CEVO Executive Board Blog

Charlie Plitt is the CEO and founder of CyberEvolution, the premier professional league for on-line gaming competitions.

For years I have been asked what it takes to become a professional gamer and I have heard thousands of opinions of what being professional means, but at the end of all the questions and talking are we any closer to answering the question?

Here is my answer to the question “what does it take to be a professional gamer”. First we must understand what it means to be professional. Professionals are often considered self-regulating, in that they control the training and evaluation processes that admit new persons to the field, and whether the skills and work ethics are up to their professional standard. Likewise to be a professional means that one is providing or performing a service in exchange for payment or salary in accordance with established protocols for licensing, ethics, procedures, standards of service and training / certification. Therefore it would be appropriate to state that a ‘true’ professional must be proficient in all criteria for the field of work they are practicing, accepted by their peers, and have a high standard of professional ethics, behavior and work ethics and activities while carrying out one’s profession.

Now that we have a literal understanding of what it means to be professional, how does one achieve the lofty title of being considered a professional gamer? It starts within. You must really want to be a professional gamer, and once you have set your mind to the task one must then dedicate themselves to the craft. It starts with practice, and spending countless hours perfecting all aspects of the craft. The difference between being a professional and an amateur is often determined in milliseconds in the gaming world. You must also remember that there is always room for improvement, the moment that you become content with your level of skill there will be someone who comes along to challenge your position.

Practicing Perfect

We have all heard the expression “Practice makes perfect”, but I don’t think it is that simple, I believe that perfect practice makes perfect. Perfect practice you say, what is that? Perfect practice is the art of repetition and intensive focus. If you approach practice with a lighthearted or casual spirit you are not forcing your brain to function at its peak performance level and you are not truly involved in the experience with ultimately leads to mistakes later down the road. So to practice perfect is to never lose focus and remain discipline, making the game become part of you, repetition no matter how monotonous, embracing the ideology that to be a professional is to practice perfect.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

In ones quest to become a professional, it is important to remember that you are judged based on your skill level and dedication to the craft. No one wants your opinion, no one wants to see a lack of sportsmanship, and more importantly no one wants to wait for you! Being professional is more than just being one of the best in your craft as we discovered above. Being professional is to embrace sportsmanship, respect for your fellow man, and an understanding and respect for the organizations that you participate in. Not to steal a line from former President John F. Kennedy, but remember to ask not what gaming can do for you, but what you can do for gaming. What I mean is that professional gamers are beacons in the community and with that said need to act accordingly and always dedicate themselves back to the game and community.

“If you are given a chance to be a role model, I think you should always take it because you can influence a person’s life in a positive light, and that’s what I want to do. That’s what it’s all about.” - Tiger Woods

Teamwork is Essential

When you finally have achieved a personal skill level that you feel is adroit enough to play competitively the next step is finding a team. Not always the easiest task, but once you have formed that band of marry men or women the challenges begin again as forming a team is the beginning, keeping that team together and focused on practicing perfect is the challenge and if you want to become a professional you must now rely on not only your abilities but the abilities of your teammates.

“Great teamwork is the only way we create the breakthroughs that define our careers.” – Pat Riley

Communication is Key

In all of our relationships, whether intimate or business, communication is the key to keeping the relationship moving in the right direction. When relating to gaming it is important to make sure you can always understand what your teammates are saying and that they can understand you. It is vital to have “perfect team practices” that focus on precise communications, and to avoid chatter and miscommunications as this prohibits your teammates from hearing and focusing on the opposition.

“Do not say a little in many words, but say a great deal in a few” - Pythagoras

The Strategy of it All

As important as it is to have good personal techniques and skill, having a coherent game plan is crucial to winning and raising your teams’ perceived value and ability to be considered professional. It is important to know your opponent, study game demos, look for trends and tells, while this does not seem perhaps important, when game time comes around it may be the difference in winning that crucial round that teeters the match outcome in your favor!

It is also important as a team to “practice perfect” team movements along with focused and timed attach and defensive strategies. Proper preparation prevents piss poor performance!
“Thus, what is of supreme importance in war is to attack the
enemy’s strategy.” – Sun Tzu

Exposure and Perseverance is King

Even after all the hours of dedication to the craft only 1% of all teams make it to the professional rank, and along the way team exposure is key! Make sure that you and your team always broadcast your matches (HLTV etc..), and whenever possible try to line up shoutcasting coverage. It is amazing how much faster teams that work on their public image and make themselves available to the public move up in the professional ranks. There are a lot of good teams in the world, and you need to separate yourself from the rest of the pack! If there is one lesson to be learned by any gamer looking to become a professional it is that hard work, and dedication to the craft always pays off, and if you really want to be a professional you can’t quit before you have achieved your goal or you will never give yourself the opportunity to succeed!

“Without perseverance talent is a barren bed” – Welsh Proverb

Summary

To sum this long and heartfelt response up the equation to becoming a professional gamer is simple; practice perfect, act like a professional, be a team player not an individual player, communicate proficiently, always know your opponent, get public exposure, and never give up!

- Charlie Plitt

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 9th, 2008 at 5:00 am and is filed under Plitt's Corner. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.