A Word to Ghana Esports Players

Understanding the Dream

Dreams are built with people, one person ( Team Owner) can not build an Esports Dream or vision for a team all by Himself. It is a collective effort from all players, managers, stakeholders and investors involved. An Esports Player's commitment therefore to their club is paramount if they want to see massive investment which can only come by sponsorship to the team. Without you as a player together with others forming the team, there is no Esports team or club... Once You, as an Esports Player understand your role as a key component of the overall dream, you position yourself and do your best for the Team's Growth.

We are all crawling

Every Esports Team in Ghana is at the foundation level, trying to put all the pillars in place and make business sense of this Industry in a country where the competitive play of video games is foreign to our culture and systems of belief. The negative perception of playing video games is still a big issue and misconception that must be demystified. Many Parents believe that playing video games leads to bad habits, disrespect and good-for-nothing individuals in society and that has impeded the growth of this our infant esports industry.

Every Esports Team is crawling at the moment, trying to find their feet in this industry. We are all taking baby steps to learn, transform, evolve, adapt and survive. It is never an easy space to be in, but then nothing can be made that can not be made. Those of us who have found the passion to be here are the very foundation of the ecosystem.

Misconception?

Corporate and Brands only thinks of video games as another form of home entertainment and never the benefits of Competitive play of the games leading to professional Career pathways for the youth. Whereas corporate bodies can use Esports as their social responsibility projects as a start to build a strong affinity with Generation XYZ.

Their lack of knowledge of esports is preventing any form of investment in Teams as seen in Western, Asian and European countries. Although there are few brands willing to invest within the space, usually its ties in with the activation of a product or service they wish to render to the public... We have not seen massive brands support for teams as it's done elsewhere in the world.

Bottlenecks

There are so many bottlenecks in Ghana with Esports Teams trying their best to build up professionally in their journey to create an avenue within the community.

Money

The number major problem is Funding. Money ... Money ... Money... there is nothing that can be done without money. Often team owners do not have the luxury of any funding from anywhere relying on their personal finance to fund the team's projects and tournament assignments plus social media visibility online and in person. The player's Transportation and feeding in and out of the tournaments and practice sessions are all expenses that need money.

Ownership

The way to go is for players to own the team with PASSION, LOYALTY, DISCIPLINE and EMPATHY. Players come into teams to work together with teammates to win prizes for the team and that begins by paying the price. As a player, paying the price is doing your bit of the bargain.

Understanding the Times

Esports Players in Ghana must understand the times we are in and also the future of this industry and begin to position themselves as key developmental figures in the history of the team. It is never easy but once Players are willing to go the extra mile for the club or team, the Management will go to great lengths to fulfil their contracts or promises to the players.

Discipline

Be disciplined and open to working personally to make the team's name great... Players must also listen to leadership, especially the coaches and Team Captains. Players must be disciplined to practice on their own, this is because not all teams have the physical space and infrastructure to support players' daily gameplay practice routine. But as a Gamer, the barest minimum is for you to have your personal Gaming gadgets, which makes you also valuable to the team, whatever the team will add on is additional accessories to enable you to be a better Pro gamer.

Normal People

Team owners are not rich and Magicians who can command money any time any day, they are normal people with an 8-5 hours work schedule. Most have a day job and combine many other side jobs to get the money to feed into Esports Team ... IT IS NEVER EASY!!! They can only do their best to get the team going if the players themselves are motivated to support the dream of the Team. As a member of the Esports Team in Ghana, always ask myself what value I bring to the Team apart from playing in tournaments.

What Esports Team Owners are currently doing is sowing seeds with the view that whatever investment they put in will reap better outcomes in the near future. So this is a planting season in anticipation of the Harvest Season. Players therefore must understand every little effort Clubs owners or managers put in place to enable them play in tournaments and other activities.

When Team is Up... We are all up!

The path to glory is never easy, there will be times of pain, discontentment and team infightings, and players will leave and new ones will come ... But the beauty of life is that when the team goes up, you as a player in the team, your value also go up. Players must understand the ecosystem and be prepared to sacrifice more. Yours is to do your very best to represent the team as much as possible.?Every player is the physical signboard of the team wherever they may be. Just go the extra mile and secure your spot as an internal stakeholder and shareholder of the Esports Team.

As a Player, you must always be one step ahead of your knowledge of the game, of the team's assignments and of the entire Esports industry. Players must continue to make themselves available and contribute to the growth of other teammates. Esports Players must also understand that they are first and foremost Brand Ambassadors of the Esports Teams they belong to and as such their personal presentation at all times of the Team, matters. They must at all time do their possible best to preserve the Good image of the Team in order to attract Investments, Partnerships and Sponsorship.

If Esports Players in Ghana empower themselves to help build the teams they belong to ... We are sure of the sustainability of this industry will become a powerhouse for youth development.

My prayer is Esports Players will own their team's image and brand and purpose within their hearts to grow the team's brand by going the extra mile.

Together we can make it

Peace!