Career Paths

heading anchor introductionIntroduction

Every year, hundreds of new job opportunities are created in Esports and affiliated fields of work. Bachelor degrees in Esports management have become a common occurrence and the demand for qualified staff is high. The market is ready, but are you ready for the market?

This guide will highlight everything you need to know about the Esports market, ways to get into the Esports market and a checklist to find out if you got what it takes!

heading anchor the-current-state-of-the-marketThe Current State of the Market

Esports is big. In fact, it’s a billion dollar industry. It was valued at 1.39 Billion USD in 2022 with an expected annual growth rate of 8.21%. That makes it one of the highest valued sectors in entertainment.

Whilst part of this value is created by the companies that work in Esports, such as game companies e.g. Riot Games and equipment manufacturers e.g. Razer, more and more money is invested by non-endemic companies, changing the Esports landscape and job opportunities drastically. Suddenly, companies unaffiliated with Esports like Shopify or Capgemini open branches for Esports and are surprisingly successful. And they are willing to pay plenty of money to people like you and me, who know about Esports and can help them make informed decisions. Great!

On the other hand one has to look the truth in the eye. Players, coaches and buying spots in franchised based leagues are expensive. A team might be super successful but not necessarily profitable because - how should they? Unlike football, the scene isn’t mainstream enough for just any big company and the state to invest money. The result? After tanking losses for too long without seeing profit, big investors pull out, leaving organizations without proper funding. Some organizations like DSG can work through it. They develop a strong fanbase, sell merchandise or produce social media content. Even orgs like The Guard, sister team of the LA Gladiators fired a multitude of their staff, presumably to keep the ball rolling.

You now know the glamorous but tough perspectives of the top 1%. Where most people start and also stop are less famous organizations, oftentimes T2, T3. Let’s take a general look at the job opportunities with those in mind, shall we?

heading anchor career-paths-in-esportsCareer Paths in Esports.

heading anchor the-playerThe Player.

Players are the ones on the stage. The athletes and those everything is built around. A day in the life of a player is, well, game-centered and focused around
A: Improving their performance
B: Being a face of their team and
C: Producing content.
They play their way up the ranks and are scouted into T2 / T1. A solid presence on social media is very important to show scouts you have a personality they can build content around.

heading anchor the-coachThe Coach.

Coaches are part of the staff working directly with the players. Their job is to ensure players are practicing and improving as efficiently as possible, by suggesting training routines, giving tips and tricks and regular feedback. Especially in higher tiers they also direct the gameplay by setting strategies and gameplans and trying them out in scrims. Whilst uncommon, some coaches work their way up together with an org, whilst swapping out players that seem to halt the team's progress. More commonly, orgs swap coaching staff whilst holding on to the majority of the roster, meaning successful coaches will want to build a portfolio with as many successful and famous teams as they can. 

heading anchor the-analystThe Analyst.

Analysts are also one of the staff working directly with the players. They mainly look at numbers and correlations to figure out performance increases that can only be deduced by looking at several hundreds of maps, playable characters, players and strategies overlayed. They then work closely with the coach(es) to figure out how to implement the newly gained information. Since analysts don’t need mechanical skill but just game knowledge, the entrance barrier is low - if you can get a spot. Most teams don’t need analysts as they’re best at spotting the hidden and most teams still struggle with the obvious.

heading anchor the-managerThe Manager.

Managers usually don’t have a lot of interaction with players as they’re bound in with planning and organizing so everyone else can be as efficient with their own duties. Their main job consists of scheduling scrims, coaching and keeping track of important events. Sometimes they’re expected to organize substitute players or manage staffing needs. Whilst at lower tiers basically anyone can do this, it will need someone with prior experience and skill to do this at higher tiers. Bigger orgs look for prior jobs in management or at least a degree in a similar field of work.

heading anchor the-healer-kindaThe Healer (kinda).

Health staff work with players to ensure they’re fit both physically and mentally. This can range from massages over health checkups to personal training. Any sports physician or psychologist is well equipped for Esports but will need adaptation.

heading anchor the-casterThe Caster.

Casters don’t work with teams at all. Instead, they narrate the game in livestreams in an exciting way, going over key moments and explaining the dynamics of the game. They’re either bound to a production company that manages the tournament or booked by said companies for a certain tournament. A good talker that keeps up with the game and has some in-depth knowledge is generally a good fit for this position.

heading anchor the-scoutThe Scout.

Whilst this may sound like a TF2 reference, qualified personnel to spot talent is an invaluable asset. Knowing which player has potential and which one doesn’t at first glance can save an organization thousands of dollars - a sum that is a make or break in times where money’s short. Whilst they are bound to orgs in some cases, more often than not they act as a freelancer that can give their opinion on the current player market. Similarly, you don’t need many qualifications, a portfolio or anything as a freelance scout. By making good recommendations, you’ll become a known name, which leads to more clients in the long run.

heading anchor the-consultantThe Consultant.

This is us. But in all seriousness, anyone can be a consultant to anybody. Whilst scouts are a specialized version of consultants, there are business consultants specializing in hiring needs or marketing agencies specializing in, well, Esports marketing. Whether you can be a standalone consultant or need to go to uni, get hired and then specialize in esports is a career path way too complex to highlight here.

heading anchor the-associatedThe Associated.

There are hundreds if not thousands of jobs that interact with Esports in some way or another. Whilst most Esports-based companies won’t see someone working on an Esports project as someone truly having Esports experience, more often than not people will respect the enthusiasm and interest you bring forth and consider hiring you for a position you’re most likely to be qualified in. Career wise this is a big jump, especially when it comes to salaries and working hours. Can you imagine giving up your nine to five to work in esports?

heading anchor are-you-made-to-work-in-esportsAre you made to work in Esports?

Let’s be frank - Esports is exhausting. It’s a special form of sports and if you’re not suited to be a football trainer, you won’t be suited to be an Esports coach.

Just give our quick-start checklist a rundown and figure it out yourself!

heading anchor general-traitsGeneral Traits:

• Adaptability towards new staff, new players and new people in general.
• Time flexibility and 24/7 contactability.
• Being able to take feedback (and work with it).
• Being fair and wanting to resolve issues on equal footing.
• Being able to work with high energy whilst having mediocre payment.

heading anchor role-specific-traitsRole Specific Traits:

Players, Coaches, Analysts

• In-depth game understanding
• Efficient communication skills
• Being a creative and sharp minded

Caster

• BEING LOUD AND FUNNY
• Basic knowledge of the dynamics in the scene of the game you’re casting

heading anchor la-finLa Fin

And that’s the round-up for this guide. We‘ll go much more in-depth with certain jobs and some analyses of certain orgs in other guides, which will help you build on top of the foundation you (hopefully) have built in this guide!