eSports has emerged as a billion dollar tech trend in 2015 thanks, in great part, to continued growth and more mainstream awareness. However, several themes are crystal clear: industry maturity is being outpaced by overall growth, the debate on whether eSports is a sport still rages on, and equitable governance/oversight is badly needed. And while the larger issue of player rights dominates the discourse, issues like career longevity remain prominent. Factors like low pay, toxic team environments and team mismanagement affect the lifespan of pro gamers. Unfortunately, the eSports industry will only rise as high as the career prospects of its pro gamers.

Specifically, three areas must be addressed: professionalization of coaching, salaries, and amateurism.

Professionalization

The lack of professional associations, qualifications, credentials, etc. is not surprising given the relative infancy of the eSports industry. However, a tremendous growth rate and continuous increase in market size has exacerbated the lack of occupational structure. Functions such as coaching, team management and ownership are not guided by well formed guidelines or proscriptions. As a search and recruiting coordinator at eSports Group, I’m privy to the gap between the required experience/skill of eSports coaches and the market for talent. Also, there are scant filters for separating the wheat from the chaff. The answer is to establish occupational closure, which is basically closing off a profession to unqualified parties. This requires resources for developing and qualifying professionals, which without such, there is no major sporting activity. eSports is no exception.

The recent fiasco involving Copenhagen Wolves coach, Karl “Dentist” Krey, reveals how disheveled today’s eSports coaching and team management practices can be. The need for institutions, which develop coaches, is patently clear when things go awry. Plus, given the relative youth of most coaches, its rare the critical skills and experiences have been obtained in other domains. A new venture, the eSport Coaching Network (ECN), is out to address the gap through training, live events and certifications. More similarly focused services and associations must emerge to raise the level of competency across the industry.

Salaries

See this past post on why player salaries are the rising tide which lifts all ships. The synopsis: a pro eSports team produces media (competitive play) consumed by fans and viewers alike; sponsors can then align their products with this media, apparel can be sold, and other business opportunities are made possible as a result. Product quality, in this case, is directly determined by player performance. Equitably paid players are less likely to experience economic uncertainty which can contribute to premature burnout and the higher turnover rates, which come along with it.

Amateurism

Currently, the notion of amateurism is gone missing from the eSports world. A loose definition of what a professional eSports athlete is, and isn’t, does not bode well for the overall health of pro gaming. A better definition of amateurism, and according organized systems of play, will reinforce a better flow of mature young adults into pro eSports. A college student debating whether to leave school and pursue a pro career should have the option of continuing his/her education without sacrificing skill development.

In North America, the NCAA offers the option of continuing education in parallel to developing as an athlete. For all its warts, the NCAA is the top player development system of play for NA professional teams in the major sports (basketball, baseball, American football). A similar approach is needed in eSports; where a formally recognized amateur division is available for future pros but also those who won’t progress to the professional level.

Success through Imitation

Addressing the plight of today’s eSports pros might seem contradictory as reports of fame, money and acclaim surface from more mainstream media outlets. The reality is, most pros will never see six figure incomes, endorsement deals, or significant streaming contracts. The three areas mentioned above exist in every major sport across the world, by design. Traditional sports have figured out that it pays to pay your players well. The same applies for eSports, where its continued emergence as a serious sporting activity, literally depends on it.

eSports Group monitors hundreds of trending signals to keep you “in the game” of the global eSports industry.  Join our free mailing list and stay connected to the business side of eSports – http://tinyletter.com/afletcher

Alex Fletcher is founder & president at eSports Group, where he helps customers meet their eSports advisory & consulting needs. When Alex isn’t glued to a screen, he spends time with his wife, their two dogs, and pretends to learn Polish. Feel free to stalk him on Twitter – @FletchUnleashed