prioritized North American players.
The free-to-play aspect of the game
also appealed to the youth who could
not afford games such as Counter-
Strike, StarCraft, and Warcraft 3.

As the game grew more popular,
the number of local tournaments
made a huge leap. Similar to the
growth of eSports in South Korea,
American companies began sponsoring
these tournaments in exchange for
advertisement.

Prize pools for the original
tournaments began as very small,
ranging from free merchandise from
the sponsors of the tournament to
small amount of prize money. It
wasn’t until a prize pool of $1
million was announced for the League
of Legends World Championship that
serious teams were established
in North America. With this
development, the globalization of
eSports to major sectors of the
worLd was compLete.

The Other Press spoke with
Conrad Janzen, the former player
manager for Cloud9’s DotA 2 team,
who gave an inside perspective to
the complicated world of eSports,
and helped breakdown some of the
common stereotypes that people have
about professional gamers.

One very common stereotype
about professional gamers is in
regard to the amount of money they
make. This stereotype comes from the
common concern of parents with the
amount of time their children spend
playing video games. “You can’t
make a living off playing video
games,” they say to their children
for spending an entire day playing
games. That argument is getting
harder to make as more people are
proving that one can indeed, make a
living playing video games.

Janzen, when asked about how
much players can be expected to be
paid, said: “Wage is dependent on a
variety of factors, from the value
of a player, the success of the
team, the popularity of a player,
and even the game. It could be
anywhere from $1,000 a month, which
is on the very low end, to possibly
up $5,000 to $6,000 a month. This
doesn’t incLude sponsorship deals,
potential external revenue, and
prize money. The highest recorded
earners have made slightly less than
$2 million, in prize money alone.

Depending on the company,

i) a)
Ib 0)

players make a certain percentage of
the prize pool. Many organizations
take a small percentage of the prize
to compensate for services, and

the remaining prize money is then
divided equally between the players.

Another common stereotype
about professional gamers is that
all players are kids. According to
Janzen, the stereotype isn’t far
off from reality. “Most players
are within either mid-teen or mid-
twenties with some reaching on the
edge of thirty.”

This is more than likely due
to the belief that younger players
have faster reaction times than
older players, which in games such
as League of Legends and DotA 2,
is crucial for success. The older
players in the eSports scene are
predominately Counter-Strike and
StarCraft players, where Less
emphasis 1S put on reaction speed
and more stress is placed upon
experience and strategy.

The average age is expected to
rise overall in both areas as games
begin getting older and flow of fresh
talent begins slowing down.

However, it is not all fun
and games for players. The job of
a professional gamer is one of
self-sacrifice. Many professional
players find their lives are solely
dedicated to the game they play
and they no longer have time for
anything besides practicing. While
this sounds negative, it is not
necessarily a bad thing. Players
who find themselves in the position
to go pro are truly within the
@.001 per cent of all players. For
example, LoL has a player count of
24 million-only 200 of them are
considered professionals.

This only slightly makes up
for the fact that playing eSports
as a career is in itself, is a
huge risk. When asked about job
security in the eSports industry
as a player, Janzen said, “There’s
no regulations on most teams, in
most eSports even.. Suddenly you’re
not good enough. ‘Sorry, you’re off
the team’.. That’s it. That’s the
brutality of it.. I would personally
never recommend anybody do this (be
a pro player) unless you already are
a top player.”

Nevertheless, the craze of
eSports has infatuated much of the
civilized world to date. Game on.

DOUGLAS COLLEGE
HAS AN ESPORTS
CLUB AS WELL

The club is split into
two areas of play: casual and
competitive. The casual side of
the club focuses on getting people
out to events to have fun. The
club often puts together social
events and encourages players
of all skill Levels to come and
play with each other. The goal is
to introduce students to other
students who share the same
interest in them by offering a
friendly environment.

The competitive side of
the club runs much differently.
eM eMM aL nM MCMC -Lelael AG)
GPA, be full-time students, and be
competitive in nature. The goal
is to find events and tournaments
for students who wish to represent
Douglas College competitively.
Team-based games that garner more
interest than spaces available are
subject to tryout, much like any
other sports team.

Teams practice three times a
week, usually in the evening, or
whenever it is best for everyone.
ALl spots on teams are refreshed
every semester, offering fair
opportunities to those who are
interested while also keeping
current players on their toes.

Past events that the club
has sent teams to are the North
American Collegiate Championships
CNACC) CLeague of Legends),

Heroes of the Dorm CHeroes of the
Storm), and Hearthstone Collegiate
Championships CHearthstone).

Future competitive teams
and events where Douglas will
participate are The NACC Copen
to applications & competitive),
Hearthstone tournaments Calways
open & competitive), fighting games
Ccasual/semi-competitive events),
and Rocket League (casual).

If you wish to join a team,
come out to events hosted by
the Douglas eSports Club, or
simply find their Facebook page
at facebook.com/dsue-Sports and
contact them.