Esports is a flourishing area within recent years. It has been offering various career options to players and enthusiasts. There’s still a misunderstanding that playing games is detrimental to people’s development and is a waste of time. However, not as it is widely known, the area actually brings job seekers a lot of valuable opportunities, strengthened by $500 million in total revenue in 2016.
Even so, obtaining achievement in esports is not an easy task. It does require hard work and dedication. And, here are five ways to kick off an esports career.
Being a Shoutcaster
Some people say shoutcasting is an art form, so like any other art, it’s subjective. No pre-requisite studies are strictly necessary, which means no degree requirement. Meanwhile, becoming shoutcasters gives people a chance to learn public speaking skills and improve gaming skills by watching professional players. To start streaming, casters only need two pieces of equipment: a high-quality mic and a pop filter.
There are two main types of shoutcasters, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. A play-by-play commentator is the guy who describes what currently happens, emphasizes the key moments, and hypes things up. He usually brings excitement to the audiences, but sometimes overhypes the situation or makes inappropriate comments. The other type is colour commentator, who uses more analytical skills to provide expertise with information and explain the move. In contrast to a play-by-play commentator, he is very down to the earth, despite making the game less interesting, and even boring sometimes.
Advice from experienced shoutcasters is to start with Broadcast.gg, finding a co-caster, and casting scrims first.
Being a Tournament Streamer
There are actually some overlaps between streaming and shoutcasting job. However, big and professional tournaments always split them up, allocating the tasks to different people.
In a more technical way, streamers are in need of high-end computers and high-quality internet connections. A second screen is also required if they want their stream smooth as possible. Streamers' work during the match is to control the camera, pay close attention to the HUD and ensure all interesting things recorded well.
Just like shoutcasting job, Broadcast.gg will be a suitable start for beginners. However, Open Broadcasting Software is primarily necessary for a professional career because it matches one of the industry standards.
Joining in the games as a Match Host/Observer
Becoming a match observer means being in charge of organizing jobs. An observer controls in-game situations, such as pauses or map changes. Further, they are responsible for arranging the players, setting up the server, and sometimes working with production teams.
An observer controls in-game situations
Breaking into this career, one of the challenges is to stay engaged in the game for such a long time like a continuous 10 hour period. Even so, it’s still a great job, because a match observer has the opportunity to work with both talents and event producers.
It is absolutely harder to take on the role of an observer compared with the two jobs above. People need to have a deep understanding of the game, besides some particular skills depending on each company’s requirements. Fortunately, demands for professional match host/observer are available every day.
Working as a recorder
High-quality tournaments in esports always keep recorders as a back-up solution. Just as streamers, they record what happened during the game with the spectator camera. In case the stream goes wrong, or something is not clear enough, viewers still have a VOD of the game to follow on the tournament’s Youtube channel.
Demand for this position may not be significant. However, it seems like the easiest way to break into an esports career. It requires recorders just a video recording software, along with a stable internet connection to do the job.
Being an esports Journalist
With people more into writing than speaking, journal jobs will be a great starting point. Sports league always needs the press to reach more audience or support marketing activities. Further, writing articles does wonders for a person’s future growth in esports, providing people with deep industry insights and chances to expand their knowledge. In addition to that, journalists have opportunities to learn about valuable SEO/marketing skills.
This type of job gets a decently high demand. Many websites focusing on esports now want to hire more writers. Plus, people can try on writing video content if they prefer something more interesting or related to videography.
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