Starting a Career as a Gamer? Read this Guide

Gaming is a beloved pastime of millions of people all over the world, and it isn’t hard to understand its popularity. Video games are an escape from reality that still keeps the player’s mind engaged and active. They let players engage in power fantasies, and they’re a great way to have fun with others, either with casual games with friends or fierce competitions against enemy teams online. Esports has taken the world by storm, and with so many competitions with big cash prizes, you can see how skilled gamers are starting to see video games as a career opportunity.

Of course, eSports isn’t your only way into making video games your career. There are plenty of YouTube channels and live streams that pull in money, and streaming is becoming more lucrative by the day. If you want to turn gaming into your career, here are some things you’ll need to take care of.

Pick your game.

It’s never a good idea to split your focus, and if you’re serious about turning games into a career, then you’ll need to pick a game that you can get incredibly good at. It doesn’t have to be a huge MOBA, like League of Legends, but it is a good idea to select one of the most popular games for streaming, so you can get some viewership on your path to the top.

It’s actually not just about how good you are at the game, either. If you want to become a known entity and have a better chance of being picked up for big events, then you’ll need to participate in the game’s community. This is where streaming, participating in online tournaments, and making your own videos can come in really handy.

Select your gear.

Of course, you can’t become big in the gaming world if you don’t have good gear. If you’re going with PC gaming, then you’ll have a lot of freedom with the components and monitors you want to try out. If you’re going with one of the newest game consoles, like the PS5 or Xbox Series X, you’ll need one of the best TVs for gaming to show it off. You’ll absolutely want a TV that supports HDR for the best brightness and picture quality (fortunately, this really isn’t a big ask these days). It’s also a good idea to get a TV that supports variable refresh rates (VRR), so you can prevent stuttering and input lag during gameplay. These days, serious gamers recommend an OLED TV with HDMI 2.0 that supports 120hz, so you can play games at 120FPS.

A setup like the above certainly won’t come cheap, so it may be something to aspire to in the future. If you can’t afford such a TV, for now, you’ll need to get some practice in on a gaming TV that supports a minimum of 1080p through its HDMI ports, and you’ll likely want HDR10 capabilities to display games the way they were meant to be. You can actually find cheaper TVs with 4K resolution displays these days, too, so just because it’s cheaper doesn’t mean it can’t be the best TV for your current needs.

Protect yourself online.

Since you’ll be building an online presence no matter what game mode you’re playing, it’s a good idea to buff your network security. Some basic firewalls are a must, and if possible, you’ll want to play on servers offering DDoS protection. Big gaming events are often hit by DDoS attacks, and the last thing anyone needs is downtime caused by cyber threats. You might even want to look into taking a specialist course for an internet security specialist.

With even an intro to cybersecurity course, you’ll learn concepts and techniques that can help you stay safe online and deal with security threats as they come. With this knowledge and the right gear, you’ll be set to start building your skills and reputation, so you can become the next big name in gaming.