Believe it or not, a career in esports can be quite lucrative. While older people do not consider it a viable career, the current development in the industry proves otherwise. More and more people are entering the field every day making the competition tough.
How much does a professional online gamer earn? The average professional gamer can earn $60,000 per year. If you are really good you can earn millions yearly including other perks like travel arrangements, sponsorships, and prizes.
If you are considering this career, then you should know that it might look easy but it’s not. It involves not only a lot of training but also quick thinking and reflexes. Remember that this is a career. Passion and determination aren’t enough. You need to level up your skills too.
How do professional gamers earn money?
Let’s take a more detailed look at how professional gamers earn money. Most of them are combining two or more sources of income. That’s why many pro gamers have amassed a huge fortune while being on the top of their game.
Prize Money
Top prizes in a tournament in the US can reach up to $200,000 for a single win. In other international tournaments, the prize pool for the winner of the tournament will often reach well over a million dollars. This huge amount will then be divided among the winning team’s members, normally composed of 5 to 6 players. For example, in 2017, Dota 2 International had a total tournament prize pool of more than $24 million. The first place eventually cashed in a whopping $10 million in prize money.
Taking this amount into consideration, a pro-player must win in at least one major tournament in order to be recognized as a professional gamer. This will also make him a household name in the gaming community.
Regular Salaries
Although not all professional gaming teams have a monthly salary, nowadays, the number of companies providing monthly pay is increasing. Based on the latest survey of Esportsearnings.com, pro gamers earn between $1,000 to $5,000 per month. The highest paid professional gamers earn up to $15,000 apart from the money they get from their other activities like sponsors and prize money.
Monthly salaries are based on a lot of different things. A player must have a track record of victory. The more tournaments the player wins, the higher the player’s value gets. Also, potential pro tournament players should have a high social following. Most players serve as brand ambassadors of the company they represent. And having a large audience is a marketing opportunity for any would-be sponsors.
Bonuses
On top of their regular salaries, pro gamers receive some form of bonus, especially after a victory. When a team wins, they are always mentioned in different gaming communities and digital channels. It gives important media mileage to the company that owns them. Bonuses can sometimes reach as high as $20,000 per tournament.
Sponsors
There are a lot of companies that sponsor professional gamers. Products like energy drinks and computer accessories are normally the types of companies that are willing to pay big bucks. Players are then required to only use those products when they are playing and whenever they are in public.
This is also the reason why, whenever they have a match, they wear a jacket full of logos of their sponsors. Because aside from their salaries, sponsors also give these players cash bonuses, pay for their expenses during tournaments, and give them other freebies such as free vacation, and supplies so they demand visibility.
Streaming
This is also a source of huge money for professional gamers. Some pros are earning an additional $5,000 a month just streaming their games. Some of them give a blow-by-blow account of how they play with specific characters while others create tutorials.
By gaining thousands of followers, just by handling their streaming channels, they can already earn a large amount of money. And streaming also improves their reputation as more and more people can see how they play the game.
All of these sources of income are the reasons why professional online gaming is an actual career. Just like in any field, if one is an expert, it is assured that he will earn a lot in this field.
What are the Careers in Esports that Do Not Involve Playing?
Aside from being a pro-player, there are other ways one can earn a lot of cash in the eSports industry. Normally, all of these careers are chosen by those who just finished their actual gaming career. But if you feel like competitive gaming is not for you directly, but you want to stay in this field, then you might like one of the gaming careers below.
Game Host / Broadcaster / Commentator
You hear them all the time when there is a match. The people talking in the background, explaining what’s happening, and giving us a blow-by-blow account. They are an integral part of a match because they entertain the audience and explain things that people might have missed.
If you have a unique and clear voice, and you can excite people by just telling them what’s happening then, this might be a great eSports career for you. The average salary of a good game host can range from $700 up to $1,000 per game. Just make sure that you are also knowledgeable about the game you are hosting.
Coach
If you have years of experience playing online games, and you are good at motivating players, then being a coach might be a good choice for you. You will be an important part of the team as your goal is to develop each individual to be the best version of themselves. At the same time, you need to make all these great players work as a team.
Aside from being able to advise on game strategies and tactics, a great coach serves as the glue of the team. Tension and stress run high in this highly competitive industry. As a coach, you should be able to keep your players focused. A coach’s salary can be as high as $80,000 a month, not including bonuses and other perks from sponsors.
Journalist
If you like writing, and reporting what happened in a match, then being a journalist can be a career for you. These people provide the after-game analyses of a match. These are then published on major blogs and gaming sites.
This kind of competition is difficult to write about for someone who is not exposed to this industry. That’s why former players have an edge when pursuing this career. Also, building your networks within the community can help you get a scoop on the latest news in the industry.
A decent journalist in this field can earn up to $32,000 a year.
Sales and Marketing Specialist
Your advantage as a gamer when working as a sales and marketing specialist in this industry is you understand the needs and wants of the community. You can easily develop campaigns that can attract thousands of gamers across the world.
One thing that companies realized is the gaming community is thriving and continuously growing yearly. And these people have the money to spend. So tapping this audience is a smart thing to do. And you as a gamer has an edge in knowing the psyche of the gaming community.
If this is a career that you want to pursue, you can take home as high as $90,000 per year.
Social Media/Community Manager
As a gamer, you should have experience handling your own social media account. So it will not be difficult for you to go this route as a Social Media and Community Manager. Basically, your task is to curate related contents that gamers might find useful.
Also, you will be the voice of the company. You will be the one directly interacting with their followers through their official social media pages. By doing so, you can earn up to $25,000 per year.
Event Manager
If organizing events is your forte, then this job could be an exciting career for you. As an event manager, you get to organize tournaments and gaming conventions. You can use your own experience as a gamer to find out what will attract people to join your event.
Also, your wide network will allow you to invite as many people as possible. This way, you are sure that your event will be filled with quality gamers. If this is the career that you will pursue, you can have a salary of up to $40,000 per year.
Your involvement in this industry does not end when you stop playing. It’s not the only viable track that you can choose. Once you think that you are done playing professionally, there are a number of opportunities awaiting you.
What are the Important Skills that you Should Have In order to Get a High Salary?
Being a professional gamer is not an easy feat. It takes thousands of hours of gaming experience. Also, someone who wants to be successful in this field must have the following skills. Or at least, they are willing to train and develop whatever they are lacking.
Motivation
This is the most important skill that a gamer should have. The will to be successful depends on your short and long-term ability to motivate yourself. There are times that you will win games, and there are also times when you won’t. You need the motivation to continue playing even during the days that you don’t feel too good.
Also, despite losing numerous times, you will need to have the motivation to come back stronger. And even if you’re playing the same game over and over again, for 6 days a week, you should still have the same excitement that you have the first time you played.
Motivation is a surprisingly easy thing to build. Picture the reason why you are doing this, why you want to be a pro gamer. Maybe it’s to have financial security. Maybe it’s to travel the world. Whatever the reason, start with a clear vision of the why.
Then every morning, take five minutes to close your eyes and imagine that reason, why playing out in your mind eye as if you already live it because of what you’ve achieved. See yourself lifting the trophy. See yourself jetting off to that dream destination. See yourself lying on a beach. If your vision doesn’t motivate you after that, it’s not the right motivation for you. But once you’ve found the right motivation, visualize it every day, and you’ll unstoppable.
Decision Making
In a fast-paced competition, a professional player must be able to make decisions quickly. You are always running against the clock. You only have split-second moments to make key decisions that might make or break your chances of winning. Quick thinking is a requirement that you should develop over time.
Teamwork
Solo gaming is not something top players practice. They are always playing online against real people, with real people. All of those who are on the top can play in any team because they know that a strong team wins the competition. You have to think about your teammates and how you can uplift each other so all of you will be stronger.
Focus
Hear the saying, “keep your eyes on the prize?” Well, you should always set your focus on your immediate goals.
But it’s not going to be easy because you have to practice and spend hours to gain your expertise. All of this while you have to do other activities like updating your social media presence, interacting with your followers, and doing your non-gaming activities like working out.
But if you can focus, if you can bring your attention to the here and now every time you sit down to play, you’ll be one step closer to conquering the pro gaming world.
A simple way to develop your ability to focus is to meditate. Meditation helps your mind practice staying in the moment, or mindfulness. Exactly the sort of skill you need to be a top pro player.
Mental Toughness
It’s normal to hear of players breaking down in preparation for a competition. This industry can be quite harsh and demanding. One must have a tough mind to push through the hard times and continue playing. Also, the pressure sometimes gets into someone’s head especially those who are maintaining struggling to maintain a top tournament spot. Sponsors sometimes add to the pressure as well.
Self-Confidence
Shy, awkward gamers are a thing of the past. Now, gamers are beasts when it comes to playing. Their confidence is noticeable as they easily make decisions that can affect the game. By just watching their game style, you will see how they have trust in every move they make.
Dexterity
This is more of physical training. Being a professional gamer means your hand-eye coordination is excellent. It will involve a lot of clicking and typing. And you have to be able to do it as fast as you can with minimal to no errors at all.
Personal Development
The road to being a professional gamer is not an easy one. It is very transformative because you’ll meet a lot of people with different stories. And you will realize that you will need to focus on yourself rather than always comparing yourself with the competition. By developing your own personal outlook in life, you’ll have a far more positive experience.
You should have a majority of these skills if you want to belong to the top echelons of pro gaming.
Coaches easily spot all of these requirements when recruiting players and the more of these skills you have, the higher your salary will be because it will reflect on your performance.
How Glamorous the Life of a Top Professional Gamer
As discussed in the above section, a professional gamer can live a luxurious life. With a take-home check of up to $80,000 a year, you can live an extremely comfortable life.
A usual practice, especially in the US, is to have everyone in the team live in a mansion. Normally in a great location like Hollywood or a beach house. Inside, every player has his own huge room. It’s fully serviced by cleaners, and chefs so they don’t have to think of anything while living there.
Also, upon starting their tenure in the team, they receive a hefty check, some up to $50,000 as their signing bonus. That’s why it’s normal to see players change teams once they’re done with their contract.
They are also provided with complete access to medical facilities. Aside from that, physical trainers are employed to make sure that these players still get plenty of exercise. It’s one of the common complaints of new professional gamers: they didn’t expect to have to do so much physical training. Lazy gits! hehe
The idea is to make sure that they are healthy and in shape. They are treated not as nerds anymore. But as actual athletes. So they need to condition not only their minds but their bodies as well.
Living together in a luxurious mansion allows the team to form stronger bonds. Since they are always training, they form a deeper relationship. Also, it gives them the opportunity to maximize their time of training because everyone is within reach.
Another perk of a top professional gamer is they are pampered by their sponsors. They never run out of supplies in their mansion. So it’s normal to see mountains of cans of energy drinks and other accessories in a team’s mansion.
So it’s no wonder that nowadays, a lot of younger teens want to be professional gamers. They want to build their careers in the industry that they love and have a lot of fun doing it.
In Conclusion
While the top professional players earn thousands of dollars each year, the reality is, only a few people enjoy that kind of salary. It’s because the industry favors the winners. If you want to be in the same league as those that are currently on top, know this:
There are no shortcuts.
You will have to train as hard as you can, as often as you can.
It is also important to note that financial rewards as a professional player often come once you are signed into a team. Therefore, as an aspiring professional gamer, you should make sure that you are known to the recruiters so they will see your gameplay.
Related Questions:
How do you train to be a professional gamer?
The most important thing you should do is to earn hundreds of gaming hours. You need to play as much as you can to get familiarized with the game inside and out.
Is there an age limit in professional gaming?
If you’re a minor, you might need some permission from your parents or your guardian. But there’s technically no age limit but it was said that younger players have faster reflexes.
Why do players need to work out if they’re just going to sit and play?
Taking care of a player’s health is important. By working out, they get their much-needed exercise to avoid problems like heart disease, and posture issues.