As a Latino, I already know what you’re thinking: A career in esports? My family would never approve!
But times have changed, and even Latino parents are becoming more accepting of diverse career choices, just like mine did.
Despite what people think, a career in esports doesn’t just mean becoming a gamer; that’s only one of the many routes you could take. There are many other diverse, creative, and rewarding career options you could choose from, and in this article, I’ll explore some of them.
Recommended Equipment for Esports
Before I talk about career options, it’s important to understand that you’ll need the best equipment, regardless of your career choice in esports. While having a powerful gaming PC or console is crucial, here are a few important options to help you get started:
- Monitor: An ideal gaming monitor offers a high refresh rate, quick response time, and certain adjustable features. You also want a high resolution for a decent experience, and to keep your eyes safe. I would recommend checking out the HP OMEN 24 and HP OMEN 27q gaming monitors.
- Keyboard: You want to focus on 3 things here: responsiveness, durability, and customization. This will help you keep up with fast-paced games and make changes based on your needs. I would recommend the Logitech G PRO X TKL.
- Mouse: For the mouse, you want to focus on something compact enough to easily fit your grip, light enough to easily be moved around, and responsive to ensure timely command processing. I would recommend the Razer Viper V3 Pro.
- Internet: Fast and reliable internet will allow you to play practice matches without worrying about lag and packet loss. I prefer Cox Internet for its speed and reliability. Plus, it helps that they offer bilingual assistance, so you can reach out to the Cox servicio al cliente in Spanish too if you’d like.
- Headset: Clear audio can be the differentiator between a great and a poor gaming experience. You want your headset to offer good but not extremely dense sound quality. You can consider the HyperX Cloud Stinger 2 gaming headset here.
- Microphone: These can help greatly when you play multiplayer games, which need instant communication. You want a mic that prevents any noise, interruptions, or barriers from making it through. The HyperX QuadCast S USB Microphone is a decent option. Plus, it also offers RGB lighting.
Now, let’s take a look at three promising career options for Latinos.
Professional Gamer
Let’s start with the most common option people go for in this industry. As a professional esports gamer, you’ll participate in esports tournaments for prizes, sponsorships, or other rewards.
However, becoming a professional esports gamer is not as easy as it sounds. It’s a journey that requires a lot of dedication, practice, and patience, an online presence, and also a setup that can help you do all that.
You’ll also be spending most of your time in front of the screen, practicing different strategies with your team and playing competitive matches.
Esports Coach
Behind all the action of an esports tournament is the mind, experience, and skill of a coach. You’re probably not going to become a coach right away and might need to spend a couple of years as a gamer.
This is because coaches need to guide, manage, and train a whole team of players to level up their skills and strategies. You will need to analyze gameplay footage, provide feedback, and develop full-scale game plans for a tournament.
The key to developing an edge here is mastering a game instead of trying to focus on multiple games together. Once you master a game, you have two options: coaching a team for a professional tournament or at educational institutions.
A lot of educational institutions are offering esports gaming scholarships, and I can bet they need a coach.
You might be better off weighing both options against your preferences to choose the right one. Coaching at an educational institution could mean more stability but less thrill, and coaching a tournament directly could mean more thrill, but also much more pressure.
Content Creator
If you feel you’ve got a creative spark and want to combine it with a passion for gaming, this might be the way to go. Content creation is a growing industry that requires a high level of creativity, quick thinking, and keeping up with trending topics.
As a gaming content creator, you will have to create videos, live streams, articles, and social media posts about esports or the whole gaming industry. You might also see yourself often partnering up with famous companies and teams to create sponsored content.
To expand your rep as a gaming content creator, establishing an online presence on platforms like YouTube, Discord, and Twitch is something you might want to highly focus on. You also want to become a part of online gaming forums and connect with other creators in the industry.
Esports – A Booming Industry With Diverse Career Opportunities for Latinos
From social work and starting businesses to films and music, we Latinos have made a name for ourselves in everything that we’ve become a part of. And now, esports presents us with many new, creative, and diverse opportunities where we can make yet another name for ourselves.
Whichever career option you opt for, channel the spirits of our ancestors and bring the Hispanic courage, dedication, and hard work we’re known for all around the world.