“The truth is, eSports takes dedication, strategy, and even some physical strength or you’ll be too slow,” said Drake Drendel (‘25). 

In today’s modern society, it is impossible to not feel overwhelmed or stressed by everyday pressures. This is constantly forcing many teenagers to find their own escape from their day-to-day lives. Many choose to go out and socialize with friends on weekends, and some choose to walk up and down the mall shopping all day. But for many, sitting down on their device of choice and playing video games with friends is all they need to help relax from a stressful week. 

With 97% of the current teenage population having played a video game sometime in their lives, electronic activity has forever changed the world, starting with the release of Tennis for Two in 1958. Video games have left a deep imprint on our society and after years of bashing, they can now keep you free from a nine-to-five job before entering college.  

Now, if it was possible to give a step-by-step on how to win your first video game tournament and end up with an easy $50,000 in your bank account, everyone would have done so by now. But here is the truth: if you are attempting to become a professional in a video game that has already been dominated, that is your first mistake.  

The quickest way to make it into the professional leagues in eSports is by being one of the “OG’s” as Drake shared with us. This means that you have to put the time in and not become stuck on an individual game if you see you have little to no progress. Fortunately for Drake, he was one of the original players when Fortnite was released, allowing him to grow his skills at a similar pace to other players.  

At this point, you understand that you must be different and try out all different styles of games. Whether in a first-person shooter or an open world game, you not only learn quickly which games you have a natural skill for but find a fun free time activity. So, you know your game now and are ready to become a pro. What next? 

Dedication and practice are inherent aspects for professionals who earn a living through their passions. Initially, it might seem trivial, given that it’s just a “game,” but the key distinction between an average player and someone who makes a living through competitive play lies in their consistent training. Many of these athletes spend their time off the game using aim-training websites, strengthening reflex times, and staying in the gym to keep their brains and bodies sharp.  

At the end of the day, if you think you can turn on your Xbox or PS4, load it into a tournament game, and win some money on your weekends, you are most likely overestimating your ability. To make it to that level of skill, it not only takes hours of time and dedication, but more importantly, originality. The true skill all professional gamers poses is being able to break a game down to its mechanics, allowing them to be two steps ahead of the next button you are about to press on the controller.