The Very Beginning: You're Not Famous Yet. But You Can Be.
Everyone wants to be a pro gamer. Everyone wants the fame. The glory. The money. Pretty much all the benefits. The upsides, if you will. But few ever really think about the downsides. Which is really quite ridiculous, to be perfectly frank. So let’s visualize it. All of it.
Before you jump right into a game and start your rise to fame, I advise you to take a step back and analyze yourself. You can go about this in a rather simple manner. Ask yourself some questions and imagine yourself in a position of a professional gamer. It sounds complicated but no worries, I will walk you through the process.
Start off by asking yourself these questions.
Do you thrive to be the best in anything you do?
Are you persistent, determined and willing to accept loss in order to improve?
Do you consider yourself a team player?
Would you be okay with hundreds of people watching you play a game?
Can you handle being talked down to you by other players?
Are you willing to learn?
It’s okay if you have a few “No’s” above. it really is. It is important though to work hard to turn that answer into a “Yes!” If you really want to make it as a professional gamer, I’m sure you will be alright, and well if your not there is always instructors out there willing to help you.
Now, Imagine..
Sitting on main stage with the crowd chanting your name and hundreds watching you in awe as you lay waste to your enemies.
Discussing strategies with your team and pointing out each other’s weaknesses.
Winning a very important game and feeling that sense of accomplishment
Being approached by a fan and asked for an autograph.
It all sounds great no? Well, nothing great has ever really been easy.
While you’re at it, imagine…
Sitting on main stage losing horribly to an amateur team.
Hearing the frustration of your teammates and the temptation of giving up.
Losing the first round of a tournament and being dropped directly to the loser’s bracket.
Having people whisper about you and your terrible performance.
It’s a rough world out there in competitive sports. Survival of the fittest, the strongest, and the smartest…There are professional gamers that have had all those terrible things happen to them and yet they are still heading home after a season with a check with 6 figures and 5 zeroes. When you fall, get back up and push on even stronger. If you don’t, you’ll stay on the bottom and you will never make your dreams come true.
Lastly, Preparing yourself.
When you first purchase that game you have decided to compete on, prepare for loss, learn from your mistakes and push forward. Analyze every second of your game-time and understand the game. When you lose, don’t cry about it, learn from it. Why did that player defeat you? Prepare yourself and when he comes at you again with the same approach, make him regret pulling the same maneuver on you twice in a row. Study all aspects of the game and keep pushing forward and when you make it to the top, be even more mindful because now everybody is out to get you.
It’s all sounds intimidating, but if you approach it correctly and you’re determined to be the best, nothing will stop you. Where there is a will, there is a way. Godspeed.
Photos Credit CyboRoZ and Euart. Creative Commons License.
About the Author: x 8thful
Known to the community as 8thful, Tom Bly has made a name for himself through his in-depth analysis pieces of professional gameplay videos. Where others see a kill, Tom sees the culmination of hundreds of seemingly minor decisions. This highly-analytical approach has helped empower Tom to become one of Gaming Lesson’s greatest assets.
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Yeah, I always get nervous, especially if we lost and my teammates is yelling at me. But I always try to do my best.