Sports coaching has long been a career goal for many sports enthusiasts. Some dream of sharing their football expertise and molding the next generation of World Cup winners, or being the teacher behind a future Olympic athlete. However, we are now in the digital age, and eSports have quickly become as popular (perhaps even more so) as physical sports. It stands to reason then, that, like any other sport, eSports players also require a coach to help them improve their gaming skills. With eSports competitions becoming more and more popular in this digital age, are we about to see eSports coaching become a new dream career?
What are eSports?
Let’s start by explaining what eSports actually is. To keep it simple, it’s any online multiplayer video game that is played competitively with spectators all around the world. Essentially, eSports means playing video games professionally. While online gaming is nothing new, the phenomenon of eSports games and competitions came about properly in the mid to late 2000s. Soon after, sponsorships from organisations began to pour in, meaning that people were able to make some serious money from becoming eSports champions.
In just a few short years, it’s become a multi-million-dollar industry: in 2017 alone, it made around $696 million in revenue with a worldwide audience of over 385 million people. With eSports now such a lucrative industry, it’s time to start paying attention to what is fast becoming the new face of competitive sports.
Just like any other professional sport, there are eSports champions who are at the top of their game, gaining access to some of the most rewarding competitions and sponsorship deals. Any good champion needs a coach to help point them in the right direction and keep them working to become the best in the game, which is why eSports coaching is now a popular new career emerging from the industry.
The Rise of eSports Coaching
ESports coaches have the job of keeping their player motivated and focused as well as helping them work on their strengths and improve on their weaknesses. No official qualifications are needed to become an eSports coach but an effective one must know the game like the back of their hand; they must be able to offer their expertise to their players and help them to develop their game strategies and teach them certain aspects of the game that they previously would not have known. They also need to know all of the rules. An effective eSports coach must also have the ability and patience required to teach, as well as strong communication skills.
Most eSports gamers will look to become the best at one particular game and, with more and more people aspiring to be the best eSports champion in the game, there are services such as Gamer Sensei, which are offering eSports coaches tailored to whichever game you are looking to play competitively. Adding to the list of firsts, bookmaker Betway recently staged an eSports Challenge with West Ham United and Ninjas in Pyjamas (NiP), marking the first time a football team and an eSports team had worked together. The Challenge saw Hammers players Javier Hernandez and Michail Antonio duke it out in a game of CS:GO after receiving coaching in the game from NiP players GeT_RiGhT and f0rest.
Successful eSports coaches can make a huge amount of money, as evidenced by Team Liquid, who paid their head coach $32,000 per year. However, for most coaches who are just getting started, the chances are you will be working mostly for free or earning as little as $100-$150 per month – so you had better not quit your day job just yet.
The Future of eSports and Coaching
Across the internet, there are popular eSports competitions happening all of the time. Twitch TV is one of the most popular online gaming streaming services around right now, and they often host eSports competitions where thousands of spectators tune in to watch their favourite eSport players at their game. Just like traditional sporting events, fans can even place real bets on which team they think will win an eSports competition. eSports are on the up and up; in fact, the industry is estimated to be worth a whopping $1.5 billion by the year 2020 so it’s safe to say that they aren’t going anywhere in a hurry.
eSports are making enormous strides in the gaming industry, and coaches are becoming increasingly in demand as more players are aspiring to become champions in their game. However, it could take some time for eSports coaching to become a highly paid career, so it is important that anyone who has such aspirations truly loves what they are doing or they simply will not make it. But, if you prove yourself to be a successful and talented coach, you may have a bright future ahead of you in the world of eSports.
