Esports is a competitive and rewarding field that requires skill, dedication, and strategy. Whether you are a beginner or a veteran, you can always improve your performance and reach new heights. In this article, we will share some of the top strategies for excelling in esports, from choosing the right game and platform to optimizing your practice and mindset.
The first step to excel in esports is to choose a game and a platform that suit your style, preferences, and goals. There are many genres of esports games, such as first-person shooters, multiplayer online battle arenas, fighting games, card games, and more. Each game has its own rules, mechanics, and community. You should pick a game that you enjoy, that challenges you, and that has a healthy and supportive scene. Similarly, you should choose a platform that offers you the best performance, comfort, and accessibility. Whether you play on PC, console, or mobile, you should invest in a reliable and compatible device, monitor, keyboard, mouse, controller, headset, and internet connection.
First of all, there is a fun way to do this, and there is a painful way to do this. 1. Choose the game you actually have fun in and get good at it. What I mean is, that not only do you enjoy the game a lot that you can play for hours, but also a game where you are seeing consistent improvement in your performance where you are achieving a high level in a few months. 2. The not-so-fun way is to carefully research the market to see which esports has the most potential to stay popular and have a lot of sponsors and money involved in the scene. This is crucial because if you put in hours and days of work but the esports scene dies before you get to a professional level, then it is all wasted.
Esports is no different than any other sports when it comes to competition, you have a few secrets that must remain that a secret. When it comes to being on the top level secrets matter, let the competition figure out what makes you that player. You must also be willing to spend time learning you, who are you when it comes to competing? Psychology is a large part of winning or being good , there are aspects that won't be seen and it takes losing to learn how to win...And have a community of support, it will in the end take more than just you to excel.
Once you have chosen your game and platform, you should focus on learning the fundamentals of the game. These are the basic skills, knowledge, and techniques that every player should master, such as movement, aiming, map awareness, positioning, timing, resource management, communication, and more. You can learn the fundamentals by watching tutorials, guides, and pro players, by reading forums, blogs, and wikis, by joining online courses, coaching sessions, or bootcamps, and by practicing in training modes, custom games, or low-stakes matches. You should also learn the game's terminology, meta, and etiquette, to communicate effectively and respectfully with other players.
You should learn game sense. Most good players usually have good aims and reflexes, but a good game sense is what makes the difference between a good player and a professional player. Learning positions, understanding what usually will happen when enemies attack this route versus other routes, and your weapon resources management are all building good game sense.
Practice makes perfect, but not all practice is equal. To excel in esports, you should optimize your practice by setting realistic and specific goals, by following a consistent and balanced schedule, by tracking and reviewing your progress and performance, by seeking and applying feedback and criticism, by challenging yourself and experimenting with different strategies, and by taking breaks and avoiding burnout. You should also practice with purpose, meaning that you should focus on improving one aspect of your game at a time, rather than mindlessly grinding or repeating the same mistakes.
Your mindset is as important as your skill in esports. You should develop a mindset that supports your growth, motivation, and resilience. You should adopt a growth mindset, which means that you believe that you can improve your abilities through effort and learning, rather than a fixed mindset, which means that you think that your abilities are innate and unchangeable. You should also cultivate a positive mindset, which means that you focus on your strengths and opportunities, rather than your weaknesses and threats. You should also embrace a competitive mindset, which means that you strive to win, but also learn from your losses and respect your opponents.
The toughest part of claiming that path to pro is the mindset to not care. What I mean is the mindset to stop looking at social media and caring what others say. You will lose a lot of matches in tournaments, sometimes the situation is out of your control. You will have life interfering with your gameplay. The not-care mindset is when you are in front of the computer and you are working towards a career goal, you focus on what is there. You can also ask coaches or mentors to help you develop your mindsets. Sometimes, family or someone close to you in real life is the best mentor on how to deal with tough situations.
Esports is not only a solo endeavor, but also a team and a social activity. You can excel in esports by joining a team or a community that shares your passion, vision, and values. You can join a team that competes in tournaments, leagues, or ladders, or a community that organizes events, activities, or discussions. By joining a team or a community, you can benefit from the support, feedback, and camaraderie of other players, as well as the exposure, recognition, and rewards of participating in the esports scene. You can also network, collaborate, and learn from other players, coaches, managers, sponsors, and organizations.
Esports is a dynamic and evolving field that changes constantly. You can excel in esports by keeping up with the trends, updates, and innovations that affect your game and platform. You should follow the news, blogs, podcasts, videos, and social media of the game developers, publishers, platforms, and influencers, to stay informed and updated on the latest patches, features, modes, events, and more. You should also watch the matches, streams, and analysis of the top players, teams, and tournaments, to learn from their strategies, tactics, and styles. You should also adapt to the changes, experiment with the new elements, and find your edge in the esports landscape.
Esports is a workplace. Do not tell others too much about your personal life in the esports scene, you never know who will turn it into an unexpected drama to ruin your reputation. I have seen many esports players whose careers got ruined because they were too intimate with those in the scene and it backfired on them since others have ulterior motives. It is a competitive field, players need to protect themselves.