A successful career in gaming can mean different things to different people; it could be winning international tournaments, it could be building a large fanbase who watch videos and live streams, or it could be both. Gamewell promotes healthy gaming; in order to have any kind of successful gaming career people must have a positive relationship with gaming.
If you observe any sort of top athlete, you will see that they approach their sport holistically. This means taking care of every part of themselves. Professional basketball players do not spend every waking hour on the court. Instead, they have rest periods, carefully control their nutrition, study tactics, and practise mental techniques to help them cope with the immense pressure their career entails. Gaming is no different. Playing video games for hours upon end can negatively affect mental and physical health, and also does not actually improve the quality of play. Gamers must look after their physical and mental health just as much as they spend time actually playing them.
A History of Professional Gaming
Professional gaming has surged in popularity over the past decade, although it is not totally new. The gaming industry itself brings in over 100 million U.S. dollars annually around the globe, and eSports are projected to make over a billion U.S. dollars in 2020.
eSports Vs. Streaming
With the rise of eSports came another form of gaming entertainment – streaming. There are now several different revenue streams for those who are seeking an entry into the world of paid gaming.
One of the ways to earn money is by winning tournaments, which are hosted by large organizations. These tournaments usually take place in front of an audience, and are streamed online by many avid gamers and fans alike. The Fortnite World Cup is one of the anticipated eSports events in 2020. Fortnite has an estimated user base of 250 million players, so the competition is incredibly high. Last year in 2019, the total prize pool for competitors was 100 million U.S. dollars.
Another popular way to earn money through gaming is through online live streaming. Some professional eSports players stream their gameplay so that fans can watch them play online. There are no barriers to entry for streaming, and as a result many non-professionals also stream but don’t necessarily get paid for it. For users that generate a high number of followers, companies may offer them sponsorship. For 18 to 25 year olds worldwide, watching video game streams online is more popular than watching sports.
Gaming Well
Whether the goal is to become a streamer, professional eSports player, or anything in between, the two things that are necessary is a passion for video games and the online world, and dedication. Promoting healthy pathways to allow gamers to achieve their dreams can help to reduce the negative impacts of an unhealthy relationship with gaming, and to encourage a forward thinking dialogue that puts the best interest of gamers at the forefront of the discussion.
The Rocky Balboa Approach
In the popular boxing film from 1976, Rocky Balboa puts everything on the line, devoting all of his time and energy to a fight against the undisputed heavyweight champion, Apollo Creed. At the end of the film, Rocky wins, but what would have happened if he did not?
The current attitudes towards eSports and professional gaming encourage gamers to take the Rocky Balboa approach, but what happens if they fail? There is a more logical approach that actually takes the best interest of gamers into account.
The Healthy Approach
The healthy approach encourages a regimented approach to gaming. In a healthy approach to gaming, users do not dedicate their entire lives to playing video games. Of course, to become a professional gamer one has to be extremely dedicated to the craft. However, this craft includes self-care, and as such, one must also be dedicated to this.
Gaming must not take a precedence over other areas of life. Our lives are made up of many interplaying, complex parts which do not function totally independently. This means that if we neglect one area of our life, it can negatively affect another. This includes gaming performance. It is highly important that gamers take part in social activities off-screen; this gives us the chance to develop and practise our social skills and self-esteem. As well as taking part in these activities, it is also important that aspiring professional gamers take care of their nutritional needs and their sleep. Both of these factors are linked to increased performance in gaming when they are at optimum levels, but a declining performance if these levels are allowed to decline.
Through completing Gamewell’s training program, you will be equipped with the essential tools to improve your wellbeing and therefore your gaming performance. However, professional gaming is very competitive. Whilst we might not all become professional gamers, we can all take care of our mental and physical health.
