Sometimes, we find ourselves in the rare situation wherein we can do something we love as a job. While several years ago, the title of ‘Pro Gamer’ may have seemed like something of a fantasy – the rise in online platforms such as twitch, discord, and youtube meant that gamers across the world began to carve a name out for themselves – eventually even earning money for the content they put out. This means that it’s possible to find a way to get into gaming, turning a hobby into a profession.
Professional gamers can earn money by entering competitions, streaming content, or even by sharing sponsored videos.
While it’s important to understand that this kind of career is hard to obtain, there’s still a lot of fun to be had in taking gaming more seriously and sharing your content with the world. However, you also need to ensure you have the right setup to get you started.
With that in mind, here’s just some of the tech you consider purchasing if you’re looking to become a pro gamer.
- A quality LED monitor. When focusing on your gaming setup, you should first ensure that you get your hands on a gaming monitor that is designed specifically for gaming. This is due to the fact that it will have a higher refresh and response rate than a TV – meaning that your games are less likely to lag. It also means that the graphics will be of a higher quality.
- Marketing software. If you want to start earning money from gaming, you need to focus on building an online community by collaborating with other gamers and building up a fanbase. One way in which you can do this is by sending out a mailing list to your viewers or by launching an email marketing campaign advertising future streams or product and game recommendations. When using email marketing software, you can also see metrics in one place – meaning you know which campaigns are working and which campaigns aren’t. This gives you an insight into your target audience, and you can work harder to provide them with content that they genuinely enjoy.
- A Gaming Computer. While you can probably play games on your current PC, if you’re taking gaming seriously – then you’re going to want to look into buying or making your own gaming PC that is better equipped for what you are trying to do or the games you want to play. For example, a gaming computer often has faster processing speeds, meaning that your gameplay will always feel seamless, and you won’t have to deal with any frustrating lags or delays.
- A quality memory set up. Memory speed can have a real impact on your gaming experience, meaning that it is vital that you ensure your computer/gaming devices have a quality memory set up. Thankfully, there are various different options to choose from – that each come with a variety of benefits. Think carefully about the software you chose, ensuring that it works for you and the device you are playing from.
- A range of devices. If you want to appeal to a broader audience, the more tools and gaming devices you have at your disposal, the better. For example, though it may not seem like it, there are plenty of great games you can play on an ancient laptop (even though you might have to deal with a little extra loading time), meaning you can dust off your old laptop and reintroduce your audience to old nostalgia-filled favourites while also switching up by playing on some of your newer consoles. Purchasing new tech can be expensive, so don’t feel as though you always have to have the latest console – as you can still produce interesting content from older devices.
- A headset. A quality headset can improve your gaming experience significantly – as they often offer stereo or surround sound. This means that you can fully immerse yourself in the game and rid yourself of any outside distractions. Furthermore, a headset will also come with a microphone – meaning that you can record high-quality audio, too – keeping your viewers in the loop as they watch you play.
- Quality Wifi. If you’re going to be using streaming services or uploading content online, you need to ensure that you have quality wifi at your home. Otherwise, you may experience lags and delays that detract from the viewer experience. Furthermore, there’s nothing worse than disconnecting from an online game mid-way through!
- VR technology. Consider investing in the future of gaming by getting your hands on VR technology and headsets- as this is a great way to introduce your audience to new technology. Even better, it’s a lot of fun too.
- A webcam. Though many streamers chose to only share the gameplay as opposed to their own face, it’s also worthwhile to get your hands on a quality webcam. This can improve the viewer experience as they’ll be able to see your reactions as you play, which often makes watching a stream or video a little more entertaining. As a result, you may notice that you gain more traction and a higher amount of viewers/followers.
- Editing software. If you are going to be uploading videos to YouTube, as opposed to streaming – then you’re also going to need to get your hands on some editing software. For example, if you play a game for around four hours – you’d be hard-pressed to find somebody who was willing to watch the whole thing. However, if you use editing software to condense these videos to moments that are particularly entertaining or funny, you’re more likely to get views and build up a viewership. Thankfully, there’s plenty of free software available online that you can use to get to grips with the basics of video and sound editing – bringing you closer to that pro-gamer status with every click.
In short, the technology you need in order to explore a career in professional gaming is relatively self-explanatory. In fact, you may already have the majority of the technology listed above in your home – meaning that you won’t have to spend too much money to get your gaming setup up to scratch.