{"id":992,"date":"2021-01-14T04:02:08","date_gmt":"2021-01-14T04:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aca.gg\/en\/?p=992"},"modified":"2023-07-11T09:45:14","modified_gmt":"2023-07-11T09:45:14","slug":"preparing-to-be-a-us-college-esports-player","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aca.gg\/en\/2021\/01\/preparing-to-be-a-us-college-esports-player\/","title":{"rendered":"Preparing to be a US College Esports Player"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\ud83d\udea9Find Your Motivation\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

As with anything in life, it\u2019s important to play college Esports for the right reasons. In the long run, positive motivations are what keep student and players engaged.\u00a0For college esports players this means a combination of education, and the chance to play, and compete, in top-ranked tournaments.<\/p>\n\n

\ud83d\udea9Pick Your Game<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

The next step is to find your game. The value of picking a game that\u2019s established as a college Esport is that the infrastructure and resources are already in place to support your college career. Longstanding Esports titles like\u00a0League of Legends<\/em>,\u00a0Dota 2<\/em>, and\u00a0CounterStrike: Global Offensive\u00a0<\/em>(CS:GO<\/em>), for example, have large, dedicated player bases and, by extension, sponsored tournaments, college scholarships and strong support from the esports community and from the college system.<\/p>\n\n

\ud83d\udea9Join the Community<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

As much as college gaming is about individual talent, it\u2019s also about the culture surrounding the game. Before investing too much time learning the nuts and bolts of a specific game, spend some time on forums and other places where players congregate. The experience will provide a better indication of the path ahead, and you\u2019ll be able to judge if the college player journey aligns with your personal goals and motivations.<\/p>\n

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\ud83d\udea9Gear Up\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Make sure you’re playing on the right gear, starting with a good gaming mouse, and mechanical keyboard. There are a lot of options when it comes to peripherals \u2014 varying in size, form factor, and sensitivity \u2014 but it’s best to choose the one that works for you.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

\ud83d\udea9Practice\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

If you want to play college esports, you\u2019ll need to practice.<\/p>\n\n

First, master the game\u2019s mechanics. Concentrate on learning game-specific skills until they become ingrained in your muscle memory. Whether that\u2019s last-hitting in a MOBA, aiming with accuracy in an FPS, or maximizing actions-per-minute in an RTS, these skills never lose their importance.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

The best college players, and pro players too, practice mechanics tirelessly to stay sharp and make minute improvements, but players who are just starting out should improve dramatically with practice.<\/p>\n\n

\ud83d\udea9Climb the Ladder<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

If you want to be a college varsity esports player, it takes a strong desire to win at every phase of competition. This means topping the scoreboard in pick-up groups, climbing the ladder in matchmaking, and being the last team standing in tournaments.<\/p>\n\n

Familiarize yourself with the hierarchy of the levels of competition, as each Esport has its own system in place for bringing new players into the fold. In\u00a0CS:GO<\/em>, for example, a player typically progresses from public games to matchmaking and then on to leagues and tournaments. There will be different trajectories for different Esports.<\/p>\n\n

Climbing the ladder allows young players to make a name for themselves. This can help them find a spot on an amateur team, which in turn can be a stepping stone to getting recruited to a good college team.<\/p>\n\n

\ud83d\udea9Find a Team\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Once you build a reputation as a serious competitor, find a team. Playing alongside others \u2014 especially those who are better than you, or who have different skill sets \u2014 is one of the most valuable experiences a player can have.<\/p>\n\n

Learning to play well with others is required for team-based games like\u00a0CS:GO<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Dota 2<\/em>. So find a role that you like and a group of players that you gel with. But even for solo games like\u00a0Hearthstone<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0StarCraft 2<\/em>, there\u2019s value in connecting with a like-minded sub-community.<\/p>\n\n

\ud83d\udea9Compete and Get Noticed\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Getting good at the game is only half the battle. The other half is making connections that will help you ascend the competitive ladder. Once you\u2019ve found your footing in more competitive lobbies, start networking.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

\ud83d\udea9Stay Balanced\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Don\u2019t forget your academics.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Stay focused on school and your grades.\u00a0\u00a0Keep improving your English skills too.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0While the grind mentality looms large in Esports, prospective college players must learn how to balance their practice regimen and academic studies.<\/p>\n

Esports<\/a>\nUS College<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Next Post<\/u><\/strong>
In our next post we\u2019ll introduce you the NACE, the National Association of Collegiate Esports.\u00a0\u00a0NACE is the primary governing body for college esports in the United States.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

About ACA
<\/u><\/strong>ACA is an Asian-based sports and esports consultancy that guides student athletes and their families through the complexities of the US college recruiting process. We help promote students to all colleges in the U.S. that have esports teams.\u00a0 We assist families and their esports athletes through every step of the process from putting together a profile and academic history all the way through to college application and visa requirements.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Preparing to be a US College Esports Player<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":993,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[41],"class_list":{"0":"post-992","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-esports","8":"tag-us-college"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aca.gg\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/992","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aca.gg\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aca.gg\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aca.gg\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aca.gg\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=992"}],"version-history":[{"count":27,"href":"https:\/\/aca.gg\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/992\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1511,"href":"https:\/\/aca.gg\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/992\/revisions\/1511"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aca.gg\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aca.gg\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aca.gg\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aca.gg\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}