Esports game is an official sport, and today it attracts more and more spectators and players. This is evidenced by the data of the latest Nielsen Sports study, according to which the esports audience in Russia is more than 15 million people with an annual increase of 28 percent.
An illustrative example is the growth in the number of participants in tournaments of the Russian Computer Sports Federation. For example, in December, the esports School League ended, with more than 5,000 schoolchildren from different parts of the country taking part in the competition. In February, the fifth season of the Student League started, and this year the number of participants exceeded last year’s figure when more than 6,500 students from 43 regions of the country took part in the competition.
It is also important to understand that esports is not only for athletes. The industry involves a huge number of specialists of various profiles: coaches, judges, commentators, managers, designers, lawyers, and many others. Now there are more and more programs and retraining courses for people from various professions for the specifics of eSports.
As a Federation, we see great potential in such educational programs, and therefore we cooperate with many Russian universities. In particular, together with the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, we launched the career and business in eSports advanced training program, which is aimed at training professional personnel.
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Cost
The price of the game is one of the fundamental factors in choosing a gaming site. Although many publishers provide free models, some games do include paid add-ons. These are so-called cosmetic items that do not have any significant impact on the game process.
Equipment will also require some financial investments. First of all, this is a powerful video card, although for some games the graphics component is secondary. In addition, peripheral devices such as a gaming mouse and headset play an important role.
The financial component is also significant if an esports player decides that his skills are enough to participate in a LAN tournament. At the initial stage, gamers often do not have sponsors, and all expenses fall solely on the player. Meanwhile, among the advantages of participating in such tournaments is the opportunity to “light up” and find an organization that will bear the costs.
All these expenses prove that eSports is quite an expensive hobby, and this should be taken into account when choosing a discipline.
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Demand
Esports is an international industry. And, judging by the dynamics of development, it is very promising. The funds that sponsors are willing to invest are estimated at fabulous amounts. The greatest interest of both the public and the media is the transfer of players – the transfer of athletes from one team to another, accompanied by the conclusion of an employment contract for a certain period. In general, the transfer is one of the key opportunities for making business transactions and making a profit in eSports. So, for example, according to February 2021, the transfer fee of Ukrainian gamer Oleksandr s1mple Kostylev from Natus Vincere esports organization is estimated at $4.45 million.
Such colossal amounts speak of the demand for professional gamers among computer clubs around the world.
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Salary Level
One of the main reasons that motivate athletes to pursue a professional career in the world of virtual games is the opportunity to profit from their hobby. The path of beginners often begins with amateur tournaments. If a player successfully proves himself on them, it becomes possible to get into the club for a trial period. For example, the famous Na’Vi CS:GO player Kirill Boombi4 Mikhailov, who at the initial stage earned $500 a month. After moving to a top club, his fees rose to $5,000.
A sportsman’s income is not only the prize pools of tournaments. Although these amounts are significant in case of victory. From 10 to 40% can be taken by the organization, and the rest of the prize money is divided between the players. The main income, despite the results of tournaments, the gamer receives by concluding a contract with the club. Such contracts stipulate the conditions, the termination clause, the terms of cooperation, and a fixed monthly salary. Therefore, the funds won at the tournament are rather a pleasant bonus, which can be several times higher than the salary.
Among the majority of athletes, the method of earning money on streams is popular – online broadcasts of the game. Such streaming video, accompanied by gamer’s comments and musical selections, collects a huge number of viewers. The main reasons for the interest are that professional esports players go through the game much faster and are pleasant to listen to.
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Career
In matters of building a career in eSports, there is a myth about the transience of the professional activity of players. Many mistakenly believe that the path in this industry stops at 30 years old. Of course, it is rare to see players of this age on the big stage, but this does not mean that they stop working in eSports. Most often, former athletes are retrained as analysts, commentators, streamers, and coaches, and predict results in bookmakers.
It should be borne in mind that it is quite difficult to break into the narrow circle of the best virtual reality athletes. And money does not fall from the sky, even if the fan spends all his free time on games. As in any other sport, there is a hierarchy here – from world-famous teams earning hundreds of thousands of dollars or more, to teams with mediocre skill levels that receive a few hundred dollars.
Prospects For The Future
The very fact that esports has been an official sport in Russia for 20 years, and the players enter into official contracts and agreements, speaks of the prospects of the direction. Esportsmen receive rewards of hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the prize pools of tournaments are only growing.
The direction of the huge leaps that the virtual gaming industry is taking cannot be accurately predicted – business models are changing, new disciplines are emerging, and games are improving. But in any case, the investments that are being made in this direction allow us to judge eSports as a fairly demanded niche, the popularity of which is only gaining momentum.
Popular Questions And Answers
Answered by Dmitry Vyacheslavovich Smith, President of the Russian Computer Sports Federation
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How Much Does An Esportsman Earn?
If we talk about professional players of the most popular teams in Russia and the CIS, for example, Virtus.pro or Natus Vincere, then their income (salary plus prize money for winning tournaments) can reach tens of thousands of dollars a month.
At the same time, the prize pools of large tournaments usually reach several hundred thousand dollars, not to mention The International for Dota 2, where more than $40 million is raffled off. It all depends on the results: the more you win, the more you earn.
The FCS of Russia is building a career ladder for esports players: we hold mass competitions and already at this stage we give the opportunity not only to show results and be noticed by sports clubs but also to win money. For example, the prize fund of the Student League in 2021 will amount to 2.5 million rubles.
There are many examples of how this ladder is already working, and athletes participating in competitions get to a higher level. For example, the winner of the Russian eSports Cup 2019, the Gentlemen team, began to play for the Unique eSports organization.
If we talk about earnings among other professionals in the eSports industry (from judges to team managers), then we see a positive trend. Salaries in esports are at the market level. The bottom line is simple: in order to make good money, you need to train, study, and become a qualified specialist.
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What Does It Take To Become An Esportsman?
One of the distinguishing features of esports from traditional sports is the low entry threshold. However, it is important to separate gaming and eSports. For fans of computer games are entertainment, they have a rest, communicate with friends, and spend their free time. This is a common hobby at the level of bowling and paintball.
Esports, in turn, is a full-fledged sport. Anyone who wants to devote himself to this profession should be aware that in order to achieve success, long exhausting work and a clear organization are needed: a training and rest plan, daily routine, physical activity, work with a psychologist, a built-in nutrition system and many other aspects that are inherent in traditional sports.
Novice athletes will need a gaming computer with slightly above average performance, for most of the most popular computer games in Russia, this will be enough. Higher-class athletes will need a top-end PC or smartphone for mobile gaming, but as a rule, the income of professionals fully covers these costs. Also, everything necessary for a comfortable game is provided by eSports clubs, for which the players play.
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How Can An Esportsman Become Popular?
As in any sport – to demonstrate good results. Since one of the key advantages of e-sports is entertainment, athletes are valued for a beautiful game.
It is important to keep in good physical shape, as well as communicate with the outside world: subscribers in social networks, journalists, representatives of the professional community