Tips for Starting a Professional e-sports Team
A rising new form of sports is e-sports. Here players become professional in a chosen game. Not only are the players getting paid to do wonders on games like League of Legends, like soccer there is a spectator fanbase and online sports betting sites are now offering odds for e-sport fixtures. You should see the full guide for more information.
E-sports is on the Rise
In 2021 e-sports has generated over $1bn USD in revenue market share. By 2024 this is expected to rise to over $1.6bn. As you can see this new form of sport is both massive and in terms of fanbase and investment. This means it is here to stay.
Starting a Pro e-sports Team
If you’re a fan of video games and want to start a team now is the time to do it. E-sports isn’t a fad and it is a sport that is only set to grow. With this in mind let’s take a deep dive into how to start an e-sports team.
Focus on One Game
It is good practice to focus on one game and expand. Adopting this method will allow the team to perfect skills and get to know the game inside out. Be mindful that e-sports is competitive and splitting the team across several games will lessen the competitiveness of the team overall.
Choose a Game
Now you’ve decided to focus on one game you should choose a game that you know well. As a minimum you should know:
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The objectives of the game.
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Game mechanics both basic and advanced.
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Be familiar with relevant characters, rules, and other specific details.
No matter if you’re taking a coaching role or a player role you should have some competency in the game and crucially know how to play it. Gamers like to play with other gamers of a high standard. So the better you know and can play the game, the better players will want to become part of the team.
Geography is Important
As the team will be traveling to competitions it is important that players come from a local area. Like physical sports team camaraderie is important and to establish this you should all meet for training sessions.
When you recruit players recruit them from the same city, town, region, or county.
Start Local
Given the amount of traveling involved for national competitions, it is a good idea to play other local teams. This will reduce costs and you can gain valuable tournament experience, building team confidence along the way.
Team Name, Branding, and Marketing
Like a pro soccer team, your pro e-sports team needs a relevant name, pro branding, and a pro approach to marketing.
If you take a look at the Overwatch League, you’ll see that the team names are based on where they are from such as the Boston Uprising or London Spitfires. You’ll also notice they have a distinct logo and each team has a website with a pro feel giving all the relevant information to fans. This includes match schedules, player profiles, and relevant stats.
If you want to be taken seriously you have to look the part as well as perform in game.
Building Your e-sports Squad
No sports team can survive without players. Like other sports, there are stars in e-sports. As a newcomer, you’re not going to attract the big names but with a little thought, you can recruit locally.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
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Friends – do you have a bunch of friends ready to put in the dedication to get the team off the ground? Great get going.
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Social media – Facebook and Reddit are good places to recruit a team. You can even utilize Facebook Ads targeting locally to find players.
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Network – There are several places where you can network. Amongst friends, one of the squad might know a guy that wants to join. Gaming centers are another good place to put the word out that you’re a new team looking for players.
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Seek Team – This is a dedicated website that puts players in touch with other players.
Once you have a squad hold tryouts and determine exactly which players are going to make the first team.
Hardware
An e-sports team’s hardware is vitally important to the success of the team. You have three options when it comes to ensuring hardware is top notch. There are several options including players provide their own, you use a gaming center, or the team funds hardware costs.
As well as the player hardware it is a good idea to rent a dedicated server for the team. This will reduce lag which can be the difference between winning and losing and it is a great training aid.
E-sports are set to rise in revenue and popularity so now is the time to jump on the e-sports train.