The life of a professional gamer is filled with rigorous training schedules and a packed tournament schedule. Over time, this can lead to issues like burnout unless players are disciplined about their health.
Video games SLOT ONLINE are much faster and more immersive than ever before, making it easy to fantasize about the life of a professional gamer. So, how do esports players—and by extension, esports teams—maintain daily routines that support them in continuing to play the games they excel at? To answer, we spoke with professional players in Overwatch*, Counter-Strike*: Global Offensive* (CS:GO), and League of Legends*.
We interviewed two professional gamers—Lynnie “artStar” Noquez of Counter-Strike*: Global Offensive organization Team Dignitas* and Cody Sun of League of Legends* team Clutch Gaming Academy*—both of whom described their daily lifestyles as six to eight hours of structured team practice, always supplemented by several hours of additional solo practice. Noquez summarizes a typical daily schedule:
I wake up around 11:00 a.m. and respond to all work emails. Then I get ready around 12:00-1:00 p.m., cook lunch with my fiancé, or sometimes go out to eat with his family. I spend the afternoon doing whatever I need to do that day, like shopping for groceries, cleaning the house, preparing dinner, or if I’m lucky and everything is done beforehand, I usually spend time with family and friends. I do all of these activities until around 5:00 p.m., after which I start individual Counter-Strike* practice. I usually watch demos, review weapons, play some games, or stream on Twitch*. Around 7:00 p.m., I start team practice with Dignitas*. There’s a dinner break in between, and we usually finish around 11:00 p.m. After that, I usually go straight to bed and repeat the same thing the next day, five days a week!
Other athletes might practice during the day instead of at night, but the rest of their routine is similar to mine—making as much time as possible for gaming, then fitting in work and other commitments when possible.
H2 Practice, Practice, Practice
What does all this practice time actually look like? While professional esports training regimens may vary based on their peripheral preferences, there are some common practices they all share.
For popular esports like League of Legends*, practice time is essentially playing the same games other gamers play, over and over (and over again).
Although League of Legends* developer Riot Games* added a frequently requested practice mode to the game in 2017, Cody Sun of Clutch Gaming Academy* says that the best athletes should already be well-versed in the game’s technical details like last-hitting (killing an enemy ally at the right time to maximize gold and XP earnings) or flashing (short-distance teleportation) that aren’t covered in practice. Additionally, they continue to scrim, usually against each other or other professional teams—the same opponents throughout the tournament season. These games are recorded and displayed for athletes, managers, and coaches to learn from, identifying areas of weakness or strengthening team synergy.
However, when training alone, athletes simply engage in ranked games like everyone else. Cody Sun vividly remembers the initial recognition of his abilities by the top amateur athletes he became friends with and rivals, recalling his rise through the game ranks and the satisfaction he felt when competing against professional athletes he admired, such as Shan “Chaox” Huang.
“I try to stay humble,” Cody Sun said in response to teammates’ praise while practicing solo ranked games. “Because I’ve been in the exact same situation.”
Staying Active in the Real World
Esports athletes often emphasize the importance of physical activity in their health routines. For some Overwatch League* athletes, like Eli “Elk” Gallager, a fitness routine is a complement to their in-game training.
“I’d never been to a gym before joining the team,” Gallagher said. “I enjoyed working out in high school, but not really into it. When I joined [the Philadelphia Fusion*], I talked to Tucker [Roberts], the gym owner, and said, ‘I want a personal trainer. Even if it’s just me, I want a gym and a personal trainer. I think that would be really helpful for me as an esports athlete.’”
