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Esports, short for electronic sports, is the term for organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, played individually or as teams for spectators. Saying the word Esports (please 🙏 don’t use ‘e-gaming’) is like saying the word sports. There are lots of different sports and there are lots of different esports, each based around a different video game title. Pros are usually good at most any game, but they specialize in a singular title.

At Evil Geniuses, we believe that our players are athletes and try to provide them the best environment and amenities to win. We also know the path to pro is important, so we’ve been working with colleges and running our HPE Futures Combine to help amateur players make it big.

I grew up as the best gamer among my friends and played Super Smash Bros Melee competitively for a few years. It was an incredible experience going toe to toe with some of the greats (Ken, Mew2King, et al) at tournaments. I quickly realized that while I was good, I wasn’t that good and maybe I had to have other career aspirations. But, I learned a lot even though I lost a lot.

1. SO, YOUR KID WANTS TO BE A PROFESSIONAL GAMER?

2. ICYMI

3. SCREEN STUDIES

4. COACH'S CORNER

5. LEARN THE LINGO

6. LOAD OUT

SO, YOUR KID WANTS TO BE A PROFESSIONAL GAMER?

Ask a classroom nowadays what they want to be when they grow up and you’ll probably hear: esports athlete, YouTuber, or influencer.  In fact, I recently went in for Career Day at my son’s elementary school and there were quite a few hands up for those futures.

Do they have a shot?

Well, it’s really hard to say, but signs point towards it being pretty dang slim. Because it’s such an accessible medium, you don’t need to be 6’5” and 250lbs to make it big. Anyone with a computer or console can be a superstar, making it an even more difficult proposition.

But maybe you are seeing a proclivity towards this world - it could be the one in which they are flourishing, maybe it’s opening them up socially, or maybe they aren’t interested in sports or other hobbies - what can you do next?

If you hear from a lot of EG’s athletes - they played a lot of matches, made a name for themselves online, formed a team with friends, kept making changes to that team roster, and were eventually signed to pro contracts.

Unlike traditional sports, there’s not really a well-trod path to follow. In baseball, for example, you’d see them go from Tee-ball to Little League to All-Stars to Select to high school and then onto college or the pros.

Esports is still so new that it doesn’t have anything like this yet.

So, then what?

Do they just keep playing over and over? Well, kind of, yes. Players need to put in the time, but playing without a focus on getting better is just wasted practice.

Here are some things you can do to help them on their journey 🗺️:

• Find a camp, or local recreational esports league for more structured practice and competition - a lot of local colleges host esports camps as well.

  • The Genius Guide will have some virtual summer camp materials in our July & August newsletters as well

• Hire a coach specific to their game

  • Lots of coaching platforms out there provide former pros or coaches (or highly ranked players) who can help them improve. Think of this like a private instructor in golf/tennis.

• Practice at home with Aimlabs or VOD reviews

  • Both of these are essential for pro players and both are FREE!

    • Evil Geniuses players use Aimlabs to warm up and hone their hand eye coordination

    • VOD Reviews help you take a second look at your gameplay to understand what went right or wrong and then allows you to focus on those things the next time around

• Have them join or start an esports club at their high school or college

  • It’s now a normal part of extracurriculars to have a gaming or esports club - they’ll find likeminded friends and competition

• Find local events near you

  • If you want to have them give competing a try but don’t know where to look, this site provides a list of local tournaments.

ICYMI

• Premiering at Tribeca this year is Quad Gods, a documentary that looks at three members of an all-quadriplegic esports team that blends rehab, socializing and competition. Dubbed by reviewers as “Murderball for Esports” - it sheds a light on the esports scene in a new way.

• Video games can have a positive impact on children—if designed with the right features, says new study

• Nintendo’s latest Direct showcases a new Legend of Zelda Game, Mario Party Jamboree, and Metroid Prime 4 🤩

SCREEN STUDIES

VALORANT

VALORANT is one of the most popular games out there on the PC and soon to be PS5 & XBOX. (And the esports title that Evil Geniuses won a World Championship in last year)

It is a 5v5 tactical combat sim with fantasy characters called agents. The agents’ abilities provide teams with a strategic advantage and each team gets a turn on each side: attacking (offense) and defending (defense).

The game is split into two halves of 12 rounds; after the first half teams swap sides. The first team to reach 13 rounds wins the game.

Attackers win rounds by planting and detonating a ‘spike’ or eliminating all defenders. Defenders win rounds by defusing the spike, defeating all attackers, or delaying the spike from being planted before time runs out.

1. The Mini Map - It shows where you are on the map, your teammates in green, opponents in red, as well as the Spike sites (A, B, or C)

2. Each side’s (Attack or Defense) Agents. Your team is green. Health bars are under the Agent pictures. An agent with a Yellow box means they have their Ultimate Ability ready.

3. The round timer, it counts down from 100 seconds and is reset to 45 seconds if the Spike is planted. From there, the defenders have 45 seconds to try to defuse or they lose the round.

4. Damage indicator - showing the player has been hit and in which direction

5. Enemy Agent (with a red outline)

6. Teammates - Green silhouettes that can be seen through walls.

7. Health & Armor - The larger number is health (100 is base) and the number in the hexagon is armor. 0 health = 🪦 

8. Agent Abilities - Every agent has different abilities. They have one ability by default but must buy the others using credits earned during a match. A white with a green color underneath means it is usable. The grayed out one (rightmost) is the Ultimate Ability, a game-changing ability that is unlocked by filling up those small circles called orbs, which are earned in a variety of ways. A great ultimate ability can win a round for your team.

9. Ammo - The larger number is the amount left in your clip before you need to reload. The smaller one is the ammo you have left.

10. Credits - the amount of money that you have. Money is used to buy better guns, abilities, and armor at the start of each round.

COACH’S CORNER 

Unedited and raw words of wisdom from a championship-winning player and the current world championship-winning coach of Evil Geniuses VALORANT team - Christine “Potter” Chi.

• When did you know you wanted to be a pro gamer?

  • I knew I wanted to be a pro gamer the very second I found out that was even a thing. When I found out that people were actually getting paid with gaming peripherals and with trips to go to LANs (Local Area Network tournaments), I knew that’s what I wanted to do.

• If you could go back in time, what advice would you give your younger self?

  • To fail more. Go out there, fail more… try it, learn, and go again.

• What’s the best piece of advice you received while growing up?

  • Something about doing your job. I still use that to this day. With my players and that’s just my coaching style, making sure everyone understands that there’s only so much you can control, but focus on what you can control.

Do you have questions for Evil Geniuses world championship winning coaches? Send them your hot takes, burning questions, or random asks: [email protected]. We’ll answer the best ones in upcoming newsletters.

LEARN THE LINGO

LOAD OUT

I was born a little too soon to have a career as a pro gamer but as I look at what the future can hold for esports, building that path to pro for aspiring kids to experience competition, teamwork, and the thrill of victory and agony of defeat is a massive need for this industry to continue to be successful.

Thank you for being a part of these initial pilot editions of the Genius Guide. We will be sharing a survey out for feedback and will be back soon with our regularly scheduled weekly editions.

In the meantime, GLHF,

Chris

[email protected]

What I’m playing right now:

Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom