Many people primarily associate eSports with professional gaming. And this job seems to have special nuances, for example the average progamer is a joung person. And the gaming practice routine of pros is not quite similar to 24/7 hobby gaming without a plan, it is a full-time job with all its stresses and difficulties. This job also seems to be quite monotonous besides participation in eSports tournaments. That is not a problem, because there are many promising and interesting job in eSports industry besides gaming.
Since the industry is thriving, it is really vast and has jobs for people with different background. There are many cybersports organizations, software engineering companies and such companies as Twitch which are interested in specialists who are passionate about gaming, but have other skills as only gaming expertise. You can also take all these job opportunities into account if you consider retiring from professional gaming.
SHOUTCASTER/HOST/ANALYST
Competitions in eSports are great events, and there is no eSports tournament without a commentator, a shoutcaster, who is responsible for the action on a play-by-play basis or must analyze the game in tandem with a play-by-play caster, or analyst. And there is usually a host, who doesn’t make any comments on the game, but introduces the teams.
The jobs of host or shoutcaster are well-paid, since the tournaments have many sponsors (for example, as “The International” in Dota 2). And they are very interesting if you look for a job where you can apply your social skills. The job of shoutcaster requires profound game knowledge, intuition, but you don’t need to be a gamer from a professional league. And as a host you need an organizational talent and don’t need to know much about MOBAs, skins or “junglers” (the role in a an eSports team).
STREAMER
Of course, to stream your gaming you need to be a gamer and have some expertise. However, there are many amateur gamers on Twitch and other platforms who have millions of subscribers and fans. To get started as a streamer you only need a good gaming computer, microphone and Webcam.
GAMING HOUSE MANAGER
In professional eSports team gamers usually live together to train for next tournaments. That’s why the problem-solving person is needed there. The gaming house manager is responsible for such aspects as accommodation and discipline, but this role doesn’t replace the professional coach. So, the manager doesn’t need to have a gaming background, he doesn’t make a practice schedule.
PR EXPERT/SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER/BLOGGER
If you are passionate about eSports and have good social and writing skill, the career of blogger or PR Manager in this field will be good for you. The cybersports industry is a very dynamic and constantly evolving sphere and it needs communication experts to inform fans about new games and tournaments. Do you want to spread the word about how cybersports industry constantly changing? Write about the biggest tournaments? Then consider pursuing such a job as a paid position in the company or starting a freelance career as a gaming blogger.
TECHNOLOGY EXPERT/QA TESTER/SOFTWARE ENGINEER
Have you always dreamed of programming games, testing them or going in for game design? Since the industry of video games continues growing, gaming tech companies are constantly looking for new specialists. Behind each video game there are many technicians, and not all of them are gaming developers, there are also Games Service Technicians, QA Game Testers and people who analyse the players behaviour.
In conclusion, these professions are just several examples of eSports jobs. As a former gamer you can build up your expertise as a professional coach if you want to stay in a profession that is related to gaming. However, the eSports industry also needs league managers, tournament referees, lawyers, event managers and travel managers. So, there are many fulfilling professions to try besides gaming.
