Every person who enjoys gaming has thought of the same thing: becoming a professional gamer. You wouldn’t need an actual 9 to 5 job, and you can spend all your time doing what you love. However, the road to becoming a professional esports player is not easy. Before committing to trying to be a pro, let’s check out the main differences between casual gamers and professional ones.
Playing Competitive Games vs Playing Casual Games
The first and most obvious difference between casual and professional gamers is the games they play. Casual gamers often play games that have more casual approaches, such as Minecraft or Grand Theft Auto V. On the other hand, the games that professional players play are competitive games that regularly appear in the best esports bookmakers and esports betting sites. These professional players will focus on Player vs. Player-based games such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive or League of Legends, as these games allow for competition and self-improvement.
However, this doesn’t mean casual gamers don’t play competitive games. The difference is that professional players will have a more competitive approach, while casual gamers will play more for entertainment and fun.
As a result, the majority of the player base of competitive games often sits around the middle of the ranking system in most competitive games.
Professional Playing Time vs Casual Playing Time
For the average casual player, playing games is often looking to have some fun during their free time. They’ll play for a few hours or up until they’re tired or satisfied and log off for the night.
However, a professional player will play for long hours every single day. Professional players must get as many hours as possible to maintain their skills and consistency in their game of choice. Most professional esports players play for at least 8 hours daily. These professionals don’t care if they’re bored, tired, or tilted because gaming is essentially their 9-to-5 job.
On the other hand, casual gamers won’t be able to bear playing the same game every day for 8 hours. They’ll get tired and lose interest because they’re playing the same thing daily. So, casual gamers tend to play a lower amount of hours enough to have an enjoyable experience.
Playing To Win vs Playing For Fun
In most competitive games, there tends to be a “meta,” which stands for “the most effective tactics available.” Professional players have a great understanding of the meta, while casual players may have a more challenging time understanding the current meta of any game.
Professional players will have to force themselves to fully understand the meta because this will help them increase their win rate. A change in a meta will usually cause players to get out of their comfort zone to try out other winning strategies, so professional players will have to quickly adapt to these strategies since they’re playing to win.
Meanwhile, casual gamers won’t need to force themselves to adapt to the meta, as they tend to stick to a more fun and straightforward strategy. They won’t have to worry about changes in the meta, as they’re only playing to have a good time with some friends.
Proper Communication vs Casual Communication
The communication in your five-stack with your buddies sounds way different from what the communication in a team of five professionals sounds like.
If you’re a bunch of casual gamers, you’ll often make jokes, use simple callouts and maybe have a karaoke session while your friend is trying to clutch. Most players find gaming enjoyable because you can have fun while talking to your friends.
However, if you’re a professional, then communication sounds drastically different. Playing in an esport team will require excellent communication skills, as players must convey their thoughts in short, concise messages.
Players in a team may have different ideas and approaches, and it is a team’s job to coordinate these contrasting thoughts to communicate a single plan quickly so everyone’s on the same page. Communication is one of the most critical factors in a professional team’s success, so there often is no room to make jokes during high-pressure situations.
Watching Matches For Entertainment vs Watching For Analysis
One thing in common between casual and competitive gamers is that both types of gamers will tune in to watch professional esports tournaments and visit esports bet sites to place bets on the matches. However, the two types of gamers will have different objectives when watching these matches.
Casual gamers will watch matches to appreciate high-skill plays, partake in esports betting, and overall have an enjoyable experience watching an esports match. It’s just like watching a regular basketball match, nothing more and nothing less.
On the other hand, professionals will observe match replays to analyze different aspects of the match. They’re looking to figure out what strategies the teams use and if there are any interesting plays they can copy and add to their strategy book. The main objective is to learn new things from their competitors that they can use to create an advantage over other teams.
Conclusion
In conclusion, everyone considering committing to becoming a professional esports player needs to understand the key differences between casual and professional players. People think that being a pro player is nice because you get to play all day and travel the world, but becoming one is no easy task. A strong mindset and a deep passion for your chosen game will be required.
