If you are looking to kick-start your eSports career and are looking to join an established team, you might need some early, basic help to understand the process. Below is a guide which could go a long way in helping your cause.
Table of Contents
Introduction
One of the ways to kick-start your eSports career is becoming your own eSports streamer where you’ll play a popular game, get competitive, and show the world what you’re capable of while getting sponsors’ attention and making some dough on the side.
While it’s a lucrative option, being an eSports streamer can be a challenge because you have to start way from the bottom and earn your way through independently. It’s like running your own business: it can take a while (and if you want to understand how much do eSports streamers earn, here’s our guide)
But what if there’s a way you can dive right into the eSports career without having to be your own streamer? What if you could show your skills and get paid for it? The answer: joining an established eSports team.
Why Join an Established eSports Team
When it comes down to it, the established eSports team can be your way to fame and fortune because it’s the team that has endured through the competition and become the trusted one. You can think of an established team as the NBA of the eSports world.
To many, these famous teams are seen only as a bunch of gamers who are just nerds. But for the few like you, they’re the skilled, competitive gamers who have had the attention of viewers and sponsors everywhere.
Add to that, and they earn salaries out of it just like a world-famous sports team.
Cool, right?
You become part of an eSports team, you kick down the opposing team, get people to cheer you on, and you’re paid at the end of the day. That’s a dream job, indeed!
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Ways of Joining The Established eSports Team
You’d think becoming part of an established eSports team is as easy as joining a high school club, but you’d be wrong to think that because it’s going to be a tough one. After all, the word “established” should already tell you they won’t take ordinary gamers in.
So how do you go about joining an established eSports team to have the salary for playing games competitively? Here are the ways to go about it:
1. Get in Touch
An excellent way to join an established eSports team is by contacting them and letting them know who you are. You’ll give them an idea of your skills, your contribution, and other things that may come in handy for them as they go along their journey.
It’s best to get in touch with the manager to relay the message to their members and let them know who you are. You can also try getting in touch with one of the members and get a personal meetup.
2. Showcase your Skills
When you’re eager to get the eSports team’s attention, you can go for it and showcase your skills and let them know you’re no talker.
What you’ll do is give them a rundown on how you do things and give them a good idea of what you’re good at.
Good with the frontline battling? Used to being the support healer? Know your way with maps faster than a bullet? Have a knack for seeing opportunities the team hasn’t seen yet? Show those skills and let the team know you can contribute significantly.
A few ways to showcase your skills include making a video recording of the skills you feel they need, streaming live like a streamer, and give a personal demo when you’re able to secure an online meeting with them.
It may not be much, but when you’re giving your desired team the skills in video form and are showing how eager you are, they’ll take notice.
3. Find an Opening
If you’re lucky enough, you might find the established eSports team is already looking for a team member through job openings. This can make things easier for you because it curbs down the steep difficulty to more manageable levels.
But before you get all eager to apply for the job opening, be sure to check on the qualifications they require. It may surprise you that some stuff will be ridiculous, but you’ll find one factor that makes the team who they are.
When you’ve got the requirements, you go for it and strike it out with your CV. You can make it even sweeter by adding some awards and other achievements that will show the team you’re not ordinary at all.
4. Do Well at the Trial Runs
Sure, showing off your skills with videos is nice, but how can they play well with the team you want to join when you haven’t even been in the same room as the members? That’s where the trial runs come in.
It’s a bit tough to get the established eSports team to try them out since it can involve many tweaks and calls, but when done right, it can open opportunities for you and the team.
Doing trial runs will do you all good because it’ll give you a sense of the teamwork and dedication your future teammates already have. Plus, it’ll give you a better view of how things run in the team.
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Non-Gaming Routes to Join an Established eSports Team
It can be a surprise to let you know that gaming isn’t the only way to become part of the established eSports team. You can join the team in non-gaming ways. Yep, your mind is probably going nuts to think that.
But when you’re done with this part, it’ll make you think twice about dissing some of the ways we’ve got laid out here (and you can also dig right into the non-gaming eSports roles to consider as career options here)
1. Becoming a Social Media Manager
The established eSports team gets everyone’s attention online because it’s already shown they have made their place in the world. But wouldn’t you like it if they can be more popular than they are now and make them world-class?
You can do that with your chosen team by becoming the social media manager. It’s where you help out the team get their rep to the max by making Facebook posts, tweeting out their coolness, and do other things on social media that can help them be more famous than ever.
2. Lead the Way as an Analyst
Have a talent for knowing where the team should go? Know the trends that are making other teams successful in their path? Able to see the long-term benefits? Become an analyst. For this job type, you’ll romp your way in helping your desired eSports team ride the trend smoothly.
Being an analyst also means you get to check on what is right and wrong about the team. You can analyze if the team’s reputation is getting people excited and so on.
To put it simply, while the established eSports team sees what is happening right now, you will see what is happening in the future. Put that strength to fair use, and you’ll be able to craft a prosperous future for the team.
3. Become an Assistant
When it comes down to it, the established eSports team have their minds focused on winning a game, so other aspects of their lives may be neglected. Who’s going to help them with their daily coffee? Who can map out the day for them while they practice?
That’s where the assistant comes along. This job type will require you to help out the team behind the scenes. From planning out their day to getting what they need before the fights, being the assistant can be challenging work, but it’ll be rewarding nevertheless.
Also, being an assistant to the eSports team can give you a chance to bond with the members and know more about what makes them tick. It’ll also show you a way to be more supportive of the team’s cause to win.
These are just some of the few ways you can try in joining your desired established eSports team. If you’re curious about other roles that may get you into the team, our solid guide on non-gaming eSports jobs here.
Maintaining Your Stay With an Established eSports Team
Part of the team now? Hurray! Your dreams have finally come true.
But before you go on and tell the world how happy you’re part of the eSports team that’s got rep and dough, you need to make sure you maintain your stay well.
You can’t just waltz in and think that you can do whatever you want. You have to make sure you know your way in being with the team. If you’re nothing but a nuisance to them, you’ll be kicked out faster than you ever thought.
So if you’re wondering what the ways are, here they are:
1. Know the Team Inside Out
Just like how you’d go into a relationship, it pays to know them inside out of the group you’ve just joined: Who are the members, their names, what’s their motivation, how do they do their thing, and so on. You need to be familiar with your team to the top.
It’s also an excellent way to be in sync with the team and its unique style of going about things. Whether you choose to be the gamer or the non-gamer, being comfortable with the team will go a long way to help you.
Once you are familiar with your team, you’ll find yourself being able to strategize uniquely. After all, no teams are alike, so knowing the strengths and weaknesses present in the team you’ve joined will keep you up and running in achieving the goals.
2. Be a Master of Your Chosen Role
As you’ve learned earlier, you can either be the prominent gamer or have a non-gaming job type with the established eSports team. Whichever job type you choose, what matters here is you master it and put the skills you have to good use.
For example, if you’re the team’s gamer, you need to master the role given to you. Are you a supporter? Are you on the frontline? Learn what the group seeks from you and master the goal 100%. In time, your role will help out you and the team in competitive games.
Another example is if you’re the assistant. Yes, it might look like you’re the butler or maid of the team, but when you master your assistant role, you’ll find that it can increase your team’s psyche.
It may not look like much, but as you go on and help them prep for the games, get them the food they need, handle the other aspects of life that they can’t run as they practice, you’ll see that the team will grateful to have you on board.
3. Be Respectfully Transparent
When you’re getting warm and comfortable with the team you’ve joined, be sure to be respectfully transparent. What we mean here is you must share what’s on your mind while being mindful about what you know of the team and its members.
This will help you maintain your stay because you’re not just some member: you’re part of the crew. In a way, you’re able to bond with the members, and it will teach you lessons you never get ordinarily.
4. Lend a Helping Hand in Other Areas
While your role as a game or non-gamer in the team solidifies your responsibilities, it’s not a bad idea to help out in different places when you can.
For example, if you’re the social media manager and a team member needs some help setting up their gaming gear, you can do that if you can.
Or, if you’re the prominent gamer, but some team members need a few lessons on all things social media (and you happen to have a skill on that), then you can lend your skills and help out.
It’ll show your one handy team member who can help out in other areas when needed in the long run.
Final Words
When it comes to joining an established eSports team, it’s essential to know the ways. Whether you’ll take the gaming route or the non-gaming route, being part of an established eSports team will truly soar your career to new heights.
So go out there, find the team you were meant to join, and walk the path towards eSports team glory. You can also read about our overall guide on how to start an eSports career here.