The present research explored the correlates of gamer gender and career aspirations to be a professional video game player, with an eye to gaming motivations. Gaming time, gaming trends, and esports-related social playing experience were all studied among Hungarian players with competitive gaming history (N = 190), including years spent in collegiate gaming: soccer, basketball, baseball, and football. The results showed significant differences between the two genders in their gaming time and bickered behavior among friends. While men bickered more, and women bickered less, there were no significant differences in the amount of money or recognition earned by the genders.
What does this mean for gamers? One thing it means is that you can be someone who plays the same videogames you’ve always played, and someone who has a new game to try this week. Both are just as likely to have just as much fun as each other, and have just as many motivations to do so. And these motives affect careers differently. Because most people are wired to respond to incentives, not goals, there may be little motivation to go beyond the regular “just for fun” routine. However, for the successful gamer, there is a different motivator that helps drive them to climb up the ladder of success in every esport at every level: competition.
Over seventy per cent of gamers surveyed said that they get their most enjoyment from competing against others. And this is not just a teen trend. Eight out of ten participants said they enjoy competing against people with higher skill levels. They are challenged both mentally and physically. And it does not just happen with random online strangers. Nearly all of those who play videogames with friends, colleagues, or strangers in any other setting, feel a sense of competition at some point.
For example, not only is there a great deal of competition at your local multiplayer gaming cafe, but the international scene of professional gaming is competitive, with players ranging from the young teenagers playing with their parents in a corner to the best gamers in the world competing at the World Series of Poker. And the number of people who are taking part in this global competition is growing by the year. As a result, it isn’t surprising to find that almost seventy percent of those who say they are into gaming consider it to be a career.
There is another facet to this question of gaming as a career. Many professionals of all stripes, from the gaming industry to programmers to IT professionals say that gaming stimulates a mind that in many ways rivals a human’s. It’s more stimulating than watching TV or reading a book. It requires reflexes that other activities don’t require. In fact, many gamers will say that they perform better than their non-gaming colleagues at their jobs because of their competitive nature. This suggests that gaming is not only a feasible career option for gamers, but one that is highly profitable.
So does gaming fulfill any of these three elements we mentioned? While it is certainly more feasible to get paid for playing games than it would be to work at an arcade, it is still considered a gamer’s game. There is a great deal of competitiveness among gamers, both directly and indirectly. And, while it is not a career or a job by itself, the ability to succeed at games (as with any endeavor) is a skill that can be learned and honed. This can also provide an excellent niche for someone looking to make a living from home.
