If you love competitive video games and find that you’re been crushing it online or in tournaments, you might be thinking of taking things to the next level. By becoming a pro gamer, you can spend lots of time practicing and then even more time earning money for it! A pro gamer has to be extremely skilled, with the respect to boot. Pro gamers have the ability to dominate at high levels of gameplay and make millions of dollars in competitions and sponsorships. If you have what it takes, read on! We’ve compiled some tips & tricks you need to know in order to start your career as a pro gamer.

A pro gamer plays video games competitively through tournaments, leagues and other formats in order to earn money. They often specialize in one game or a specific type of game.

Though the top earners will make millions in competitive gaming, most pro gamers will make closer to normal wages (around $60k). The top pro gamers include:

• Jonathan Sundstein (earnings to date: $6.9M)

• Jesse Vainikka - (earnings to date: $6.5M)

• Anathan Pham - (earnings to date: $6.0M)

• Sébastien Debs - (earnings to date: $5.5M)

• Topias Taavitsainen - (earnings to date: $5.4M)

A pro gamer can earn money from competitions or different platforms like Twitch and YouTube. There are several ways to earn money as a professional gamer:

• Prize Money: Competitions are probably the most well-known way to make money with large winner’s pools.

• Regular Salary: Some teams will pay top players to practice and compete consistently in tournaments.

• Bonuses: On top of a salary, a pro gamer could make bonuses from victories as an incentive.

• Sponsors: You might’ve seen pro gamers flaunting multiple product sponsorships, from energy drinks to apparel. Brands are willing to give money, trips, or gaming gear, in exchange for visibility. Having a large audience of viewers and fans is crucial for big-name brands to notice you.

• Streaming: One huge part of pro gamer earnings often comes from streaming, which can be worth thousands a month for popular gamers.

   

   

Moreover, the gaming career is just a stepping-stone to other opportunities. Many professional gamers will go on to coach, broadcast, host, commentate, write about gaming news, plan gaming events, or promote marketing campaigns for big-name brands.

Many gamers turn to streaming for revenue, but it is a completely different side of the game. Streamers are followed because they are entertaining or fun to watch. Twitch.tv and Mixer.tv have made it easy for gamers to create channels that are set to highlight their pro-gaming skills and interact with their fans & subscribers.

• Advertisers: One of the most common ways for streamers to make money is to be sponsored by brands. In exchange for a mention or short blurb about their brand, the company will pay the gamer based on the size of their audience.
• Subscribers: For gamers that are popular with fans, subscribers might pay extra money to participate in different ways with their favorite Twitch stream channels.
• Donors: Viewers sometimes just give money to their favorite streamers. In the word of Kickstarter and Patreon, it isn’t unusual for people to support the professionals they appreciate.
• Affiliates: Brands allow affiliates to use a special code or link and give them a small percentage of all sales made through that link.

Ready to take it to the next level? Here are the steps for becoming a professional gamer.

Step 1: Find the game you’re good at and set gaming goals

The pro gaming industry is highly based on skill. Start by choosing a game you really like spending time on and fits your skillset. You will need to hone your skills in different ways for different games. Some of the best competitive games for pro gamers include:

• Dota 2
• JOverwatch
• League of Legends
• Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
• StarCraft II
• Fortnite

You will need to consider your focus for making money. This will include goals for improving so you can join a team, win a tournament, start a popular streaming channel, or make money with it in another way.

Step 2: Practice

The most well-known, high-earning pro gamers never stop practicing. The gaming industry never stops growing. There are continual new releases and patches that require players to adapt. Dota 2 is an example of a game that constantly evolves, launches new heroes, updates character skills, and continuously modifies the game. If you want to be among the best, you will have to practice like all the other pros and amateurs who are spending hours a day improving their skill.

Step 3: Attract followers

Walking the walk as a skilled gamer is one thing, but gaining popularity is another. In order to fund your drive to the top, you will probably need to have a following that supports you and helps you earn as a streamer. A following or community who can bring you into the spotlight in order to gain attention. Whether it’s Twitch streaming or going to competitive gaming events, pro gamers need to put themselves out there to get noticed.

Step 4: Compete at the top level

Being a pro eSports gamer means that you win a lot. This requires serious focus and top tech gear. The best gamers need to reach top rankings on global leaderboards of their favourite games just to get an opportunity to compete in tournaments. They have to constantly level up online and spend countless hours getting the best in-game stats and equipment. Doing these could help you get noticed in order to join official teams.

Step 5: Go to local gaming events

Players apply their skills in the gaming industry’s biggest events, like the Electronic Entertainment Expo, Penny Arcade Expo, Gamescom, and BlizzCon. Pro gamers often start at local events and work their way up to the national level to get recognized.

Step 6: Consider joining a team

Many pro gamers can aspire to join gaming teams for their chosen games. Some of the most prominent gaming teams and companies that pro gamers work for are:

• OG for Dota 2
• London Spitfire for Overwatch
• Astralis for CS:GO
• Team Impulse for League of Legends

A pro gamer needs equipment that is on par with the best of the best. You can’t keep up if your equipment is lagging or slowing you down. Your pro gaming setup will allow you to compete at your best. To be fully immersed and focused, choose a fast PC, top gaming peripherals, and high-quality graphics.

LG UltraGear Monitors offer incredible pictures and fast speeds that give you the best gaming environment. Top-of-the-line equipment, like the LG gaming monitor, could help you notice each detail with precision and responsiveness.

Becoming a professional gamer is no walk in the park. In order to rank high in competitive online games and online gaming tournaments, you will need to put in a lot of thought and effort.

LG Canada has products, tips, & tricks for becoming a high-performing pro gamer. Check out our gaming monitors for the highest performance and functions available.