The Challenges of being a student and competing Esports

Nothing sounds more fun than being able to go to college or university and competing in Esports. From this, you get to get a certificate, diploma, or degree in whatever subject that you want to study, and on top of this, you can compete under your school as an athlete playing a video game that you love playing. Nothing sounds better but there are some challenges, and it is not easy to balance. 

Knowing your role within the team. 

One of the first things you will need to do to join the team is to tryout and this can be difficult depending on your role as a player and making sure that you can prove to the coach or management that you deserve a position on the team. One thing you also need to remember is that even though you are competing for a spot on the team that the others that are trying out could be your teammates but also could also be the person to take the last spot on the team. 

Once you get the position on the team you need to know your role and that might take time to be able to figure out. There is a player at Conestoga College with the in-game name of TaylorMc who is the captain of the Conestoga College Call of Duty White Roster. He is an incredibly talented player, but he knows that his role on the team is to be the in-game leader and he had to take a step back in being the star player and playing more of a fundamental role with the other players on his team. 

TaylorMc is a great example of a player who could have been the star player on the team but he knew that he needed to step up in being an IGL and take a step back in being the star player to make sure that the team performed at its highest levels.  

Practice and matches and performing 

Some great advice that TaylorMc gave us to his approach when performing during practices and matches. He said that if you are in practice, you should make a goal as a team. An example of this is if your team struggles on one map or even on something that is an in-game mechanic to make a goal to help improve that map or in-game mechanic. He believes if you are going into practice with no goal in mind you are just wasting your time. He also believes that if you want to try something new it should be first attempted in a practice. 

When it comes to matches, he believes that is when you use all the things that work. Meaning that you are good on a map but bad at another map. You should be picking to play on the map that you are going to perform the best on. He also says that you should never try something new in matches. 

Time Management 

Time Management is key to anyone who is going to school whether in College or University but to be a student who is also wanting to compete can be even more important. This is because Esports teams will average around 3 to 4 matches each week, which can take a total amount of time of 8 hours for just the matches. On top of this, you need to practice as a team and as an individual because if you do not perform on match days your spot on the team could be on the line of you being replaced by another player.  

You also need to make sure you complete your assignments and projects on time because if you fall behind in your studies many schools will not allow you to compete on their Esports teams.  This also includes making sure that you complete your assignments before match days and practice days.  

When it comes to practices you need to remember that you are representing your school, your teammates, your coach, and your personal brand, and if you arrive late to practice or matches you are hurting the names of your school, teammates, coaches, and your own personal brand. This could also result in your team needing to forfeit a match because of you being late. 

Good Live Balance 

Going to College or University is challenging and can be stressful. With that competing in Esports can add even more stress. You need to be able to know how much stress you can take on. TaylorMc told us that he likes to make sure that he does all of his assignments and projects that are due on match days the day before. This is so that he does not need to worry or stress over the assignment and that he can have all his focus on the match and make sure that he and the team perform at their best.  

TaylorMc also said that he likes to have all of his assignments, projects, Matches, and Team Practices on his schedule on his phone. Once he has his weekly schedule, he likes to pick one day where he does not have to do anything in game-related. Meaning that he does not have a Match, Team practice, or individual practice. He will take this day a day to refresh his mind and to focus on his studies. If he does not have any schoolwork to do on this day, he will use it as a day to get out of his house or play a game that he is not competing in. 

If you want to compete in Esports and go to College or University, remember that it takes a lot to manage the workload of being a student and competing in Esports. If you enjoyed reading this blog, please hit the heart button below and leave a comment telling us how you came across our blog.