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Pro-gaming a sustainable career? - Page 2

Forum Index > SC2 General
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KeksX
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
Germany3634 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-07-04 14:07:30
July 04 2011 13:58 GMT
#21
You should ask someone that actually is a progamer instead of people that are clearly not there, because all you will get is
"I don't know but it sounds utterly stupid to be a progamer. Yea sure I cheer for them and I watch SC2 24/7 but I still think they are stupid lol, I mean they just play all day long n stuff" or other uneducated stuff.

You won't get good answers if you randomly ask people that aren't involved.
Why should you ask a secretary if it's worthwile writing books? You either get a stupid answer or no answer.
Don't tink that just because you're on teamliquid and watch starcraft all day you know what's behind the curtains, especially moneywise.
Someone like SirScoots or IdrA(for western) or Bisu/Flash(for Koreans) etc could give you a solid answer, but someone like RandomGuyPlayer4201 or KeksX can't.

So I don't get why you would open a thread instead of approaching these people directly.
pedrotrv
Profile Joined August 2010
Brazil117 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-07-04 17:03:35
July 04 2011 14:02 GMT
#22
As tyCe said, it's not a wise career choice. You have to give up so much of your life to be a progamer that you won't have any work experience/formation to go on for the rest of your life with tranquility.

@Greatness
R$ 500,00 is not near good. With this pay you will have to live in a shack, in a bad neighborhood, with no broadband and no practice environment near you. Especially to be a programer, that you have to give ups lots to achieve.

Let's remeber that 99% of the progamer population in the post career won't be employed by sponsor or by the game developers, won't be coaches or will found a team, and must find another means to live. It's just not viable unless you are the best (Flash, Jaedong, rly good Counter Strike players).

Unfortunetly, as trancey said you do it because you are passionate about it, but it is not profitable.

When I was 16 I had the dream of becoming a CS pro. I am sure any teenager that likes SC2 wants to be a pro, but we must face reality.
woot.
Ryder.
Profile Joined January 2011
1117 Posts
July 04 2011 14:12 GMT
#23
On July 04 2011 22:58 KeksX wrote:
You should ask someone that actually is a progamer instead of people that are clearly not there, because all you will get is
"I don't know but it sounds utterly stupid to be a progamer. Yea sure I cheer for them and I watch SC2 24/7 but I still think they are stupid lol, I mean they just play all day long n stuff" or other uneducated stuff.

You won't get good answers if you randomly ask people that aren't involved.
Why should you ask a secretary if it's worthwile writing books? You either get a stupid answer or no answer.
Don't tink that just because you're on teamliquid and watch starcraft all day you know what's behind the curtains, especially moneywise.
Someone like SirScoots or IdrA(for western) or Bisu/Flash(for Koreans) etc could give you a solid answer, but someone like RandomGuyPlayer4201 or KeksX can't.

So I don't get why you would open a thread instead of approaching these people directly.

They probably have better things to do than answer my questions, and even if they did bother noticing they may take it as an insult. Just because people on these forums aren't progamers doesn't mean they know absolutely nothing about it...
ballasdontcry
Profile Joined January 2011
Canada595 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-07-04 14:31:22
July 04 2011 14:30 GMT
#24
Slim to no chance of sustaining a good career off progaming for all the reasons stated.

The money's so top heavy in most cases that being an average pro nets you nearly nothing to live on. You have to be good for a team to sign you, be good to win tourneys, be good to rack up sponsors, so it's just one vicious circle: you win or you fade into obscurity.

Post-career wise, I guess if you really put in the effort you can go through some sort of continuing education program? Not everyone is of desirable quality to be picked up back in the industry after they retire. Some progamers just don't make good commentator material, for instance. But you'll definitely be behind the curve, and I'd think putting video gaming on a resume is just asking to be stigmatized in most cases.
bubblegumbo
Profile Blog Joined July 2008
Taiwan1296 Posts
July 04 2011 14:36 GMT
#25
being a professional gamer or anything related to this field is being treated with the same bias that professional sportsmen underwent during the early days, it will change as the decades go by with subsequent generations growing up gaming. It is also strongly dependent on the country's interest and culture, for example only certain sports are popular in certain countries. Korea has pretty much established esport as a legitimate industry you can work in for a long time.
"I honestly think that whoever invented toilet paper is a genius. For man to survive, they need toilet paper!"- Nal_rA
Lennon
Profile Joined February 2010
United Kingdom2275 Posts
July 04 2011 15:07 GMT
#26
People care about careers and money too much. We only live once so do what you want.
darcevader88
Profile Joined May 2011
Canada648 Posts
July 04 2011 15:43 GMT
#27
On July 05 2011 00:07 Lennon wrote:
People care about careers and money too much. We only live once so do what you want.

If I could rep you or give you karma for this post i would x100.
Total truth. You get 1 shot at this thing called life, might aswell do what you love.

People think I'm crazy cuz I wanna be a pro mma fighter, but i put in the time/work and ill do as much as i can to get there (sacrificing social life/going to school for now/etc)

It's all about enjoying life.
"The ground is my ocean, I'm the shark and most people don't even know how to swim."
ComaDose
Profile Blog Joined December 2009
Canada10357 Posts
July 04 2011 15:46 GMT
#28
yeah its a semi-all in build.
hard to transition out of.
BW pros training sc2 is like kiss making a dub step album.
seoul_kiM
Profile Blog Joined April 2011
United States545 Posts
July 04 2011 15:51 GMT
#29
I don't get why all these people are posting here yet none of them are professional gamers....

It's like trying to really explain what a lawyer or a teacher does and all their perks and responsibilities without ever being a lawyer or teacher.

Professional gaming is a unique career so honestly, you should go ask/e-mail/pm a professional gamer. Everyone here has speculations and assumptions that might or might not be correct.


On July 05 2011 00:07 Lennon wrote:
People care about careers and money too much. We only live once so do what you want.


Wait until you get a family and say that. You have to sacrifice many things in life to be a responsible adult raising a family and making enough to support a family.
oGs.MC: Repair IMBAAAAAAAAAAa
MrTortoise
Profile Joined January 2011
1388 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-07-04 16:02:27
July 04 2011 15:54 GMT
#30
Right now?

No - what i did 13 years ago was want to go pro at quake ... its a lot better now but what i accomplished was dropping out of uni and then teaching myself what i would of learnt there on the job instead - but without a degree and being surrounded by people who were into it. I don't regret anything i did, but i'm a strong willed asshole (probably in part because of my choices)

One thing for sure: while young take HUGE risks because you have time to recover. When you hit 25 you will begin to realise that you need to 'cash in on your potential' by the time your 30 your thinking about retirement

But the more threads like this and the less likley it is to happen

THINK

Assume the role if you care, otherwise stop shitting in other peoples bathtub

Just because papers write inflamatory articles like this all the time doesn't mean that they are actually substantive. You start asking people to think about this instead of assuming that it is already the case and all of a sudden less people think pro gaming is viable which means that less people will have the chance.

The very fact you need to ask this question should of answered it for you.

Untill a pro gamer can make £50k a year there are better ways for dedicated talented people to make more money, with more job security than pro gaming currently.

Write your own game ... it willl take you about as long ... remember a small game called warcraft / spear of destiny / wolfenstein. Sell it cheap and your market is billions.


response top below: How about people who have sat down and made the decision? If you want a yacht you probably don't want to be a pro gamer ... its all about what you want in life. I want to die comfortable and not leave my kids in debt.
Ziktomini
Profile Joined October 2010
United Kingdom377 Posts
July 04 2011 15:55 GMT
#31
People who aren't pro-gamers should not be putting their opinions in this thread. Leave it to people employed or making a living on their own being a gamer.
ZeromuS
Profile Blog Joined October 2010
Canada13405 Posts
July 04 2011 16:00 GMT
#32
Look man if you really want to do it and it will make you happy just DO IT! If it doesnt work out thats cool go to school get a different job/career.

Just be realistic when you decide to stop if that time ever comes. If you spend 2 years and play 12 hours a day and cant get into masters then its time to stop
StrategyRTS forever | @ZeromuS_plays | www.twitch.tv/Zeromus_
ak1knight
Profile Joined April 2010
United States313 Posts
July 04 2011 16:02 GMT
#33
On July 04 2011 23:02 pedrotrv wrote:
Let's remeber that 99% of the progamer population won't be employed by sponsor or by the game developers, won't be coaches or will found a team, and must find another means to live. It's just not viable unless you are the best (Flash, Jaedong, rly good Counter Strike players).

The definition of Pro is getting paid, almost always by sponsors. You also don't necessarily need to be the best to get paid. Every player on EG is paid a salary and there's only 1 player on that team that you could consider one of the best.

Progaming isn't something that you should get into for the money, but if you really love SC2 then it's nice to know that if you put in the work to be the best then you'll get rewarded with a semi-decent income.
w00t
Zorkmid
Profile Joined November 2008
4410 Posts
July 04 2011 16:33 GMT
#34
It's probably sustainable for the tip top players until early-mid thirties, and probably even longer term for those few that are sought after casters.

That said, it is a SUPER short list. Probably 30-50 players on earth that can earn a decent living.
Alaz
Profile Blog Joined October 2010
108 Posts
July 04 2011 16:49 GMT
#35
The pros right now are living in the moment and that's all that matters. They'll ride the wave as long as they are still having fun and making money. I highly doubt any of them are dumb enough to not think long term.
pedrotrv
Profile Joined August 2010
Brazil117 Posts
July 04 2011 17:04 GMT
#36
On July 05 2011 01:02 ak1knight wrote:
Show nested quote +
On July 04 2011 23:02 pedrotrv wrote:
Let's remeber that 99% of the progamer population won't be employed by sponsor or by the game developers, won't be coaches or will found a team, and must find another means to live. It's just not viable unless you are the best (Flash, Jaedong, rly good Counter Strike players).

The definition of Pro is getting paid, almost always by sponsors. You also don't necessarily need to be the best to get paid. Every player on EG is paid a salary and there's only 1 player on that team that you could consider one of the best.

Progaming isn't something that you should get into for the money, but if you really love SC2 then it's nice to know that if you put in the work to be the best then you'll get rewarded with a semi-decent income.


I'm sry, my sentence was incomplete. I meant in the post career.
woot.
TheSubtleArt
Profile Joined May 2011
Canada2527 Posts
July 04 2011 17:10 GMT
#37
MC and Nestea have both made plenty of money from prize winnings. Destiny makes 35k ~ 40k a year streaming. Idra apparently also makes in that range with his team's salary and streaming. If you can achieve good results, land on a top team, or gain popularity some other way (casting, appearing on shows, etc), or a combination of those, you can certainly make a living off starcraft, but it may not be as big of an income as you can get from other jobs. Hell, even HD and Husky make enough from their youtube channels.

Whether or not you can find a job after you retire from progaming is up for debate and will probably depend on the employer. Some will consider the fact that a player became a top pro a testament to the players intelligence, perseverance, and work ethic, while others will think he's an anti social guy wasting his time playing computer games. One thing to consider, however, is that gaming is recieving more acceptance in Western culture and it seems to be a trend that will continue. As this trend progresses, listing "progamer" as an occupation on your CV will hold more and more importance to employers
Dodge arrows
canikizu
Profile Joined September 2010
4860 Posts
July 04 2011 17:18 GMT
#38
On July 04 2011 22:22 Jhax wrote:
Pro gaming is a terrible career choice, I wanted to be pro when I was a kid but once I got into college and realised how satisfying studying something is I could no longer see the appeal. I don't know what to think of pro gamers, are they nerdy guys who just couldn't be fucked to find a real job and get a degree, or are they serious athletes who are giving something back to the community. I think the first one is more accurate, then again I don't know these people on a personal level.

Mr. Chae (GOMtv) was a first generation SC pro. He now has GOMtv. Kiwikaki and a lot of players know how to play poker. Spades and a lot of people are into trading (stock, forex).
A job and getting paid is not the only way you can survive. In this day and age, there're lots of way people can make money not by going to work 9 to 5. You can always open your own business. Yes, getting a job is easier and less risky, but on the financial standpoint, getting a job doesn't even make as good money as working for yourself.
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