At IQ esports, we work with students and professionals in and out of the industry across a number of different subjects. In all cases, the goal is to look to systems and techniques that can help the people we work with improve. One of the main things we work on in all cases is communication.
This is probably one of the most misunderstood elements of the esports industry for people not already involved in gaming. To a lot of people, esports players are seen as solitary or secluded. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth; competitive gaming requires an intense amount of communication. From the selection of player roles to effective in-game dialog, communication is a key skill for success in esports.
In many scenarios, players will compete with people they have never interacted with before. They must quickly establish the goals of the other players, their strategies, and their own approach to fit with them. Consider also, that this is done predominantly via text chat and audio interactions with players from all over the world. One could argue that esports has advanced the efficiency of communication across cultural boundaries.
To confirm the significance of communication, players at the professional level will live together in team houses and every day in close proximity to one another. All the same rules for gameplay apply, but now you have the chaos and difficulty that comes with intense personal interaction and competitive dynamics. Team meals, workouts, coaching sessions, and meetings all bring you back to the table with the same people. Esports are not a solitary activity whether at the professional, high school, or varsity/collegiate level.
For students who are interested in getting into esports, here are a few aspects of communication to work on:
- How to quickly and effectively understand the roles, needs, and styles of other players;
- How to effectively communicate your own goals and strategies;
- How to respond constructively during a stressful scenario, or where you have been misunderstood.