How do i become a pro eSports player? Tips & tricks from a pro

How do you become an eSport player, and what awaits you on this path? In the following article, you will find tips and tricks on a possible eSports career as a professional. We clarify basic things and give you insights into the day of a professional eSport player.

spized | eSports

September 9, 2024 |

In recent years, eSports has enjoyed increasing attention. There are already tournaments with prize money in the millions, and there is no end in sight for the future. On the contrary: insiders expect eSports to continue to grow and become more popular in the coming years. You are passionate about gaming yourself and would like to know how you can become an eSports player, and whether you have to train at night without end to do so? Fabio "AFoxx" Veigas gives you helpful tips and tricks for your career in this article.

Whats’ on this page

1. Gamer AFoxx on his career as a pro

2. The desire to become an eSports pro: A nightmare for parents

3. Traditional sports vs. eSports

4. Become an eSport pro step by step

4.1 First steps to an eSports career: The foundation stone

4.2 The right game: the way of the experienced gamer

4.3 How good do I have to be to become an eSport pro and how do I get better?

4.4 Am I good enough?

4.5 Search like-minded people

4.6 Talent present? Very good! But what happens next?

4.7 The right equipment

Gamer AFoxx on his career as a pro

But who is Fabio "AFoxx" Veigas anyway?

Fabio is an eSports player and was most recently under contract with the Angry Titans.
Together with his team, he became DACH champion in the tactical shooter Valorant
He is 26 years old
He started his career with the Blizzard/Activision title Overwatch.

After some time, he switched to the new tactical shooter Valorant from the developer Riot Games. Since he has already gained experience as an eSportsman in more than one game and even became champion in the area of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, he is perfectly suited to give you insights into the course of his career and answer questions about becoming an eSportsman.

The desire to become an eSports pro: A nightmare for parents

The career aspiration "eSportsman" often causes parents to shake their heads, similar to the career aspiration "streamer" or "influencer". This was also the case for Fabio: "It was really hard to convince my parents to pursue an eSports career and to quit my job for it.

For younger generations, the career aspiration of "becoming an eSports pro" has become relatively normal. For parents, it's a different story. Compared to traditional sports, eSports still seem to be in their infancy, which is why they are often still viewed very critically. But Fabio's parents have also recognised the potential after getting more involved with the topic. "When my parents saw my talent and my first successes, they realised that eSports is not just a fleeting trend. They now support me to the fullest extent and are happy about my chosen path," he says proudly.

Traditional sports vs. eSports

The biggest difference between eSports and traditional sports is that eSports is still in its infancy. Although the growth is rapid, the structures in eSports are in a permanent evolution and vary immensely from game to game. "When I started my career in Overwatch, there was still little system or infrastructure in the scene. A lot of it was "networking" and "vitamin B"," Fabio recalls.

For eSports players, there is no overarching authority, such as the DFB (German Football Association), which promotes talent from an early age and sets out a rough path. "Compared to the past, networking is still necessary and a bit of luck doesn't hurt either, but over time the infrastructures in the form of tournaments and leagues have grown enormously. In the meantime, it has become more possible to attract attention with good performances. The scene is definitely on the right track," Fabio explains.

Become an eSport pro step by step

1. First steps to an eSports career: the foundation stone

The cornerstone of any career should be your motivation. This must be intrinsic and not extrinsic. This means that the enjoyment of the game should be the most important factor. But it can also be the enthusiasm for the competitive aspect or the desire to become better at something. Devoting oneself only to money, success and fame has never produced a professional in the sports sector.

2. The right game: the way of the experienced gamer

If the motives are right, you still have to find the right game for you. But that is easier said than done. If gaming has been one of your hobbies since childhood, an established eSports title in which you have already gained experience would be a possibility. Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), Dota 2 or League of Legends are the titles with the largest base of players and the highest viewership on Twitch. Therefore, these games would make sense for experienced gamers. Here, there are infrastructures in the form of leagues and sponsored tournaments where you can set tangible goals. However, as a "newbie" in gaming, mentioned titles would not be the best choice, as there are already a high number of good players.

Newcomers should turn to games that are gaining popularity. This way, you can evolve with the game and explore new styles of play. A big risk is the decline of a game. If the hype around a game diminishes, it is much more difficult to get attention. As an eSports player, you have no direct influence on this. This is best illustrated by the example of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. By establishing the genre "Battle Royal", it triggered a real hype that helped the title to great success. However, due to the lack of expansion of the associated eSports scene, the title quickly lost its popularity again. As you can see, choosing the right game plays a big role when it comes to a career as an eSports player.

3. How good do I have to be to become an eSport pro and how do I get better?

After choosing your game, getting good at it takes time. "Think of your daily training as a workout in the gym, you don't have an athletic body after one workout. The most important thing is to be consistent," Fabio advises. Besides playing, you should also invest time in watching better gamers. Learn through practice and theory, so to speak. You should also play a lot to progress quickly: "Concentrate on playing as many ranked matches (internal league system of a game) as possible in the game of your choice. "Ranking is the easiest way to steadily improve your skills. Especially with regard to "Game Sense" and your mechanical skills. Your muscle memory is trained through the routine movements and helps you to react faster to any situation through constant repetition.

4. Am I good enough?

The results of the above-mentioned "Ranked Matches" reflect your skills in an in-game ranking list. In this you can quickly determine whether you have talent that can be promoted. In the tactical shooter Valorant from developer Riot Games, the ranking system builds up as follows (low to high): Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Ascended, Immortal and Radiant. Except for Radiant, each rank is divided into three levels. The higher the number, the better the rank. The Radiant rank is occupied by the 500 best players in the region.

To pursue a professional career in Valorant, a place among the 500 best players in the region would almost be a prerequisite. "You have to start not seeing the game as a game. It's a job, so try to handle it that way - be disciplined. Finding a balance between the daily grind (playing heavily for many hours a day) is not easy and can quickly turn negative. You have to maintain your physical and mental health through routines outside of gaming," Fabio says.

Tip: Take one or two days a week completely free from gaming. Spend time with family and friends and just turn off the screen. This is perfectly normal in the world of professional eSports. But what does the daily routine of an eSportsman actually look like?

This was the daily routine during AFoxx's time in the Valorant Regional League DACH: Evolution:

10:30: Get up, shower.
11:00: Breakfast.
11:30: Warm-up on the PC, hand-eye coordination on the shooting range (Valorant training area) against AI bots.
12:00: Deathmatch game against human opponents.
13:00: Train various mechanics in the game (tip: set yourself goals that you want to achieve in this session, e.g. improve your aim with pistols, micro-movements etc.).
13:30: Review of past games in the team and check with the coach what can be improved and what mistakes we made. 14:30: Lunch. 15:00: Training session in the team.
21:00-22:00: Solo Ranked or Deathmatch, try out new agents or manoeuvres.
23:30 Relaxation in the form of watching series before going to bed, and watching a few more replays in bed, focusing on my own gameplay.

5. Search like-minded people

Networking is still the be-all and end-all in the eSports scene. Since the infrastructures are young, a lot happens behind the scenes through connections, which you will also make yourself in the course of your career. "Find a team, gain your first experience, or join a community of like-minded people," advises Fabio. In the meantime, eSports communities are springing up in more and more big cities. In Cologne, for example, there is an association called "eSports Cologne". Or are you a student? Ask your university for clubs or teams represented in the university league in the area. If there are none, take the initiative and found a team. It's easy to do on the Uniliga website. But before you start, make sure you get permission from the rectorate of your university!

6. Talent present? Very good! But what happens next?

Attention is the magic keyword here. What's the point if you're among the top 500 in the region and no one notices? Of course, you can be lucky and an established eSports club will take notice of you by chance. But luck is not a calculable variable. So show what you can do! How, you ask? Streaming would be a good option, for example. If you play well and can show it, the number of viewers will grow over time. This increases the chance of being discovered by talent scouts. To show your talent in the stream, you need two basic qualities without which it will be difficult to generate attention: Ambition and discipline.

You build a foundation for recurring viewers through regular and fixed streaming times. This requires both of the above qualities and fixed time slots during the week. Make a plan for your streaming times and stick to it. You'll find that it's not that easy to find regular time in addition to school, studies or your job. Streaming and professional gaming looks easier than it really is. In addition to motivation and stamina, another factor plays an important role in gaming and streaming.

7. The right equipment

Gaming is an expensive hobby. However, the right equipment is essential. Besides the necessary hardware, you also need suitable peripherals in the form of gamepads, mice, keyboards, headsets and much more. The list and buying advice here would go beyond the scope of this article and varies from gamer to gamer. The gaming community will be able to help you best. Or you can take a look at the equipment from AFoxx, which specialises in first-person shooters:

Mouse: Logitech Gpro Superlight
Keyboard: Anne pro II Gateron, red switches
Mousepad: Logitech G640
Monitor: AGON 360hz
Headset: Logitech pro x wireless

If you have the right equipment, sufficient motivation and, above all, stamina at the start, nothing stands in the way of your goal of becoming an eSportsman. If you are already an eSport athlete, or if you want to present yourself professionally right from the start, a customised jersey is of course a must. In our 3D configurator, you can design your own eSports jersey and let your creativity run free!