitive world of Esports, so we thought we would give you some of our best tips on how you can live this life in 2023!
Play The Games
Duh, right?
It might sound like a contender for the most obvious and least helpful piece of advice ever served up on the internet but, in order to live the life of a professional video game player, you have to actually play some titles. But, in the world of Esports, not every title is created equally. Every game has its own community, competitive scene, skill ceiling and level of fanbase, meaning everything from the barrier to entry, the standard for making it as a pro and the amount of money up for grabs can all vary wildly.
Take a game like CS:GO, a title that has dominated the Esports industry for over a decade now. Valve’s FPS title is constantly evolving with its strategies, map pool and weaponry. The fact that it has broken its player count record as recently as this year shows how competitive it is to break into.
And, whilst most people probably realise playing a video game is a vital part of making money off of it, most probably don’t realise just how many hours they actually need to sink into it. We bet it’s more than you think. On average, Esports players put in 8-10 hours worth of practice every single day, with 16 hour days not being uncommon. Just because it’s to do with gaming doesn’t make it any less of a job.
Wagering
There are ample similarities between the real world of sports and its virtual counterparts in Esports. Intensive practice regimes, hectic travel schedules, health and conditioning routines – all lesser-known parts of the professional video game space that are of vital importance to the people inside the industry.
One other aspect of the video game world that has grown to mirror the real world sports scene is wagering. Just like with football, basketball or any other sport fan, wagering at an Esports betting site like Unikrn has become one of the most popular ways for video game fans to sprinkle in a little bit more excitement to their favourite titles. Fans are now able to bet on everything from the League of Legends Worlds Grand Final to the outcome of the next match played by their favourite streamer live on Twitch.
And, as wagering has become a more popular pursuit with Esports enthusiasts, more and more avenues have opened up around how it can be used as a way of making some serious money. Skill gaming is the process of a player betting on themselves in a game, with a bookmaker such as Unikrn rewarding their performances in the server with rewards, either in or out of the game, or with cold hard cash! It can be the most accessible way of backing your own skills in the server and actually making some money off of your time in-game.
Of course, wagering has always been a fundamental part of the video game experience. With most major Esports titles running on free-to-play models, developers rely on players purchasing in-game items as a way of keeping the dollars rolling in. In games like CS:GO, cases represent a very real wagering aspect with each box costing players $2.50, but potentially housing a weapon that can fetch thousands of dollars on the Steam Marketplace in return.
Get The Equipment
To act like a professional Esports player, you have to look like an Esports player. We all know the memes around that one guy in the server running about with their static-filled microphone and bargain bin equipment; but, for the most part, making money off of a video game requires an extensive list of top-of-the-range hardware.
Headphones, microphones, desks, chairs, mouse, and keyboards are all required to play titles to a professional standard these days, all working alongside a PC more powerful than the Apollo 11 Programme have become the norm for even casual players across the globe. A solid setup is a point of pride for gamers these days, and there’s even the opportunity to take things further with merchandise and memorabilia if you want to take things even further.
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko x pexels.com