Making money while having fun is a goal that many people would like to achieve, especially among the younger generation. A dream that is not easy to realize, but it is not impossible either. In this article we’ll look at what a “pro gamer” and “eSport” is, and how you might be able to make money from it too.
- Here's the program
- What is a “pro gamer” and “esport”?
- What games do they play the most?
- How do pro gamers earn money, and how much?
- What are the benefits of being part of a team?
- What is the best profile to join an eSport team?
- 9 tips to succeed in pro gaming
- Conclusion
- EcoTips
What is a “pro gamer” and “esport”?
A pro gamer is someone who plays video games in national or international competitions, often in a team of 3 to 6 players. It’s an increasingly popular activity that some people have even made their sole profession.
The “eSports”, a contraction of “electronic sport”, are video game competitions organized and usually sponsored by video game companies. These events are most often held at large conventions and attract professional gamers from around the world.
Warning, especially to parents
In this article, I point out that to become a professional gamer, you have to spend hours of training. But video games can sometimes lead to serious addictions, especially among the youngest. If you notice that your child isolates themself, becomes de-socialized, has mood swings, that their school results suddenly drop, etc., perhaps they have become addicted? I recommend you read this article to learn more about this subject.
What games do they play the most?
Pro gamers often enjoy playing a wide variety of different games, but usually specialize in 1 or 2 particular games found in eSports competitions.
The most popular are first-person shooters (FPS), multiplayer online battle arenas (MOBA), and real-time strategy (RTS) games.
Here is a small list of the most famous games:
- Dota 2
- CS:GO (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive)
- Fortnite
- League of Legends
- Call Of Duty
- Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG)
- Overwatch
- Rainbow Six Siege
- Rocket League
- Fifa
How do pro gamers earn money, and how much?
The player is paid thanks to the income earned during these competitions but also through the partnerships that he or his team has concluded with different sponsors. And for that, he must obviously be quite good in the mastery of the video game he plays, and have a “fanbase” important enough to become a serious ambassador of the brands he works with.
Salaries vary greatly depending on each game as well as the popularity of the player (related to his skill and sometimes also his charisma). In the US, a player who is salaried within an eSport club receives between 4,000 to 5,000 dollars per month, plus bonuses, but some earn more than 600,000 dollars per year. In France, this salary is around 1,600 and 2,000 euros net per month, but a “solo” player will have to rely on sponsoring or representation contracts.

What are the benefits of being part of a team?
There are multiple benefits to being part of a team: it provides the infrastructure you need to learn, train and improve your skills, also offers the opportunity to participate in online competitions, etc., and there are some platforms you can use to find a team. But if you have trouble finding a team to join, you can create your own team and sign up for competitions when you are ready.
But be warned, becoming a pro gamer is not the same as playing with your friends. You will have to spend time, a lot of time, every week, training relentlessly to improve your level on a single game, sometimes to the point of disgust, reviewing replays of your games, analyzing your mistakes so as not to make them again, knowing every nook and cranny of every map, learning new combat strategies, staying focused and determined to reach your goals, etc. It will no longer be a hobby but your job, for which you will devote sometimes 50 hours a week, or even more.
What is the best profile to join an eSport team?
It doesn’t matter what your gender is; what matters most is your “skill”. However, it’s best to be young, especially when playing FPS (first-person shooter), because as you get older your reflexes diminish and it becomes difficult to compete with young, energetic talents who jump around like kangaroos in ecstasy. The average age of pro players varies by game, but is generally between 18 and 35 years old.
That said, if you are “too old” for FPS, there are more adapted eSport categories, where reflection and strategy are much more important than the speed of execution of a kill (e.g.: PGA Tour, World of Warcraft, scrabble, chess…), even if these games are much less numerous, and the gains less important. But you should know that there is a team that plays mainly Counter-Strike, and whose members are all over 60 years old.
The best pro teams are often in the USA, South Korea, or Eastern European countries, but even if you live in another country, remember that only your level counts, and if it is good, you should have no trouble finding a team.
9 tips to succeed in pro gaming
- Create a YouTube channel: You’ll have fans, and it will help you find a team.
- Play multiple games: Don’t limit yourself to one or two games. Explore other popular games (FPS, TPS, RPG…) and see which ones you like and which ones you don’t. And then it’s not impossible that you’ll find a game you’re particularly good at.
- Play intensively: I didn’t think I would ever give this kind of advice to anyone, but that day seems to have come. And indeed, if you want to match, and especially exceed the level of the players you will have to face, the only way is to train intensively. Be careful not to sacrifice your social, family, or love life. Take time to breathe from time to time.
- Challenge yourself: Taking on challenges is a very good way to progress. For example, you could try to break your record with a certain type of weapon or class.
- Make friends: Visit the various gaming communities on Twitch, Discord, YouTube, etc., and make as many friends as possible. Find better players than you and try to connect with them to discuss game strategy, training methods, or anything else that will help you grow.
- Join a team: Even if you are not a pro, join as soon as possible.
- Start young: To reach their level of “skill”, pro gamers often started young, around 14 or 15 years old, sometimes even younger. So, I won’t give you any advice on this specific subject, for the obvious reason that I don’t want to have any problem with your parents, but hey, the fact is there. But don’t become a no-life!
- Don’t cheat: Never use any kind of cheating when you play online, in any form. If you get caught, you can kiss your dream goodbye.
- Don’t waste your time: If you find that, despite your best efforts, you can’t raise your level, maybe it’s better to give up. After all, you may be, like 9% of gamers, just normal (the exception is the 1%). You certainly have a gift in other, even more interesting areas, be sure.
Conclusion
The world of video games attracts more and more people every year, and many of them dream of making it their profession. But, as in some other fields, there are many called for and few chosen. So if you really think that you have the talent required for this activity, that your level is really good, it might be worth trying your luck.
But be careful. It is a more difficult job than you think: You have to train a lot, you have to know how to handle pressure, you have to constantly try to improve yourself, and in short, you have to be a real (virtual) warrior. But if you notice that, despite all your efforts, your level is stagnating, maybe it’s better to move on and not insist. This way you can get back to the pleasure of playing just for your own pleasure.
EcoTips
Environmental and climate change issues are more than ever at the heart of the concerns of this 21st century, which is why I am proposing a few ideas that will enable you to limit the negative impact that the implementation of this idea could have.
These solutions that I suggest are sometimes largely insufficient to compensate for these negative impacts, such as carbon offsetting. Unfortunately, there is not always an ideal and 100% efficient solution, far from it. And if you have others, please do not hesitate to share them in the comments below.
The impact of video games on our environment is quite important. First of all, because online games and “cloud gaming” (a bit like Netflix but for video games) require the use of big and powerful servers and therefore energy consuming, but also because manufacturing so many game consoles and computers requires a lot of raw materials, rare earths, plastics, etc.
This idea is unfortunately not “eco-friendly”, and despite my research, I haven’t found any solution that you could apply to reduce this impact. The only advice I can give you for the moment is to disconnect your consoles and PCs when you are not gaming anymore. I know this sounds pretty obvious to most of you, but some people leave them running for long hours without using them, or even never turn them off. Also, check to see if your settings enable auto-sleep.
Also, some gaming PCs also allow you to switch to different energy consumption modes (silent, performance, or turbo),. soSo switch to the most economical mode when you’re not gaming.
And if you have any info on this particular topic or spot an article that talks about it, please share it in the comments.
Pros
- You get paid to play video games
- The payouts are potentially high if you’re very good
Cons
- You will spend long hours training
- Risk of getting disgusted with a particular game, by playing it all the time.
- A rather unattainable dream since only a bunch of players manage to live from it.
Info
- Location: At home to train, then anywhere in the world for competitions
- Investment: If you play on PC, the investment can be quite high. Between 1500 and 3000$. A console costs much less.
- Earnings perspective: Very variable, some pro gamers don’t earn the minimum wage. But it can go up to several thousand dollars a month if you are really good.
- Required: Have concentration, determination, very good reflexes, and be able to develop strategies to become a real virtual warrior.
- Risk level: Low. At worst, if it doesn’t work out for you, you will have wasted time, but playing your favorite games.
- Implementation time: It depends entirely on your current level. If it is already very good, you just have to find a team.
- Material needed: A gaming console or a high-performance PC.
Only a small fraction of players manage to turn pro
Well, it’s true, not all of them become millionaires, but some do make money. Even a few tens or hundreds of dollars once in a while. And then this article is not here to push all gamers to go pro 😅