Chinese gamers reflect: what's the difference between a talented gamer and a pro?

As eSports continues to grow throughout Asia, it’s a question that’s on many gamers’ minds: could I go pro? Playing the game you love for money seems like a dream job, but even gamers with the mechanical skills to dominate the leaderboards as amateurs haven’t always had success as professionals. The most recent example might be Yao “Maybe” Lu, a talented amateur from China’s Dota 2 scene who got picked up by LGD to replace the departing xiao8…but who has recently been riding the bench.

Of course, Maybe’s still young and his time may yet come. But there’s no doubt that for many gamers, the transition from highly-skilled player to professional isn’t as easy as one might expect.

So what is it that differentiates a leaderboard-dominating amateur from a successful pro? Netease Games put that question to Chinese gamers and collected a few of the best responses, which we’ve translated below:

魔法时代:

One important factor is probably attitude. Regardless of what you’re talking about, when something becomes your profession, that will change your original attitude towards it. Normally, playing games is just for fun, but when victory and defeat can influence your daily life [i.e. your income], it’s not so much fun anymore. As a gamer if you lose a game, at worst you’ll just try to win the next one, but as a pro losing a game can mean a lower prize, none at all, or even be a precursor to losing your job.

Carlion:

Without the offline self-discipline in the heat of battle, there will always be a difference between good gamers and pros. It looks like a simple thing, but under the spotlights in a competition it isn’t that east. It’s like in regular sports, the apex players compete with psychology rather than technique. If your level is good enough and you have a big heart [i.e. a strong mentality], then the championship is all yours.

圣光烤肉君:

Often professional competitions are not too similar to regular gameplay. In addition to the mentality being different, the strategies are also very different. For gamers usually normal matches are won and lost in a single game, but professional competitions are often best of 3 or best of 5. This requires the pros to have more moves, more tactics, and to rationally use psychological strategies to defeat their enemies.

In the end, though, an anonymous commenter on the article might have hit the nail most directly on the head. What’s the difference between gifted amateurs and pros in gaming?

It’s the difference between street basketball and the NBA.