The esports industry is an incredibly competitive line of work. With that said, not many know about an average day of a professional esports player, which is essential information to decide whether this career is right for you. In this article, we’ll go over an average day of an esports player.
The esports industry is an incredibly competitive line of work. An average pro esports salary is variable depending on the team that contracted you, but it’s worthy to note that the top esports athletes can earn from $50,000 to $75,000 a year! With that said, not many know about an average day of a professional esports player, which is essential information to decide whether this career is right for you. In this article, we’ll go over an average day of an esports player.
This example was compiled over several different routines. It’s also an example of a professional esports player that lives alongside their team and coach in an esports gaming house. In short, team members live together in a house together with state-of-the-art PCs for practice. These arrangements are also done so that coaches, sport psychologists, nutritionists and physical trainers can congregate in these houses to ensure that players are in peak physical and mental health.
11:00am: Wake Up and Breakfast
As you’ll see later, gamers are often night owls and enjoy playing games till the late hours. While it would be quite detrimental to their physical health if they wake up early after sleeping late, they thankfully usually wake up in the later hours, which gives them 7-9 sufficient hours of sleep.
As mentioned, many esports houses have chefs and nutritionists, who are responsible for making the most nutritious foods that promote physical health and mental focus.
11:30am-12:00pm: Team Meeting
Players group together in the meeting room to talk about what their plans are for the day. This is usually led by the head coach of the team, who would prepare an itinerary for the team’s day and announce it to the players, so they know what to expect.
If there are any scrimmages with other teams, this will be the time where the coach introduces which teams they will be playing against today, as well as inviting a discussion about the strategies they can implement and practice against the opposing team’s tactics. This is usually done with a large TV in the room, with the coach choosing some key moments from the opposing team’s games to analyze their strategies and discuss how it can be countered.
Finally, the coach might also invite each player to talk about their learning objectives and goals for the day. These goals are usually game specific, and can include goals pertaining to future scrimmages, goals in their competitive ranked journey, or perfecting a specific mechanic within the game. These goals are made to invite the players to establish a specific part of the game to focus on, and a measurable method to track their progress towards continual improvement.
12:00pm-3:00pm: Scrimmage With Another Team
Players move to the gaming room, filled with the highest performing PCs to ensure that they’re not limited by lag or low performance.
They’ll then play several rounds with another opposing team, often planned by the coaches of each team. Unlike playoffs, nationals or other competitions, these games aren’t counted for any points, and are solely played for the goal of mutual team improvement. These games will also be recorded by the coach, which will then be analyzed with the team later that day.
Sometime in between scrims: lunch break
In between scrimmages, the team will come together to have lunch, which will also give players some time to recuperate and perhaps discuss the results of the previously played rounds.
3:00pm-4:00pm: Physical Training
The body and mind are mutually connected, so it’s no question that players need to be in peak physical health in order to sufficiently focus in-game.
Depending on the housing arrangements, this section may be led by a physical trainer. Because esports is a relatively sedentary job where teams practice for hours while sitting, it’s particularly important to get the legs moving to promote blood flow. Exercises to help with this can consist of cardio or leg-based strength exercises.
Another common physical injury that comes with gaming is carpal tunnel and tennis elbow. These injuries can lead to pain in pain and numbness in the fingers, wrist and elbow. To remedy this, upper body exercises and arm exercises will help prevent the onset of those injuries.
4pm-6pm: Scrims/In-House Training
After some much-needed time away from the desk, it’s time for another set of scrimmages. However, in times where coaches don’t have another team to play against, there are a few things they can do instead.
When teams are large enough, the coach can arrange in-house games, where players play against each other in the same team. While this can be useful in seeing how your teammates play when they’re on the opposing team, there does need to be an expectation of sportsmanship since everyone, whether ally or opponent, are all on the same team.
Alternatively, teams can also use this time to analyze and VOD review previous games. They can sit together and watch a previous scrimmage or competitive game, providing suggestions to each other about what they’ve done well and what they could’ve done better. Doing this together can boost teamwork and help bring players together more.
6:00pm-6:30pm: Dinner
It’s dinnertime! Not much to add here that isn’t already mentioned, just another break for the players where they get to eat nutritious dishes and socialize with each other.
6:30pm-9:30pm: Free Time
Even while you’re practicing a game you’re passionate about, players still need a break to prevent burnout from the game. The most dedicated of players could use this time to practice, but this is also a great time to play other games, socialize with friends outside of esports, or spend some time with their families.
9:30pm-1:00am: Ranked Grind
Source: Pexels
While most esports games are team-based, it’s important to practice your own individual skills, mechanics, as well as updating your knowledge of an ever-changing meta.
This is where practicing in solo or duo queue ranked games becomes useful. The rank you’re at is a good metric of your own individual level of skill, and it can be inspiring to the fans of your team seeing you climb up the ladder. This is also a great opportunity to practice a process of playing, watching your VODs to identify weaknesses, and create learning objectives to improve the next game.
Additionally, many esports players like to use this time to stream their ranked games on Twitch to interact with fans and increase their team’s popularity as well.
1:00am-2:00am: Wind-Down and Sleep
To get a full 7-9 hours of sleep, players will need to sleep at a reasonable time. To promote sleep hygiene, many players will avoid looking at screens for the last 30 minutes to an hour of sleep. At last, it’s time to reflect on a day’s work, and take a well-deserved rest.
How Certain Days Can Be Different
The day above is a day where there are no official games to be played. In days where official games are played against another team, the day before the game will be adjusted to watch their opposing team more closely through watching VODs together.
After game days, depending on the intensity of the competition, the team may be given a day just to rest and recuperate, as the pressure from the previous day would’ve given them a considerable amount of stress.
Hopefully by now, you feel a tad more familiar with the average routine of a professional esports player. Check out our team coaching section if you’re even a little interested in experiencing what it is like to have the routine of an esports player.