Do you see stars like Ninja living the dream? Are you looking for the best experience you can have online? Then you’ve probably considered becoming a professional gamer at one point or another. While it seems easy enough, the truth is that it’ll take time, practice, and the right tools.
Between setting up a custom gaming PC to determining exactly what kind of gamer you want to be, there are some important decisions you need to make before you get started.
Streamer or Competitor?
Nowadays, there are two primary types of pro gamer: streamers and competitors. Streamers film themselves playing, reacting to, and exploring different games. They usually make money through sponsorships and fan donations or subscriptions. Competitors, on the other hand, typically participate in league matches and may even be recruited to a gaming collective. Of course, this depends on the game you’re playing too.
If you’re trying to be a world champion of a Solitaire free game, you may not need a team. Of course, outside of card games like Solitaire, there are plenty of single-player experiences. Commonly, these are fighting games since setting up a tournament and prize pool doesn’t require a great deal of coordination.
The good thing is that you don’t even necessarily need to choose between the two. Many competitive pro gamers also stream from time to time and the inverse applies to a number of streamers as well. Pro gamer Ninja, for instance, is known for his Fortnite skills but also has his own streaming contracts with Microsoft’s service. There are ways to explore all of your gaming interests, no matter where they may lie.
The Right Equipment
If you’re serious about being a pro gamer, you’re going to need a gaming PC that can back you up. A custom computer is typically your best bet. By going custom, you can hand-pick every single component from your GPU to a new card that can handle insane graphics.
If you’re not as familiar with assembling a custom computer, many brands offer a support link to connect you with their technical support team. It’s a good idea to use this support link if you’re running into any issues so your expensive components don’t end up in a waste pile. Using a custom PC builder tool can help you as well, from part selection to pricing.
Beyond that, you’re going to need a robust internet connection if you want to rack up wins, participate in daily challenges and special events, and handle your streams with ease. If you’re unsure of the speeds you’ll need, you can contact your ISP for more information.
You’ll probably also want to purchase a capture card so you can store all your videos with ease. Whether you’re saving clips of play deals or need to do some editing on a video background, a capture card can help you snag the right footage.
Choosing Your Games
Depending on your playstyle, you can either decide to follow some gaming trends or you can forge your own path. For instance, some gamers will stream competitive matches and then switch to casual new releases. Other gamers will pick one particular niche and stick to it. Say, for instance, you want to be a world-class online Solitaire player. You’re a pro at building your tableau, you can work through a deck of cards in no time at all, and you never need the undo button. You’re going to want to find a site like Solitaired that lets you play a game of Solitaire with ease while streaming.
Otherwise, you can browse social media to see what games and streams are trending and try to get in on the action. It just depends on what interests you.
Like many careers, being a pro gamer is really only restricted by your imagination and ambition. You can shake things up however you want as long as you have the right gear. It’s a hard journey but it’s worth the destination.
