Esports hasn’t been around for a long time compared to Football, Baseball, and other sports that we love today. Without the decades of experience to look back on many people aren’t quite sure how to approach getting better at their favorite esport title. And while many of us love to spend hours playing video games, most of us aren’t willing to put in the effort to become professional esports players. 

However, esports tournaments keep increasing and have truly phenomenal prize pools. The International 2019, which took place in Shanghai in 2019, had a total prize pool of 34.33 million U.S. dollars. If you’re thinking about playing video games at a professional level, let’s look at some of the key things you need to consider.

Find Your Niche

Even if you can play multiple games, it's best to stick to what you know best. You can go with a well-established game or pick a game that’s up-and-coming. The good thing about choosing an established game is that the resources and the infrastructure are already in place to support pro gaming. 

Popular Esports titles--like Dota 2, League of Legends, and CounterStrike: Global Offensive--have large player bases and sponsored tournaments with lucrative prizes. But the downside is that they are tougher for newcomers to break into.

If you choose an up-and-coming game, you’ll have the opportunity to help excavate it and improve the meta. New games are usually accommodating of different gaming styles and some have found themselves propelled to the center stage of Esports, like PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds and Rocket League. 

It’s also important to consider your passion. For example, if you love cars, car showrooms, and everything related to cars, you can try Rocket League. However, it’s worth mentioning that some new games fail to thrive. We recommend trying a few out and sticking with the one you truly love. 

Get the Right Gear

There are 2 things you should get before you start gaming: a good gaming mouse and a mechanical keyboard. There are also many gaming peripherals you need to get if you want to play better, but choose those that work for you. You can check what Esports pros have to say. Whichever peripherals you choose, be sure to use the same mouse and the same keyboard in every game and scrim. 

All pros use the same equipment at the gaming house and when competing on-stage. When you become familiar with your peripherals, you find it easy to transition to a tournament environment where pressure is high.

Practice

Without practice, you’ll never become a superstar in Esports. You can find people to play against using in-game matchmaking and third-party services like ESEA. Learn the game’s mechanics and focus on learning game-specific skills till they become ingrained in your mind--whether it’s increasing actions-per-minute in an RTS (real-time strategy) or last-hitting in a MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena).

Pro players practice mechanics over and over again to stay sharp and keep on making tiny improvements, you can also improve dramatically with practice. Additionally, research the game’s broad strategy. Know your role in a given situation and watch top players. Live streams and videos can help you learn in-game habits and how you should be playing the game.