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Do YOU really have what it takes?
 

Be Advised: BEFORE YOU READ THIS BLOG PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT PARENTAL GUIDANCE IS RECOMMENDED, AND THE AUTHOR OF THIS BLOG MAY BE MENTALLY UNSTABLE.

[10/30/2011 3:29:30 PM] iaguz guzson: Azz you're a ******* moron. You wasted 50 dollars and got raped. There's nothing you can take from this except a lesson of your own stupidity

Just a precaution, that everything you read may be a waste of your time.

At least once a day/7days a week on multiple Esport-Websites, Blogs & Chat Channels, you see a new thread or post of an aspiring gamer who has decided to go Pro, and congratulations to them, I just hope they really know what they are getting themselves into!

It’s a question that's been coming up more and more over the last few years due to the success of Starcraft 1 & 2 respectively and general gaming globalization. By solely being able to support yourself, win large cash prizes, the fame, exposure on the international level & sheer enjoyment of gaming, its easy to see why many up and coming players are choosing to go PRO or strongly consider the possibility. However, you have to wonder if people who pursue professional status, really know what they're getting themselves into and whether they understand how tough & difficult it may be. In many different areas of life, the main reason as to whether you succeed or fail in your endeavors can solely depend on your mindset and inner strength. Do you have the capacity & attitude within the right environment to succeed? In other words;

Do YOU really have what it takes?

Unfortunately in most cases the answer is No.

ESPORTS as we call it has impacted and influenced many lives in the form of entertainment value and interest groups, so far so that more recently people have started to wonder about the comparison between real sports and esports. Everyday we are moving towards something special, something new and perhaps are glimpsing new horizons and possibilities in sports of the future. We are making history, but this does not mean that you will be apart of those defining moments in time to come.

Some questions you have to ask yourself:
So what does it take to be apart of this history or industry?
What level of success are you aiming for?
What defines a 'Pro-Gamer?'
Who is a 'Pro-Gamer'
How do we measure success & why people may or may not succeed

Being a professional player is defined as by Yoonyojun, a famous SEA Terran & SC2SEA Coach as:
[10/30/2011 3:35:42 PM] Yojun Yoon: defined by money
[10/30/2011 3:35:45 PM] Yojun Yoon: and then winning

Another opinion of the SC2SEA Team in regards to professional player definition:
[10/30/2011 3:36:09 PM] Freddy Chi: by going PRO, i think you gotta at least make enough to support yourself.

Each and every one of us has our own definition of PRO or professional status, but with that in mind, how low are you willing to go? Playing games for a living sounds like a dream come true in many instances, in fact it is and is being done by thousands of individuals worldwide. Successful people making a lifestyle and living through gaming using different models include:

-Destiny aka Steven Bonnell. (The Brand Developer)
Destiny began as a player whos ability and skill placed him in the upper quadrant of most gamers, but certaintly not in the highest tiers of gaming. His adventure in esports as many of you know, ended up giving him up to 12k concurrent viewers at peak times during the day via streaming service JustinTv.
So is Destiny, a professional player by our standards? Perhaps. He has achieved:

- High Monthly Income
- Professional Team Status
- Tournament Invitations.

When you watch Destiny play, you get more value through the entertainment aspects of his play and personality, and he continues to build upon networking and building relationships with people. In this aspect, he has succeeded as an entrepreneurial gamer, but are his results 'Pro-Gamer Esk'? perhaps, and perhaps not. By Freddi Chi's standards, the answer is clearly Yes, by YoonYoJun's standards, the answer is No.

Naniwa aka Johan Lucchesi, (The Tournament Winner)
Naniwa began his gaming journey in the Blizzard RTS Warcraft 3. Unlike Destiny, Naniwa has taken the opposite approach of brand appeal and social networking, and has developed his gaming journey from achieving multiple tournament title wins & cashing in many prize structured events. Additionally, his main for of contributions come in the form of salary. Some of you may also be aware, that within the lifespan of Starcraft 2, Naniwa was kicked out of his team due to poor behaviour and bad publicity, but did this stop him? No. Naniwa has achieved:

- High Tournament Results
- Professional Team Status
- Tournament Invitations
- High Salary
- Global Brand Penetration (but not necessarily a positive brand image)

So when we compare players like Destiny and Naniwa, we can clearly see that 2 different models have both generated and allowed the 'lifestyle' of the professional gamer. Its therefore important that we realise there is more than one set way to reach Pro-Gamer status, and that the opinion as to 'Who Really is a Professional' is subjective to personal opinion.

If you ARE going pro, please consider these queries:
- There are over 1000 streams on teamliquid.net, are you in that top 5% who can make a monthly income?
- Is your brand strong enough to receive tournament invitationals?
- Are you supported by a professional Organisation?
- Are you cashing in competitive tournaments?

The more you can say YES to the above, the better position you will be in realising your dream or goals.

So no you do not have to be OGS-MC or EG-Idra to be considered a professional gamer, but just what are your standards, how are you going to reach these goals and will you be satisfied once you arrive there?I hope its through lots of hard work and realistic goals. If you are pursuing the path of the professional, seek advice from those whom are already successful or those whom are where you want to be yourself, these people will save you time, effort and potentially present opportunities for you to develop yourself at a faster rate than what may have been possible alone.

I personally hope that whoever you are and whatever happens, that you do have what it takes, especially if you are from the SEA community, as it’s always a pleasure to see people you know or support realize their dreams and passion.

Azz.