Described as a “24/7 job that does not sleep” by NRG esports co-CEO Hector “h3cz” Rodriguez in January, the road to becoming an esports professional, as in traditional sports, is not easy.

Although the industry has grown rapidly in recent years, an overall lack of structure below the professional level provides no clear-cut path for players to climb.

Instead, amateur competitive gaming is more of a free-for-all in which players hope to be recognized and recruited by a professional organization.

But what does this mean for those hoping to reach the top?

Starting out

Generally, professional esports athletes start their careers by noticing that their video gaming talent is ahead of the curve across several different games. Similar to traditional athletes who tend to focus their athleticism on a particular sport, aspiring esports professionals have to specialize in one competitive title.

“I think that there are some skills that can spread across all games, but it’s really mastery of a specific game that helps,” professional “Overwatch” player Elijah Hudson “Elk” Gallagher said in an October 2019 interview with TechRadar.

Given the lack of physical exertion, which limits how much ball-and-stick athletes can commit their bodies to training, some esports athletes pour 10-12 hours of daily practice into their game of choice in order to compete at the industry’s highest levels.

Collegiate gaming

Having started just over a decade ago, collegiate esports primarily consist of clubs and student-run organizations with little to no official backing from their respective schools.

Georgia students looking to play competitively can join Esports, UGA, a club whose teams battle other colleges in games including “Overwatch,” “League of Legends” and “Rocket League.”

Ole Miss Esports’ LANShark tournaments are one such intercollegiate venue. A nationwide organization, the Collegiate Star League began in collaboration with game developer Riot Games in 2011 and puts on yearly seasons and tournaments for 15 different games.

At the inaugural 2019 CSL Fortnite event, the Bulldog duo of Ibrahim Diaz Nasser and Jack Stuttard took home first place and its $6,000 prize.

Talent recognizes talent

Esports have been one of the fastest growing industries of the 21st century, but the industry’s youth has also revealed its lack of structure.

Over the years, scandals regarding player salaries and competitive integrity have highlighted loopholes found in rules and contracts, and scouting and recruiting retains minimal official organizational recognition.

Essentially, when it comes to getting recruited to play at the next level, it falls entirely on the individual esports athlete’s ability to get attention from someone already at the higher level.

The most straightforward method is simple: be the best player. Pick-up teams assembled in public online gaming sessions are the most common way to build notoriety.

“I just played solo queue after solo queue after solo queue,” said professional “League of Legends” player Rasmus “Caps” Winther in a November 11 interview with Redbull Gaming. “I learn[ed] how to play as a team from that … I just kept climbing solo queue and trying my hardest to get noticed in that sense, which eventually led to Fnatic giving me an offer.”

A “solo queue” refers to a player joining a public “League of Legends” match. After matching with other random players from around the world, players advance their in-game rank, and join more and more competitive players.

For Winther, this eventually led to recognition from professional European esports organization, Fnatic.

The NBA 2K League, co-founded by the NBA and video game publisher Take Two Interactive, has developed a more streamlined selection process. Since 2018, league hopefuls have competed in qualifying events to enter a professional basketball-esque draft and be divided among 23Col professional teams.

Currently, 138 “NBA 2K” athletes make at least $33,000-$37,500 to play in 16 league games and three tournaments streamed online and on ESPN2.

As esports grow, so will the opportunities for amateurs to turn pro. The current route, however, takes what you’d think: gaming, a lot of gaming.

William Newlin contributed to this article.

Printed with permission from The Red & Black independent student media organization based in Athens, Georgia; redandblack.com/sports