Professional Gaming

It is more important to ask how the 'choosing a nickname' phenomena spread amongst gamers in the 80s. Today's pro players continued this traditional habit.

Why picking a nickname became so popular:

1. Sort of like a brand name - In gaming, you like to use the same nickname for every game. It is your short name and acts like a brand. Think about faker, the most popular LoL player whose nickname sells thousands of T-shirts.

2. Anonymity (or at least feels like it) - At the beginning, most players wanted to hide their true identity when playing. It was simply safe, nobody knocked on your door to kick your butt.

3. Shows a small part of you - Nicknames are somewhat related to your personality, at least how it sounds.

4. Easy to Google and easy to remember - The short words are easy to look up and search for, which is useful when you are a streamer and have a wide online presence.

Casual gamers are playing for fun. They are able to spend a lot of time with their game but it doesn't cause any problems if they skip practice for multiple weeks. They usually play independently, not related to any team, however, they are usually part of a game community (i.e. Reddit, Facebook group, Discord etc.). Casual gamers usually have a good insight into their game.

Streamers are playing the game to air their game time to the community. They utilise their streaming account to gain popularity and possibly earn money. Therefore, the selected streaming platform is an essential choice on their side. The best known live streaming site is Twitch, acquired by Amazon in 2014.

Boxbox is well known streamer in the world of League of Legends. He has one of the best Riven amongst the community but he isn't counted as an esports player since he's mastered only a few heroes within the game for perfection. He received only a substitute spot from Velocity Esports, but ha has a big following on Twitch and has built a great reputation.

Pro-gamers or esports players are part of an organisation that covers a lot of functions for team members. They are participating frequently in tournaments and have detailed practice schedules for the year. The team's daily life is happening in gaming houses operated by the organisation but they must travel a lot to events.

Nowadays 'setting goals' is a common part of every self-development book you can read. Is it accidental? Why is it so important to have a proper goal or vision for a team? Here are some reasons together to explain why having goals could help you.

1. Without having goals, there is no achievement.

Literally, if you have nothing in mind, there is nothing to reach. You will live day by day without changing anything. Setting a goal starts changing your life. You start to experience failings but also small wins. Setting a goal is like saying, 'I want to change something'.

If we pick a goal, it is most likely something bigger than us - maybe even unreachable (at least now). There is a quote among body builders: '' The body achieves what the mind believes''. Our only task is to believe that our goal is possible and go for it.

2. It costs nothing.

You don't have to be an economist to know that writing down a goal or putting a vision together together costs only your time. There is no risk spending some minutes in your day to rethink what you really want.

3. Crazy dreams.

''If my goal is not crazy enough, it may not be my goal''.

If you tell your friends that you want to make a career in ''balloon flights'', it seems to be a crazy goal. But if it starts your fantasy and you love the idea, it could be a good opportunity. Do not listen to others when you think about setting goals, they belong only to you. Maybe listen to your parents but at the end of the day you should make decisions you would like to make.

4. Persistance and honesty.

Setting a goal makes you honest. You can't lie to yourself by setting a goal you do not like. If you do so, you won't be persistant and it won't last.

5. New paths take you to new endeavours.

Short-term goals are also important. If you do not say, ''My intention is to start the business'', you will have less chance to put something together. Goal setting starts a flow in your brain that wants to solve the question of, ''how to begin this?'', and finding the ''how'' in what we are looking for.

6. Knowing what motivates you - knowing yourself.

Goal setting in your life is not just about achieving something. It is important to identify what motivates you, to understand yourself and your team, especially if you will have one in the future. Some people are doing everything for recognition, some others for attention. There are even people who work for the money and then there are some people whose only goal is perfection.

Attention, money and respect are all motivating factors coming from outside, from others. If you rely on these motivators you will always be in a dependant position. Self-esteem, self-realisation and fulfilling your own dreams are motivations from the inside. People who find these inner factors are more likely to achieve success in life.

7. Creates team values.

When you set a goal as a team, it generates a common effort to achieve it. This develops team values which are unique in our lives. The friendship that develops between team members when we have a common goal could last a lifetime. It gives us direction. Goals need partners and teammates make up the roots of the goal and strengthen its foundation.

8. It makes you excel yourself, the realisation of goals.

Once you set up goals and achieve them, the next step is about excelling in what you did and make up new goals. acting as a motivating factor, it sets a benchmark and makes you grow and outshine yourself. Goals never stop - they help to go further.

9. Winning through real actions.

The ultimate aim of any goal is to ''win''. In real life, winning is not achieved from day dreaming, it takes practice. The reality is achieved from working hard and tactfully towards it. Goals generate the real actions.

10. Goals reveal their inner resources.

Most players have more under the surface. They may have potential that is not recognised. Goal setting helps to utilise your capabilities and recognise this potential. Some people are good in strategy, other in implementation. You should push yourself to find solutions that can be achieved with your own resources. Remember, a CEO could not do everything single-handedly within his or her company even if they had the time. Instead, they utilise their managing skills to achieve goals.

The openness of mind, having the right intentions and setting stress-free goals keeps people going for satisfaction. The stubborn perseverance and patience leads to actual realisation. The idea is not to change your original goal or your course if things do not fall into pace. Instead, hold on and keep moving ahead!

1. Your time - If you can't spend 8 hours a day, 5 days a week to develop your skills, you will always be at a disadvantage compared to Chinese or US pro organisations. Being a professional player is a full-time job.

2. Your scrim partners - If you aren't able to play with the best of your game, you will only see real pro plays when get into a tournament final. The better your practice opponents are, the better your team will be.

3. Your physical location - We live in a global world, but not always as global as we might experience in real life. There are certain centres for esports like, China, South Korea, the US and France, Germany and Sweden in the EU.

If you are not living in one of these countries, you have a handicap.

4. Your mental strength - If you are not solid as a rock, if you are uncertain with your goals or you don't really like to work in a team, this could quickly affect your esports career. If you could put everything in the right context and understand the importance of the right mindset, it changes the way you see professional esports.

We know certain cases, such as when pro players in CS:GO claimed they used ''Adderall'', a psychostimulant drug.

Based on common experience, the professional scene wants to avoid every kind of drug or stimulant. We are talking about improving our focus where 0.1 of a second difference in reaction time counts in key situations. Practicing ''long concentration time'', is a key part of pre-season preparation for players. It is said by players that they feel completely exhausted after a one week tournament.

During a tournament, proper sleeping habits and drinks like a cup of coffee or green tea, are essential to maximise the performance.