Work Ethic & Esports: The Best and the Worst of Pro Players

Anyone will tell you that it's important to have a strong work ethic to get ahead. To the casual observer, the life of a professional gamer seems pretty relaxed. However, a typical esports athlete needs to invest hours of their time every day to train. As a general rule, aspiring esports players should be practicing for at least 8 hours, every day. In the lead-up to a major tournament, players who want to win will be spending barely any time away from the screen. However, the technical side of training is only a small part of the bigger picture. Players need to prioritize their physical health, sleep schedule, and mental well-being to succeed.

Which Players Have the Best Work Ethic?

Many esports professionals boast about their work ethic, but it's easy enough to toot your own horn. It's when other players in the industry start commenting on your commitment that you really know your work ethic is something to write home about.

In professional circles, you'd struggle to find anyone who has a bad word to say about Faker's commitment to the game. This League of Legends star has been a staple of the T1 roster for a decade. He's arguably the best League of Legends player of his generation and, provided he doesn't retire from the professional circuit anytime soon, he's likely to remain that way. What sets him apart from his contemporaries? Faker follows a strict health and fitness regime. He's been an advocate for mental health for many years, with breathing exercises and mindfulness at the core of his pre-match rituals. Need more convincing that this pays off in practice? Check out this Faker player profile at 1337PRO.

Players with a Bad Rap

The first-person shooter landscape has changed considerably over the past few years. During the early days of esports, it was titles like Call of Duty and Counter-Strike that dominated the pro circuit. Today, VALORANT and Fortnite have arrived to steal some of their thunder.

For long-standing CS:GO players, the proliferation of these beginner-friendly games is an issue. It's no secret that major CoD and CS:GO teams have lost talent as players flock to the easier wins of the likes of VALORANT. It's become a major problem for North American competition.

However, even those players that have stuck it out with the stalwarts of first-person shooters aren't immune to accusations of having a bad work ethic. Take Tyler 'aBeZy' Pharris of Atlanta FaZe as an example. Back in 2022, the girlfriend of FaZe's coach, Katie Bedford, ran off a list of issues she had with aBeZy during a League of Legends stream. While aBeZy bore the brunt of her fury, he wasn't the only player to get a dressing down from Bedford. In fact, she listed complaints about pretty much the entire team roster.

Thinking About a Career in Esports?

If you're musing about the possibility of pursuing a career in esports yourself, maintaining a strong work ethic is vital. Those 8-hour training sessions are the bare minimum, not the exception. Away from the monitor, you'll need to commit to keeping yourself in tip-top condition. If you're not watching what you eat, working on your fitness levels, and getting enough sleep every night, you're setting yourself up for failure.

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