The Path of a Cyber Athlete. How to Become a Professional Player in a Top Team

Jamilya Alagova, city — Bishkek, esports player, streamer, and IGL for Team Spirit, @jammie_5

About Me

I have been playing professionally for eight years. Since childhood, I was interested in computer and console games, as well as mobile games. One of the reasons I became interested in them was the lack of peers: I only had older brothers, with whom I played Counter-Strike. In 2016, I learned about esports and women's tournaments, became interested, met players, and was invited to join a team.

About Streaming

I started streaming in 2019. After entering esports, I began following live broadcasts and discovered the Twitch platform. I realized that to advance in esports, it is important to develop the media aspect and activity on social media so that people know about you and invite you to teams.

The competition is huge, and to stand out, you need to constantly be in the spotlight. I started streaming, assembled a good computer, and realized that it was fun and interesting. At first, I was scared; I was shy and introverted, and I worried during broadcasts. But over time, I relaxed, learned to communicate with people, and present myself as an esports player. This helped me not only in streaming but also in the game—my voice became louder and clearer, and it became easier to formulate my thoughts.

Moreover, streaming is an additional source of income, albeit an unstable one. It is not a profession you study for and then earn millions from. However, it is a full-fledged job. To increase your audience, you need to stream constantly and stick to a schedule. There are many collaborations and other aspects that are important to consider for successful streaming.

What is needed to become a successful streamer

For streaming, you need a good computer, especially if you plan to stream games. If you are just chatting in a "just chatting" format, a powerful computer is not as critical, but you will need a good internet connection and a webcam to make the broadcast more interesting.

A mouse and keyboard are not so important if you do not plan to become a professional player. Lighting is also important. Poorly adjusted lighting can ruin even a high-quality webcam.

As for personal qualities, it is important to be interesting to your audience. Think about what you can hook people with. It could be your communication style, humor, or ability to tell stories. Determine your uniqueness, and the audience will definitely find you.

How and when I first joined a professional team

I play for Team Spirit—this is my first organization in esports. My professional career began in 2017 with participation in tournaments, but I signed a contract with the team only a year and a half ago. In esports, the competition is high, and breaking through was difficult.

There are few tournaments for women, so there are not many results. I played for the Kazakhstan national team and the Kyrgyzstan national team, with which I won a tournament in Central Asia. In recent years, the number of tournaments has increased, and since 2021, I have already managed to take about ten podium places in nine months.

About Team Spirit

After our team qualified for one of the major women's tournaments in the European region, we wrote to various organizations, and Team Spirit responded.

The signing process began with questions about how we see ourselves in the team, our training practices, and results. They carefully studied our team and each player before making a decision. After approval, they organized a bootcamp in Serbia, where we were able to focus on training.

For me, this was a new experience—having a salary and responsibilities to the organization, including advertising obligations and participation in media shoots. All of this is interesting and unforgettable.

About Tournaments

The most memorable tournament for me was when I, representing the Kyrgyzstan national team, went to Saudi Arabia. Before that, I had twice tried to participate in LAN tournaments, but due to the pandemic, one tournament was canceled, and the second took place online. This was my first LAN with travel to another country, and the emotions from meeting teams from other countries were incredible.

Although there were not many spectators due to the country's restrictions, the entire country, all friends, and relatives supported us online. These were some of the most memorable moments in my career.

During tournaments, it is difficult to describe your feelings. Sometimes you are completely calm, and sometimes emotions can cloud your judgment, which can lead to mistakes. In esports, as in any sport, it is important to keep a cool head and make quick decisions. Mistakes in a tournament can cost much more than in a regular practice.

Esports is a real sport where everyone competes and strives for victory. Accepting defeats and learning from your mistakes is the key to success, although many do not understand this and react strongly to failures.

About the development of esports in Kyrgyzstan

In the last couple of years, esports in Kyrgyzstan has been developing thanks to players like me. The signing with Team Spirit attracted attention to esports, and many began to learn about it. This year, another compatriot joined Team Spirit in another discipline, which also contributes to the popularization of esports.

We always had players, but there are not many of them compared to other countries, due to the size of the country. In Kyrgyzstan, there is only one organization, Hydra. It has its own arena, it conducts tournaments and pubstoms.

In Kazakhstan and other countries in the region, many tournaments take place, which allows our players to travel abroad. For example, our team qualified for a tournament in China, but we could not go due to visa issues.

Although interest is growing, few people in our country still believe in esports. We have no sponsors and organizations that could support players.

What qualities are important for a professional esports player

First of all, for a successful career in esports, calmness and perseverance are important. Players spend eight hours a day at the computer, and you need to be ready for routine training. Many do not like this, but without regular practice, you risk falling behind others.

It is also important to be able to accept criticism, analyze your own game and the actions of opponents. All of this requires analytical thinking. Communicativeness is a key moment, since esports is a team game, and without good communication, serious problems can arise. A little selfishness is also needed: sometimes, even if you are doing everything right, someone else may act differently and outplay you. In such situations, it is important to rely on your individual skills.

I devote all my time to esports, and I also work on the media aspect. I am developing my blog on TikTok and collaborating with 1xBet as an ambassador.