JOBS IN ESPORTS: HOW TO START AN ESPORTS CAREER
These days, many more young people are dreaming of working in esports in some capacity. If they can’t make it as a competitor, they’re eager to explore other esports career pathways – and there are plenty of them. Under the surface of the most visible areas of the industry, there are thousands of jobs in esports, but not all of them are easily identifiable. If you’ve spent time wondering how to get a job in esports, this comprehensive guide is exactly what you need.
In this breakdown, we’re detailing how to start a career in esports, regardless of the angle you’re focusing on. There are tens of thousands of esports jobs worldwide, and over time, they’re being made up of an increasingly diverse array of opportunities. Read on for a one-shot guide to securing these jobs in esports.
HOW TO START AN ESPORTS CAREER
At first blush, it might seem as though the only ready available job opportunities in esports are focused on being a competitive player of some kind. That’s because the players make up the most visible portion of the esports industry, but it’s like an iceberg: the vast majority of the jobs in esports are hidden under the surface. With that in mind, working in esports and building a career in the industry requires following the same steps as you’d take along any other, more traditional career pathways.
That means that there are a few things you can do to kickstart an esports career:
- Figure out what you need education-wise, such as identifying the benefits of esports degrees
- Start networking on social media (mostly LinkedIn) with existing personalities in the esports space
- Build your resumé and don’t be afraid to start at the very bottom, potentially picking up unpaid work to gain experience
- Identify your strengths and lean into them. Are you a great video editor? Do you have a knack for PR and marketing?
- Be ready to pitch and roll with the ever-changing trends of careers in the esports industry
Typically, most esports professionals today got there through hard work and persistence, carving out a name for themselves in a developing industry. But now, there are esports degrees, educational pathways, internships, and much more, all designed to help you start an esports career. It’s ideal to be able to identify the benefits of esports, fully recognise the value of the industry and be resolute in your decision to get into it.
WHAT JOBS ARE THERE IN ESPORTS?
There are hundreds of different esports career paths you could unlock, and over time, the opportunities are growing. If you’ve been wondering how to start an esports career, it typically begins with identifying the kind of role you want in the industry. As mentioned, there are plenty of jobs in esports, but if you’re not sure of where you want to fit in, you’ll be starting on the wrong foot. With that being said, here are some of the top esports jobs on the market right now.
JOURNALISM
Esports journalists are everywhere these days, and they’re the folks who bring you the latest news, interviews, and reports from the wider industry. As an esports journalist, you’ll be responsible for attending events, pitching stories, and conveying opinions and statistics in the form of well-written reports and articles online. These days, you can be a print journalist, a digital writer, or a video or photojournalist.
We’ve got a handy guide that will teach you how to become an esports journalist.
PR AND MARKETING
PR and Marketing make up a vast portion of the esports careers out there, given that the industry is still developing and needs to reach an increasingly wider audience all the time. If you decide to get into esports as a career and opt to work in PR or Marketing, you’ll be focused on liaising with the biggest names in the business, setting up brand deals, sponsorships, media opportunities, and promoting organisations or individuals.
EVENT ORGANISER
If you’re an event organiser, you’re responsible for setting up and managing the best esports tournaments in the world. These days, esports events can be worth tens of millions of dollars, boasting monumental audiences and venues that would typically be home to the world’s biggest sports. When it comes to jobs in esports, few roles are more important than event organisers, given how much of an impact they have on the profile of the industry at large.
PLAYER DEVELOPMENT
If you’re wondering how to get into the esports industry and consider yourself a keen psychologist or a physical therapist, there’s a place for you at the top esports organisations in the business. Every esports team needs a development staff on hand to help them evolve and better themselves, and this is where many job opportunities in esports exist. If you follow this path, you could be a dietician, a strategist, a personal trainer, or a mental resilience coach – the possibilities are endless.
CASTER
Every tournament needs a caster – or several if the event is big enough. As a caster, you’ll be responsible for relaying play-by-play information or key statistics regarding a match as it unfolds. It’s akin to being a sports commentator, which is an age-old career path, but in esports, there are a few different roles to fill in this category. For instance, you could be a desk analyst, a ‘shoutcaster’, or a play-by-play commentator.
COMMUNITY MANAGER
Most young people trying to lock down an esports career with start with something like community management. As a community manager, you’ll be responsible for overseeing the development and maintenance of social media profiles and channels for a particular brand or organisation. This will include pulling in a bigger audience, responding to queries and concerns, and drawing up social media campaigns to boost the profile of your company.
SALES AND PARTNERSHIPS
The esports industry is becoming increasingly valuable over time, and that means that there are plenty of jobs in esports related to sales and partnerships. These prestigious roles will typically see you chase and close deals that support the financial foundations of an entire industry. You’ll be responsible for locking in partnerships and sponsorship deals that can endlessly boost the profile of a brand.
If you want to start your own esports business, there are a few things you’ll need to consider.
AGENT
If you’re more of a people person, you might consider being an esports agent. This is one of the most exclusive careers in the esports industry as there are ‘only so many’ esports professionals out there, and when they reach a certain level, they’ll be scooped up by an agent. Regardless, being a low-tier agent is one of the best ways to get into esports as a career, as it can help you get an understanding of how the beating heart of the esports industry works.
Elsewhere, you could work in legal as an esports-focused lawyer, a member of a production team or a broadcasting unit, or you could be an organisation owner. If those roles don’t interest you, how about becoming a content creator or a video editor, or working as a human resources rep for a big organisation? There are endless job opportunities in esports if you know where to look.
DOES WORKING IN ESPORTS PAY WELL?
There are plenty of jobs in esports, but like in any vertical, there’s a sliding salary scale that ebbs and flows depending on the job you want to do. For instance, you won’t earn as much as a community manager as you would if you were a sales executive for a big esports organisation. There are ways you can earn more with a career in esports, and they’re typically the same methods you’d use to climb a corporate ladder anywhere else in the world.
For instance, consider studying esports on a professional, regulated level, picking up an esports degree or some other kind of qualification.
It’s not all that difficult to make money from esports, but the bulk of the earnings will go to the players who are out there winning tournaments and standing as the face of a brand. As a professional competitor, you’ll be able to diversify your revenue streams, picking up secondary income in the form of a content creation side gig or through sponsorships that have affiliate clauses attached to them. Of course, it’s quite tough to become a professional gamer, and the market is fairly saturated at all times.
IS ESPORTS A GOOD CAREER?
Ultimately, landing one of the many jobs in esports might seem like an exciting prospect, but it’s not without its dangers. At all times, the esports industry is developing, and that can mean that it’s regarded as volatile. Many companies rely on investments from third parties and merchandise sales to stay afloat, which can be tricky at best. If you’re a sales executive, you’ll be responsible for upholding the future of an organisation, and you might have hundreds of jobs resting on your shoulders.
With that being said, starting in esports as a career is somewhat exhilarating. This dynamic, evolving business is fast becoming a solid competitor to the traditional sports industry. There’s a huge amount of money tied up in the esports industry, and currently, fewer people are chasing these jobs in esports than in other, traditional markets – which means fewer competitors for you as an applicant.
There are plenty of job opportunities in esports, it just depends on what your focus is and where you want to go in life.