How to Become an Esports Expert

The world of esports is one of the fastest growing areas of modern culture, and as the level of prize money and the size of the audience increases, so conversations among esports fans become ever more sophisticated and nuanced.

There is a lot of in-depth knowledge in the esports fandom and there are many reasons for improving your expertise in your favorite sport, from those who want to understand what they are watching to those who want to work in or even bet on esports.

For instance, betting websites Ireland or the UK have seen emerging are increasingly common, as they are across parts of Asia, Europe, and the US, and becoming an expert can give you an edge over other bettors. 

But whether you are betting on esports or not, by boosting your knowledge and understanding, you can learn to appreciate the games, the teams, and the players to a greater extent, enhancing your enjoyment along the way.

Know Your Terminology

It isn’t possible to be an expert in all esports, but the language of esports is something that is common to many different sports, and it can be helpful to know some of the main terminology that can be applied across multiple games, from Rocket League to Dota 2.

• ·Map: Most esports are played across a map and a series of maps will be used in rotation.
• ·Carry: In team esports, a star player who can quickly do a lot of damage to the other team.
• Tank: In League of Legends, the player on the team that can take the most damage.
• GG: Short for ‘good game’.
• KDA: ‘Kills, deaths and assists’, which are often used as a statistical measure of performance
• Lag: Choppy or slow gameplay caused by poor internet or LAN connection speed
• Meta: Game developers will regularly come up with changes to the standard game across most esports, and these changes are described as the ‘new meta’.

Know Your Game

You may already have a favorite esports game, but if you don’t, or if you are thinking about changing to focus on another, the good news is that knowledge in some games can overlap, even if only slightly, with those that are of the same genre. These are the top ten current most popular esports on PC and console, by peak viewing figures in 2023, listed along with their genre.

An affinity for one genre of gaming over another can help you to decide which game you want to specialize in and in some cases can give you more than one option.

Watch the Players

Whether your preferred sport is a team or individual game, the key to becoming an esports expert is to know the players; their strengths, and their weaknesses. It is also important to have an understanding of the context and trajectory of a player’s career and the way that their roles change.

For instance, Bill ‘Eyla’ Nguyen, who is now with Evil Geniuses, was the primary shot-caller for Team Liquid Academy then had to take on a lesser role when he moved to FlyQuest, one of the world’s top LOL teams. Newer players can sometimes struggle early in their careers, despite their talent, particularly in the big tournaments with the eyes of millions on them.

Teams also appear to have strengths and weaknesses. For example, it is common, particularly in games where the map is key, such as CS:GO, for teams to play some maps better than others. Illness and psychological factors can also affect players and have an impact on their performance.

Read the News

Ultimately, if you want to be an esports expert, you need to know everything there is to know about your chosen sport and that means keeping up with the news, checking out relevant fan sites, watching as many highlights as you can, and checking the stats and results in detail for those games that you weren’t able to see. Being an expert in an esport can be very satisfying, but it is hard work and expertise can usually only be achieved by the most dedicated esports fan.