EPTBetween adminning for the Collegiate Starleague, contributing a few articles to TL, and helping my local StarCraft community at my university and city, it has truly been a memorable yet extremely busy year. To avoid doing a wall of text recap, here are some of the memorable lessons in ESPORTS I've learned from 2011.
Get involved with the LOCAL community, the future of ESPORTS will be from the grassroots
By now, everyone wants to make an impact and contribute to the global and online community, but everyone should really consider attending or helping out at local BarCraft or LAN events. I've had the privilege of assisting in some SoCal ESPORTS events as well as helping out with my local Collegiate Starleague team when I can (i'll do more next year sorry guys T_T). What I've learned is that making the StarCraft community a tangible reality to individuals brings people together, which in itself is one of the most rewarding experiences ever.
You don't need an MLG, IPL, or NASL to be at the doorstep of your town/city (it helps), because there are people probably itching for to meet some fellow nerds irl. On two occasions, I've had people thank me for helping out with the Collegiate Starleague because it gave their college team a purpose to meet up and practice every week. I had never been thanked for "ESPORTS work" before, and it really made my day/week/year that more people are getting involved. Keeping people connected is the key to ESPORTS in 2012.
Following your passion is not what it's cracked up to be
A sobering lesson I learned this year was that following your passion doesn't mean everything will be amazing all the time. People who blog about "becoming a progamer" or "seeking a job in ESPORTS" constantly cite their passion as a big qualification.
What I've come to learn is that having a "passion" for something doesn't just mean liking it. This holds true for both StarCraft and life. Having a passion for something means working on a project, burning yourself out, still finding the motivation to do your best job even if you hate yourself, and then finding the will to do it all over again. It means sometimes living in a perpetual state of exhaustion, questioning your own actions, and still finding the drive to carry on despite little return and recognition. The only reward is a sense of self-satisfaction.
ESPORTS is a vehicle to connect people, and does not feel pain
Semantics aside, the ESPORTS/progaming/playing games competitively/StarCraft community is a vehicle to connect like-minded individuals together. Its an amazing concept and platform for people to get together over a very unique practice that is only possible in our time.
And it cannot feel pain.
Avoid arguments about what is "killing ESPORTS" or "hurting ESPORTS". I've found myself in arguments about how X or Y are "bad for ESPORTS" and absolutely nothing productive has come out of it. ESPORTS is not a person, and its not an entity that is in need of worship. Pursue projects for the sake of building a community instead.
And yes I'm aware that I used the term ESPORTS 20+ times in this post.
Don't get burned out - seriously
One of the more notable messages I've come across in 2011 was from djWheat's life of a caster blog in which he stressed the importance of not burning out. I've always been one to keep myself busy with numerous projects, but it wasn't until recently that I found the value of just taking a break once in a while. To those who are hoping to take on numerous projects in ESPORTS for 2012, I would pass on the same advice. Burning out on something you're passionate about leaves nothing to fall back on, and is horrible for every other aspect of your life.
There's no real way to communicate how awful it is to burn yourself out until you've experienced it for yourself, but just don't do it. Force breaks, and keep yourself grounded in "reality". Getting caught up in ESPORTS can have detrimental real world consequences that aren't worth experiencing, even for your passion.
And finally
Thanks community
To everyone I've interacted with this year through CSL, TL, Reddit, WP, IRC, and at live events, thanks again for making this year unforgettable. No human language can express the magnitude of gratitude I have for everyone I have encountered. Everyone I've come across has helped shaped the person I want to become for 2012 and I hope many more individuals experience an influential impact from the community like I have. Thanks for reading!
