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Overview
It's time to prove all those people who said “video games are a waste of time” wrong. Esports has rewarded top gamers with prize money, glory, and even college scholarships. Want to get in on the action?
This book puts you on the path to get your share of the growing world of esports. It helps you figure out the gear you need to be competitive, the games that drive esports, how to break into competitive play, and how to use online platforms to get attention. Written by the esports program director at the first Division I university to field an esports team, this book defines and demystifies the complex world of competitive video gaming.
- Get the gear for your first esports battles
- Gain recognition for your skills online or in tournaments
- Discover the path to earning scholarships in esports
- Build your online identity
Get the insider tips you need to make your name in the esports universe.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781119650591 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Wiley |
| Publication date: | 04/28/2020 |
| Pages: | 304 |
| Sales rank: | 650,288 |
| Product dimensions: | 7.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.60(d) |
About the Author
Table of Contents
Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Foolish Assumptions 2
Icons Used in This Book 2
Beyond the Book 3
Where to Go from Here 3
Part 1 Getting Started with Esports 5
Chapter 1 What Are Esports? 7
Defining Esports 8
Regular publisher support 9
A large fan base 10
A clear ranking system 12
Frequent competitions 13
Longevity 14
Being a Gamer versus an Esport Player 15
Chapter 2 Gearing Up to Play 19
Discovering PC Must-Haves for Esports 20
Computer processor 20
Graphics card 21
Networking card 21
Deciding Whether to Build or to Buy 22
Considering the pros and cons of the DIY esports computer 22
Buying a prebuilt computer 23
Considering Three Levels of PC Power and Expense 24
Keeping it affordable: The bargain esports rig 24
Moving up to the next level 25
Spending it if you've got it: The computer your friends will envy 27
Setting Up for Today's Console Gaming 29
Playing on Sony's PlayStation 4 Pro 29
Gaming on Microsoft's Xbox One 30
Enjoying Nintendo's unique esports offerings 31
Playing Big: Nothing Says Esports Like a Large TV 32
Considering a right option 34
Looking at the midrange TV 35
Going for a true luxury set 35
Picking Your Peripherals 35
Choosing a keyboard 36
Of mice and mousepads: Picking your input device 39
Listen, hear: Picking the right headset 42
Taking control: Controllers that rule the game 43
Part 2 The Games You'll Play 47
Chapter 3 Playing RTS Games and MOBAs 49
Grasping the RTS Genre 49
Understanding the staying power of StarCraft II 51
Getting why StarCraft II (and RTSs) are fading, though 51
Understanding the Basics of a MOBA 53
Playing characters and roles 53
Playing types 54
Playing in the lanes 54
Acquiring gold and skills 55
Knowing the popular MOBAs 55
Getting in the League (of Legends) 55
Starting with the basics 57
Picking play modes and sides 58
Picking and banning players 59
Strategizing to win 61
Counting on Dota 2 64
Playing the game 64
Understanding the play modes 66
Earning Valor in the Arena (AoV) 67
Smiting Your Enemies with SMITE 70
The Future of the MOBA 72
Chapter 4 Taking Aim at First-Person Shooters 73
Understanding the First-Person Shooter (FPS) 74
Qualifying as an FPS game 74
Honing the skills to pay the (virtual) bills 75
Navigating FPS Esports Titles 77
Countering opponents in CS:GO 77
Hearing the Call of Duty 78
Taking over with Overwatch 80
Fighting fire with fire with Rainbow Six Siege 83
Shooting with all the rest 85
Chapter 5 Finish Him! Playing Fighting Games 87
Fighting One on One: The Basics of the Fighting-Game Genre 88
Flattening the field with 2-D fighting games 89
Seeing 2-D go 2.5-D with Samurai Shodown 90
Stepping forward with the 3-D fighter 92
Knocking people off the platform (brawler) 92
Grappling with the Major Fighting Games 94
Taking it to the street (SFV) 94
Fighting with Capcom vs. [Everyone] 95
Killing it with Mortal Kombat 95
Tipping the scales with Injustice 96
Fighting in three dimensions with Tekken 97
Accessing the Fighting-Game World 99
Dropping quarters at the arcade 99
Bringing home consoles 100
Going Out to Pick a Competitive Fight 100
Chapter 6 It's Madden Season! Playing Sports Simulations 101
Simulating Sports: Making Physical Games into Video Games 102
Differentiating Esports Gamers and Sports Gamers 103
Madden Football: Tackling a Gaming Juggernaut 104
Having the only license in town 105
Understanding Madden esports 106
Hooping It Up in NBA 2K: Starting Your Career as a Bailer 108
Letting you be you - as a player 108
Playing in the NBA 2K League 109
Checking In with Other Sports Sims 112
Getting your hockey fix 112
Playing soccer 113
Hitting with the only baseball game in town 113
Playing Esports with Cars: Racing Games and Rocket League 114
Running a good race 114
Playing soccer with cars 115
Chapter 7 Playing Battle Royale Games 117
Watching Fans Make Esports History: Minecraft Hunger Games 117
Going 1 versus 99 with PUBG 118
Spending a Couple of Weeks with Fortnite 120
Crossing platforms to maximize Fortnite access 121
Dancing the Fortnite away 122
Walking into a match with Drake and a ninja 122
Competing in Fortnite esports 123
Climbing to the Top of Apex Legends 124
Running into issues in the 1-versus-99 Format 125
Chapter 8 Playing Hearthstone and Other Digital Card Games 127
Collecting to Win with CCGs 128
Recapturing the magic with MTGA 129
Reading the Elder Scrolls: Legends 130
Rioting for a shot at the Legends of Runeterra 130
Gathering around the Hearth(Stone): The Standard for Esports CCGs 130
Keeping Hearthstone fresh 133
Taking heart with the Hearth 135
Buying virtual cards 135
Keeping it real with Hearthstone competition 136
Playing on Your Phone 137
Part 3 Community and College Gaming 139
Chapter 9 Finding Online and Local Places to Play 141
Starting the Process: What You Need 141
Setting Up Your Accounts 143
Installing the League of Legends Launcher 144
Obtaining Battle.net to play Blizzard games 145
Creating your Steam account 147
Getting the Epic Games launcher for Fortnite and other games 149
Connecting your console accounts 150
Playing all the games 151
Finding Local Competition 152
Chapter 10 Getting Your Name in the Game 153
Choosing a Gamer Tag That Lets You Be You 154
Twitter. Making Friends in 280 Characters 155
Creating a Twitter account 157
Posting a profile picture and editing your bio 157
It's time for a quest! Finding people 160
Getting ready to tweet 160
Creating and sending a tweet 161
Diving into Instagram: A Picture Says 2,200 Characters 163
Using Group Discussions: You Haven't Reddit All Yet 165
Getting your Reddit posts to show up 167
Running like a kid in a candy store 168
Joining the Horde on Discord 169
Signing up on Discord 169
Understanding how Discord works 169
Streaming Games on Twitch (the New TV) 171
Signing up on Twitch 171
Twitching from channel to channel 172
Streaming Games on YouTube 173
Comparing YouTube with Twitch 174
Chapter 11 Exploring Collegiate Esports 177
Taking Stock of Your Options for College Esports 178
Knowing the Competitive Opportunities in the Collegiate Realm 179
Scouting a Potential College for Esports 181
Boise State University 182
Georgia State University 183
Harrisburg University 184
Maryville University 186
Miami University 187
Ohio State University 189
Robert Morris University 190
University of Akron 191
University of California, Irvine 192
University of Utah 193
Deciding Where to Go: Scholarships and Other Considerations 195
Part 4 Making a Life and a Living in Esports 197
Chapter 12 The Path to Pro in Esports 199
Calculating the Odds of a Professional Career in Esports 200
Having What It Takes to Be a Professional 201
Playing 5olo Games versus Team Games 203
Joining an Esports Team or Organization 204
Understanding the structure of an esports organization 204
Making the time to play 206
Knowing your game 207
Being Seen at the Biggest Esports Events 208
Charting the Path to Pro in Your Game of Choice 208
Going pro in CS:GO 209
Going pro in Fortnite 209
Going pro in League of Legends 210
Going pro in Overwatch 210
Going pro in (almost) any fighting game and Hearthstone 210
Contending with Other Day-to-Day Realities as an Esports Professional 211
Living a day in the life of an esports professional 211
Confronting gender imbalance in esports 213
Understanding the importance of sponsors 215
Living Your Life after Professional Esports 216
Chapter 13 Getting Involved (or Finding a Career) in Esports 217
Getting Involved as a Volunteer 217
Going local to help with esports events 219
Interning to develop a deeper skill set 219
Paying the Bills: Jobs in Esports 221
Plotting the Path to an Esports Job 223
Chapter 14 Creating a Brand for Streaming 225
Understanding Your Equipment Needs 225
Finding the right camera 226
Knowing your bandwidth needs 226
Listening for the right microphone 227
Setting Up to Stream 228
Obtaining a Mixer account 228
Gathering your stream keys 230
Encoding your streams 232
Mastering your layout 233
Establishing a Theme for Your Stream 237
Sorting through potential stream themes 237
Working with colors and fonts 238
Part 5 The Part of Tens 243
Chapter 15 The Ten Games Every Esports Player Should Know 245
Counter Strike: Global Offensive 245
Dota 2 246
Fortnite 247
Hearthstone 248
League of Legends 249
Overwatch 249
Rocket League 250
StarCraft II 251
Street Fighter V 251
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate 252
Chapter 16 Ten Esports Games You Might Have Missed 255
Apex Legends 255
Arena of Valor 256
BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle 257
Clash Royale 257
Gears 5 258
Killer Instinct 259
Teamfight Tactics 259
Magic: The Gathering Arena 260
Mortal Kombat 11 261
Rainbow Six Siege 262
Chapter 17 Ten Esports Influences to Follow 263
Chopping It Up with Ninja 263
Guarding Lanes with Arteezy 264
Faking the Funk with Faker 265
Knocking 'em Down with FalleN 266
Dealing a Hand with Firebat 266
Fighting Like a Girl with Mystik 267
Hiding in the Shadows with Shroud 268
Zerging with Scarlett 268
Stringing Together Combos with SonicFox 269
Smashing Goals with SquishyMuffinz 270
Index 271