How to E-Sports (Expectancies and Starters) - Page 5

On May 08 2012 00:34 spbelky wrote:
This is one of those posts where it's hard to reply with anything other than, "Thank you."

The content is very informative and it's difficult to find much to discuss because the original is so comprehensive.

This is your workforce, this is your troop of men/women willing to do what it takes to bloom your organization into something full-fledged, real and legitimate. They are also volunteers, let's remember that and so they should be treated as people taking time out of their lives and day to do that. While I highlighted the fact that you both need each other, only one of you is getting the better deal (arguably).

• Organizations should note that these are volunteers, not employees. There are responsibilities, duties and expectations, but to work under the idea that "you must do what I tell you" is both a bad way to approach your workline and shows a misunderstanding of how the organization-to-volunteer relationship works. When you must draw the line of delegator to worker, there is no longer a common goal in each other's minds and so the relationship should be reassessed. A volunteer does not work for you, he works for the experience and with you to achieve what your organization desires. While this may seem like a semantical way to see things, there is a huge distinguishment of how to perceive the connections within a company.
  
  
• The more is not necessarily merrier. Having too many people delegating too many tasks and sitting on titles is not at all useful or contributory. Everyone should work with their duties in mind and be proactive about it. Titles summarizes one's potential strength and for informative purposes for people on the outside of the organization (so they know who to contact about what).
  
  
• Leaders are not positions of power, but positions of direction. This doesn't mean that you cannot manage a team of helpers, it just means that you can't order them to do what you want them to do without considering their own personal schedule. Leniency is asked on both sides and consideration that, yes, volunteers want to volunteer, but they also have other obligations in life and you must be aware of that. Those who go up and beyond for the organization should be awarded and commended for that.
  
  
• Make sure everyone is on the same page. As an organization grows, so do the forms of communication and the number of times you need to tie your shoelaces. That is to say that things become loose the longer the strings of workers and the bigger loop-backs you must make. Weekly meetings help with this as it serves as an information center point, realigns everyone's common goals and highlights who does what, who can help with who and what's on the way in terms of content and future plans. Weekly meetings reorients everyone back into seeing each other as communicative and approachful human beings while also assuring everyone that this is still a team effort.
  
  
• Everyone is here to help. As simplistic as that sounds, some organizers or leaders of an organization tend to forget about this when things get a little heated. Despite things not going exactly as expected or a person is not doing up to par to your expectation, it's generally understood that that person is there to help you and your organization. Treat him or her with some understanding and respect/gratitude/appreciation. Although the finished product is lacking, the effort is still there and that that person is working with or for you for the sake of the organization's livelihood. Knowing that, finding a concensus on where to best put one's talent and ability to it's maximum's use is best. If said contributor is not living up to your standards, then there is no reason to continue a relationship between you and the volunteer, avoid conflicts and just do what is best for both parties.
  
  
• Know the extent of what you're asking: sometimes you may be relying too much on one person that is a three-man job. While it is great that some volunteers are more productive than others, do not over-extend them to multiple tasks that require a lot of attention or devoted time. If you need someone to manage your social media site on the fly? Find the suited member of your team to do the job rather than pile on that "little itty bit" to someone's who's already doing so much more. Knowing the lengths you can ask someone to do something as well as realizing that they mainly want to do what they were recruited on (unless specificed otherwise), helps ensure low stress levels and fluidity of delegated tasks assigned to the right person.

1. Compensation. As Chobopeon said, compensation is definitely there. You should probably not expect to make piles of money, and definitely not right away, but there is a lot of compensation to be had. This is strictly speaking about "lower level positions", just to clarify.

Based on what I read at the bottom of this post, the OP's experiences within the industry are limited.

Most established organizations will offer compensation. I have yet to come across one that has not. Even smaller budget organizations such as ESFI offer compensation. From salary, to hardware to trips to events - compensation is there, but it must be earned.

2. Getting started at a team, league, community-site or media outlet is much easier than it seems. Even if you have no relevant job experience or education, you can usually find a volunteer position, and prove yourself and work your way to something better. You can also do this part time as you continue with school or a regular job.

Contacting organizations within eSports and handing in a resume (it doesn't have to be special or filled with work experience) is the best way to get started. Simply approaching an eSport organization in the same way you would a regular "mainstream" entry-level position is your best bet.

Now, just to touch on the "compensation" point of this a little more. Pushing the money, free trips and swag aside for a moment - eSports offers a world of opportunities that most people don't even know exist. Yes this means for the lowest of the low as well - eSports journalists and tournament admins.

The OP touched on this a little, however I feel as though it should be put into a little more perspective.

On June 21 2012 05:48 fams wrote:


1. Looking at your "credentials", my only thought is: "I would not expect compensation from those organizations considering how underdeveloped they are." ESFI I already commented on. VT is/was a semi-pro team, and iS is really new and growing well from what I have seen and heard <- Not relevant, but mentioning his name is always worth it.

2. Earned is not really subjective. It has always been the same at every organization I have ever come across when dealing with entry-level eSports positions.

You usually have a trial period (2-3 months usually) after which you will discuss what kind of compensation is befitting. If no compensation is befitting - which happens - then either the trial period is extended or the person leaves or is let go.

I have seen so many people get amazing opportunities in eSports for entry level positions where the organization was looking to actually pay the person should they prove they were reliable, and they just were not reliable. The person would always leave after a week. Very rarely did I see entry-level applicants make it through their trial periods. And let me tell you, it is not difficult to make it through a trial period with a good impression.

3. EG does offer immediately paid jobs. They post about them on Twitter often enough. Do they pay every new entry-level writer/contributor they get? Of course not. That said, those people are not full time, and only work very sparse hours. Even then, they are compensated with incentives from what I have seen.

4. ESFI has dozens of employees with varying levels of expertise. Certain employees are flown to every event when possible. Otherwise, the "base team" is usually whoever is closest. And with a company like that, with many volunteer writers, that is the best way. That chance to travel to an event, etc, is compensation for their hard work during the times when they cannot go to events.

5. I assume your comment about Canada was directed at ESFI? Even if you are talking about ESFI exclusively, that is only partially true. ESFI has paid half of a Canadians ticket (Edmonton to Providence no less) as well as lodging, etc.

6. Your last statement is not giving a "fair portrayal" of the eSports industry whatsoever. I have no clue what "established" organizations you are referring to, but I would love to know.

I'm writing this with the idea of both ensuring people who are interested in working in the industry are aware of what to look for, how to get involved and what to expect when working within this scene. Also, I hope to advise those who manage volunteers, players, contributors on how to not only treat them properly, but to also sell your organization over others.

Upon reaching 20,000 posts, I've come to realize both two things: the misconception of what people should seek or understand when wanting to do that little extra in this E-Sports scene and how organizations, big or small, usually treat their volunteers/contributors. This guide aims to both state the obvious of fair treatment, considerations of both sides and draw upon my own experiences to both outline what's to be expected for up and coming contributors.