The life of a professional DOTA gamer surely looks like a miracle: you play your favorite videogame, you spend time with like-minded people (at least, in terms of a favorite videogame), and you make huge monetary sums just playing. But, as it usually is, the reality is not that blissful. So, if you want to know what the usual day of a player from famous DOTA 2 teams looks like, read further!
The Schedule
Zoltan Andrejkovics, who wrote the book “A Newborn Business: Esports”, once shared on Quora that once you become a professional eSports player, your approach to the game changes. You stop seeing it as leisure: it becomes a tool in your eyes. It does not mean that one does not enjoy the game anymore, but from now it is a kind of satisfaction you would get from work — and this is another argument as to why eSports is an actual career path.
From the numerous interviews with professional players from the best DOTA 2 teams, we can roughly estimate their daily routine.
- Morning, 9 to 11 am. Time to wake up, have a healthy breakfast, and maybe get some not-too-tiresome exercising to fully warm up.
- Rest after training, then a nutritious lunch.
- In the afternoon comes a warm-up game. It could be solo or with teammates or friends. No competition and specific tasks, it just serves to prepare you and let you tune in and get a specific mindset.
- Then goes a team meeting with your co-players and coach. You discuss daily plans and your objectives for today. Are you to test a new strategy? Analyze a game? Get familiar with the new build, hero, or meta? Play a scrim?
- Proceed as planned.
- Dinner break!
- Free time. Many players use this time slot to exercise. Physical activity is essential for you to be sharp and comfortable for prolonged gaming sessions.
- Evening session. If it includes a competitive event, such as a scrim, you warm up before starting.
- Personal practice.
- Get to sleep to start again tomorrow.
On average, the professional player spends six to eight hours a day playing DOTA 2, but the number can easily be shot up to 12 or 14. And that is without mentioning discussing things with the team and the coach, watching and analyzing top-listed games, learning updates, etc. The game requires a full commitment, and there is no such thing as holidays: in fact, December is a pretty tight month for a DOTA 2 player. There is a roster lock for the new season, and this is a hectic time, there are Christmas tournaments, and you cannot afford to fall out from the events.
The Training
Let us look closer at what professional DOTA 2 training will include.
- Spectation. This activity means that the teams find a top-listed game in the lobby and watch it. The team can discuss strategy, study decisions, and, possibly, have some useful insights about the game.
- Scrim match. This is a match against another professional team. It allows you to refine your strategy and cooperation while playing against the real players of your league. The trick here is not to reveal too much about your tactics: the opposite team is here to learn, too.
- Reviewing gaming footage. Either from training sessions or the actual tournaments, watching the video and discussing what has happened, what was done well, and what has not so much is very helpful for further strategy building.
- Hardcore Clan Ranked matches to put on maximum pressure and bring up 100% effectiveness.
- Solo ranked match with a different role to keep mind flexible and soothe a little.
Sponsorships
Esports is very attractive to investors for three main reasons:
- Growth. The industry evolves and that means it becomes more and more perspective.
- Exposure. The events have literally millions of followers which is a great opportunity for advertising your product.
- Loyalty. The fans watch their idols closely and buy the products they use: because for them it is a sign of good quality or to support a brand that sponsors their favorites.
This is why major DOTA 2 events are sponsored by DHL, Monster Energy, Intel, Mastercard, Spotify, LG, and other global trademarks. And here are some team sponsors:
⦁ Mountain Dew: Splyce, Team SK Gaming, and Team Dignitas;
⦁ Comcast Xfinity: Evil Geniuses
⦁ HyperX: Team Liquid
⦁ AMD: Vici Gaming
As you can see, being a pro DOTA 2 player is not an easy walk, but it can be rewarding. It all depends on your point of view and the level of commitment you are ready to show.
I'm a published author and proud US Army veteran who happens to be a gamer, so I decided to combine the two and love every minute of it! Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments and I'll be sure to get back to you.
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