How to become a cyberathlete?

Remember the old saying that playing video games will never get you anywhere. And that time is best spent studying! But that's not true anymore, because cybersport is no longer just a game, it's a full-fledged sport.

Various eSports disciplines draw multimillion audiences in online broadcasts and packed eSports arenas and stadiums. And the prize pool for such tournaments is currently as high as $40 million.

Cybersport is a relatively young sport. Initially, it was small competitions in games where scoring was done, in projects such as Spacewar, Asteroids, Space Invaders. And the first tournament that could be called a cybersport tournament was in the game Quake in 1997. 

But the most significant event that started the development of eSports was the World Cyber Games (WCG) international tournament, which was held in various countries from 2000 to 2013.

By far the most prestigious and biggest championships are those run by the game developers themselves, such as the League of Legends World Championship or The International in Dota 2.

As cybersport has begun to gain in popularity and has begun to be recognised as an official sport, it is no longer enough for players to have good experience in the game. For this reason, more and more educational institutes around the world have started to open cybersports programmes and are even starting to offer scholarships to students who excel in their specific gaming fields.

In March 2016, the University of California, Irvine announced that it would become the first public university to launch a scholarship programme on the cybersports game League of Legends.

A private liberal arts university in Kentucky, is offering scholarships to students who excel in cybersports. Similar to athletic scholarships, students applying for a cybersports scholarship, will have to maintain a certain grade point average and participate in mandatory workouts. "It will be a regime a lot like athletics," said Principal Bruce Parsons. Pikeville University actively seeks out top students by visiting local high schools, holding practice matches with prospective students and collecting information on their in-game ratings and toxicity reports. 

One of the first schools to incorporate cybersport into its core curriculum. High school students will be required to study cybersport for at least five hours per week. The main aim of this programme is to improve students' ability to stay focused for long periods of time. Students enrolled in the course will be provided with computers equipped with Nvidia GeForce GTX 980Ti graphics cards to give them the best gaming experience.

Columbia College has announced that it will be offering scholarships for cyber athletes at the end of 2016. The idea for the cybersports programme came to college president Scott Dalrymple after his students took part in a video game competition in 2014. The college plans to turn the old football locker room into a full-fledged gaming arena.

In August 2015, Arlanda Gymnasiet School in Sweden registered seven students to take part in their new cybersports curriculum. "When students graduate, we want them to have the best opportunities imaginable to support themselves by engaging in cyber sports, but also have an alternative if that doesn't happen," said Principal Eriksson.

Since 2017, Georgia Southern University has been pushing hard to develop a cybersports programme after their “Eagles” team finished second in the NACE Overwatch Championship.

The university described what students are doing as part of the cybersports programme:

Empowerment: We empower gamers mentally, physically and spiritually to prepare them for the real world.

Supply: We equip our gamers with high-quality resources and tools to ensure their success and victory.

Challenge: We encourage our gamers to always be better by creating a strong competitive atmosphere based on teamwork.

A private cybersports school designed for children and teenagers. In the first year, pupils are introduced to computer technology and develop active reflexes for cybersport. In the second and third years, students are taught teamwork, and in the fourth year they start competing in cybersport competitions.

A non-profit private university based in Chicago is the first college in the US to offer a cyber sports programme. Robert Morris University will award large scholarships to students participating in competitive games, particularly League of Legends. Students will have access to on-board facilities and professional coaches.

Schools, universities and colleges are not the only chance to become a cyber athlete. Various eSports organizations often look at rankings of successful players and create what are known as academies. In this way, organizations look for new players and the players themselves get a chance to become a cyber athlete.

For example, in January 2021, Virtus.pro announced the VP.Prodigy roster, which included players from Team Generation, who decided to try theirselves at qualifying for ESL One CIS Online Season 1: Lower Division.

The OG organisation, in 2019, announced a second line-up of OG.Seed, which consisted of still unpopular players. The organisation commented on the announcement, 

In December 2021, Team Unique said it will continue to develop its own academy and will announce several new line-ups in the near future.

Recently, the stereotypical image of the 'gamer' has become increasingly blurred. Many people are becoming interested in eSports, and the trend is continuing apace. And it would seem that the only measure of success is your skill and nothing else. But what separates the newcomer from the professional in any sport is tactics, work on mistakes and teamwork. And cybersport is no exception.

Thanks to Team Spirit's victory at TI10, it has become clear to many that young people are winning in cybersport. Yes, they have the help of more experienced players. But reaction speed and decision-making is faster among young cyber players. The demand for young talent has grown, and organizations are looking for them, both in the game and among successful students. And it is happening in every discipline: Dota 2, LoL, CS:GO, PUBG, etc. So those who dream of becoming champions or playing in major tournaments should sometimes pay more attention to computer games and working on themselves.