Is Esports a Hobby or Serious Profession?

5 Min Read

Esports is booming! Pros are signing massive contracts, enjoying sponsorship deals from the biggest companies in the world, and competing in front of sell-out crowds for millions of dollars. However, is it worth pursuing a career as an esports pro or should you keep gaming as your hobby? Here are the pros and cons of going pro!

Pro 1. Do Something You Enjoy For a Living!

Most people are not satisfied with their jobs so the idea of being paid to play your favorite game is a dream come true for many gamers. Esports pros wake up every day and game with their buddies. A lot of esports pros even live in gamer houses which create a fun frat-like environment. Instead of spending their lives in an office working on boring projects, esports pros can immerse themselves in a game they truly love.

Pro 2. Potential To Get Rich!

Every year esports is getting bigger. There are now more and more tournaments, and the prize pools keep growing with 7 figure prize pools becoming the norm. At  https://eplay-info.com/en/csgo-teams/, you can see how much the top CSGO teams in the world have earned from tournament winnings. Teams are also upping their player budgets as they sign sponsorship deals with massive companies, including Amazon, Under Armour, Nike, and Monster Energy.

Professional esports players can also convert their fame into serious streams of income by selling merchandise such as t-shirts and supplements or signing sponsorship deals. There are esports pros who are making over $500,000 per year just from streaming alone! With so much money up for grabs, it is no wonder that so many young kids are dreaming of going pro.

Pro 3. Travel the World

Pro esports tournaments are held all over the world, from Singapore to Brazil to Germany to the USA. Esports pros get to hop on a plane and travel all over the globe while competing for 7 figure prize pools. That sounds like a pretty fun lifestyle and something that many young gamers can only dream of!

Con 1. Only a Tiny Percentage of Gamers Go Pro

The chances of becoming an esports pro are extremely small. You could easily dedicate years of your life to grinding a game for hours every day and never achieve anything. The professional esports world is extremely cutthroat, and even if you do manage to sign a pro contract, the average career only lasts a few years, and most players never taste the riches on offer.

Con 2. Professional Esports is a Grind

You may think you are obsessed with esports and that becoming a pro would be a dream career, but most gamers can’t handle a professional player’s schedule. Pros often play 6 hours a day, 6 days a week. They are not allowed to take days off, and their performance is constantly scrutinized. Analysts will be breathing down your neck reviewing your mistakes, and forcing you to constantly work on them. Being a pro isn’t as simple as just waking up and playing a few games and then entering tournaments and winning millions. With how competitive it is, you need to be constantly grinding, and that is why the burnout rate is so high!

Con 3. Physical Problems

When you think of esports you don’t think of physical injuries like in traditional sports; however, physical issues are common in esports. As esports players are sitting for hours, they often experience neck and back pain which can become chronic problems. It is also common for esports players to suffer from wrist and finger issues due to the amount of time they spend using their mice and keyboards.

Final Thoughts

Becoming an esports pro can be an amazing career where you can achieve fame, wealth and travel the world doing something you love. However, becoming an esports pro is like becoming a football pro, it requires a huge amount of sacrifice, and only a handful of lucky people actually make it.

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By Robert
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Embarking on his freelance writing journey in June 2017, Robert's fervent connection with gaming traces back to a transformative encounter with Final Fantasy VII at the border of his gaming odyssey.