What is esports?
“[Esports is] human competition where the field is an online arena,” says Morgan. “If you think about sports, it’s very broad, right? You have basketball, you’ve got badminton. Esports is exactly the same, but instead of basketball or badminton, it’s different genres of games.”
Video games have been around for decades, but esports differs from regular gaming because of its competitive nature. Essentially, esports involves individuals or teams of gamers competing against each other online. Large sums of prize money are often involved. Some of the biggest esports competitions include world777, Valorant and League of Legends, which Morgan says is currently the world’s biggest esports game.
“I think the key to all of it – to those who are interested in sport business and management and how it relates to esports – it’s really about cross pollination. It’s not sports coming in and knowing all the answers. It’s not colonizing. Esports are doing just fine on their own.”
What qualifications are needed to work in esports?
The qualifications and skills that you need to get a job in esports depend on your career goals. In nearly all positions, you need a relevant bachelor’s degree. Common areas of study include marketing, broadcasting, and business. However, for most jobs in esports, your experience is more important. If applicable to your career path, build up a portfolio. This could include reels of your broadcasting experience or examples of successful marketing campaigns. While it may be difficult to get an internship in the video game industry, an internship in your intended career with a company in any industry can be beneficial.
You might have skills or qualifications that can be applied to the esports industry. You could be an expert in law, sales, finance, media production, video editing etc with a passion and knowledge for the industry that will mean you can apply for jobs in esports today. In such a new industry, years of industry expertise is rare so companies will be hiring people with transferable skills.
Companies in the Esports space are very much like traditional sports organizations in roles that they hire for. These organizations need people with a background in finance, accounting, sales, HR, and the other building blocks of a successful company. However, there are many roles that are less commonly filled in traditional industries.
What are the basic steps to follow to make a career in esports?
A good tip for getting into the esports industry is to identify your core strengths (in this example it was graphic design) and try and build up skills related to it. Then, when you see esports jobs that suit you you’ll either meet the requirements they have or exceed them. Both of those are great outcomes!
Create an online presence. Using social media, live-streaming, and creating content online is essential for a successful career in esports. Gaining followers through the content you have created online is probably the most important part of making a living through esports. If a lot of people are watching your content, many sites will pay you and you might attract sponsors.
When it comes to the eSports career, it pays to know what you’ll be getting into. You can’t barge in and proclaim you’re worthy of being part of the eSports world. You have to find your path towards getting an eSports career. Besides, you\'ll just be labeled a talker by everyone.