As we’ve been writing this blog, our sister has continued to play video games with the dream to still go pro. The problem is neither our parents or us know if she’s actually getting any better. This is where having a video game coach is a huge advantage.
Do I need a video game coach? There are absolutely benefits to having a video gaming coach. They provide excellent advice, keep people accountable and help sell your brand. But at the end of the day having a video game coach is more of a luxury than a necessity.
You’ll probably feel very odd at first even entertaining the idea of hiring a video game coach. It’s something very abnormal in today’s culture, but I’m sure it’ll become more common soon.
Yes, Gaming Coaches are Real
The esports industry is still on track to be a billion dollar organization within the next year.
With that much growth and potential; gamers and their families are starting to take esports careers more seriously.
For some people that means hiring a professional esports coach.
When we first started diving into this blog, I didn’t know these type of coaches were even a real thing.
It’s Not Weird
Thinking about it from the right perspective though it makes total sense. Having a coach for video games is no different than having a coach when playing baseball or basketball.
When young athletes are growing up, they need someone to show them the ropes and help them improve at their chosen sport. In today’s world, that means developing their video game skills.
If you are new to gaming or a parent of a gamer that’s where having a video game coach comes in handy.
I can absolutely sympathize with parents of gamers when they decide to hire a gaming coach.
Depending on the game your child has decided to play professionally you might not know anything about the game, and it’s components.
For me, if our sister had chosen to play League of Legends, I would have no idea how to help or guide her to become a better player.
Having someone with an in-depth knowledge of the game can be very beneficial. Plus your child might be more receptive to help from a coach. We all know kids don’t always want to listen to their parents.
Outside Help
For gamers without a coach, the only way to improve their skill is by playing the game or watching YouTube clips. The problem is sometimes these techniques aren’t enough to help you become a better player.
If there’s not a video designed to help you improve in the areas you need that can cause frustration and maybe even a desire to quit.
Finding a Coach
Video game coaching is still a relatively new venture, but they are quickly growing in popularity.
It might be difficult at first to find a worthwhile gaming coach.
A lot of people might claim to be good coaches but please do your homework on their background in video games before hiring them.
Thanks to websites like Gamer Sensei you can rest easy knowing you are hiring a true professional.
Make sure to read any reviews about the coach and look at some of their accomplishments within the video game world. You’ll want to find a coach that has seen success in esports.
The helpful part about video games is you don’t need to live near your coach.
Thanks to video chat; players can have access to the best coaches really anywhere in the world. They can play and train together thanks to online gaming.
It’s Not Cheap
Please be aware like everything else video game coaches aren’t free or cheap.
Especially the highly-skilled coaches.
The price to hire a coach is what hinders a lot of gamers and parents from taking full advantage of these professionals.
There’s a lot of different components that determine how much you’ll have to pay a coach.
It all depends on the game you want help with, how skilled the coach is, and how much of their time you want to be dedicated to you.
Certain esports games are more competitive and have higher prize money in tournaments.
Coaches who excel at games like League of Legends, DOTA 2, Overwatch, and especially Fortnite all charge hefty fees for their time.
Typically a coach will charge from $10 to $30 per hour but in some extreme cases it can cost up to $180 per hour.
DID YOU KNOW?
Most esports coaches are making between $30,000 and $50,000 a year.
While that seems like a high price tag to me, it all depends on your end goals and what you hope to accomplish in your profession.
Seeing those numbers makes me rethink my own career and maybe I should become a video game coach.
Professionals Need Help
If it brings you any comfort professional esports teams are dedicating a lot of resources and funds to coaches.
Well-known esports teams like Team Liquid, Cloud9, and Echo Fox all have dedicated coaches for their athletes.
The owners and managers of these teams know for their athletes to win championships, they need coaches to push them to be better.
Coaches are definitely not cheap, but for those serious about their esports careers, it might be worth getting some extra guidance.
Coaches Impact
Okay… I’m sure some of you probably still need additional information for why having a gaming coach can be beneficial.
We aren’t trying to persuade you to pay for a coach, but you need to know the positives they can bring when beginning your esports career.
For gamers out there that are truly serious about their future, it doesn’t hurt to get some extra guidance on how they can improve their skills.
Having access to a coach gives gamers that personal connection to ask questions and get specific instruction.
Coaches often have excellent insight into the best strategy, weapons, and characters that can push your career further.
Industry Knowledge
In addition to helping grow your personal skills coaches also come with an in-depth knowledge of the esports industry.
The esports industry is still growing and developing. There’s a lot of information that can be overwhelming for newbies.
Knowing who to talk to, how to sell your brand, where to compete, and how to properly balance your life are valuable skills that a coach can teach.
If a coach has been in the esports industry for a while, they should know the right people to talk to so you can get noticed and hopefully get signed to a team. They are there to give you the best chance to turn this into a real-time career.
Tournament Knowledge
When first starting out it can also be challenging to know where to compete for the highest prize money and notoriety.
Coaches will tell you which tournaments to enter and what to expect while competing.
Competing live in front of a crowd is much more challenging than merely competing online.
Hopefully, you’ll get some training on how to properly maintain your composure and drown out the crowd noise so you can succeed at tournaments.
Streaming
A large portion of professional gamers relies on Twitch and YouTube channels to grow their online brand and bring in additional income.
But when you’re beginning your career, it can be challenging to build a strong following on Twitch. This is another reason why it can be helpful to have a coach that has a dedicated following.
They can collaborate with you on Twitch and push their followers to your page, so you’re both benefiting.
Hopefully, with a little bit of extra personal training with a coach, you’ll be propelled to more wins and opportunities to impress professional teams.
Scholarships
As funny as it sounds pursuing a professional esports career may not be your end goal or purpose for hiring a coach.
One of the latest trends in esports is universities offering scholarships to gaming athletes. There are around 90 colleges in America that currently have teams and provide scholarships.
While the scholarship program is still in its infancy, there’s plenty of opportunities for young high school athletes to gain these scholarships.
CHECK IT OUT
We have an entire blog dedicated to esports scholarships.
Which obviously appeals to the parents of gamers!
Find a coach that will walk you through this whole process. Finding the scholarships and improving your skills so universities will support you.
Positive Influence
The last advantage of having an esports coach is there ability to be a positive role model.
For me personally, my high school football coach was very influential in my life. He helped grow my love of sports, taught me how to be a competitor, maintain my composure in tough losses, and improve my overall health.
Hopefully, you can find a coach to help your child in all these areas.
For young gamers, one of the main struggles they encounter is not being able to balance their video game and real life properly.
Thanks to personal experience coaches can help them have proper time management between relationships and video games.
There’s a lot of stress from playing video games professionally. The pressure to win can be almost overwhelming for people.
This is why having the proper training to handle stress and deal with loses to so vital. Both of these will happen in esports, but it’s all about how we deal with these emotions.
CHECK IT OUT
We have excellent advice and tips for handling gaming stress in our health blog.
Coaches also provide great accountability to young gamers. They make sure you’re doing all your supposed to do to become the best.
Being a professional gamer is not easy and can be very challenging. You’ll experience a lot of hard days when you lose, or when you just don’t feel like gaming.
This is where having a coach to encourage and build you up is invaluable.
There are always ways to improve your skills and further your career. It can be helpful to have an outside perspective to show you what to do.
I hope if you are able to access a coach you find great benefits and improvement in your overall gaming.
Related Questions
How long do I need to have a coach? It really all depends on if and when you are signed to a professional esports team. Every professional esports team will have a coach on staff available to you. Which makes having your own not necessary. Other times it’ll be a gut feeling when you feel like you’ve learned all you can from a coach and can manage your career on your own.
