Home Entertainment Is pro-gaming sustainable in SA?

Is pro-gaming sustainable in SA?

6 min read
23

Flying treadmill

It can be really hard to break into the eSports scene – teams struggle to get recognized, it can be difficult to get sponsors, and even poor ping can cause problems for locals. We’ve talked about what it can take to go pro, but once you get there, is it even worth the trouble? In light of PandaTank’s retirement from eSports, I asked Congo Kyle some questions, with interesting answers.

For those who aren’t aware, PandaTank officially announced his retirement via Facebook. It’s filled with thanks and talking about some of the awesome opportunities he had, but this was the part I found interesting:

This will be the official announcement of my retirement from pro-gaming. I’m sure a lot of you will want to know why. Let’s just put it this way, all good things must eventually come to an end and being a professional gamer in South Africa isn’t a sustainable career. I’m getting older and I need to start thinking about what my next adventures in life will be.

Not a sustainable career. I can only read into this that there wasn’t enough money for the amount of work required. Let’s face it, there aren’t many local matches that can earn a pro prize money, so it mostly comes down to sponsors supporting players and sending them overseas to other tournaments for the extra exposure. It takes a lot of time and commitment to be good at your game, and for some players it just isn’t worth it compared to getting a “real job”. This is a sad state of affairs – I asked Congo Kyle about what teams should expect from a sponsorship and the difference between sponsoring a team vs a shout caster:

In South Africa it’s very difficult to see a return for sponsors when sponsoring a team. Players are unable to stream their personal practice games and gather a large enough following in which they would promote their sponsors, however the success of a sponsored MGO is what we’re looking at right now in South African gaming. Biggest examples being Bravado Gaming and Energy eSports, both have shown their dominance as the favorite MGOs in South Africa going as far as sending players overseas to compete in international competitions. What should the teams expect? Well South African gaming is in infancy right now so expect them to work their arses off to get things done, being actively involved in Steelseries I know what lengths sponsors go through to make things happen in this country.

As a caster it’s a little bit easier to see a return for your sponsors. I’m lucky enough to have a very active following through Twitter and Facebook which I interact with on a daily basis. I was extremely lucky to be picked up so early in my casting career. They put a lot of faith in my abilities and it did motivate me and it still does.

Allworknoplay

He goes on to explain that it’s different as a shoutcaster – he get more opportunities than some local teams because his job is more to promote the games in general, rather than just one team. As long as he is shoutcasting, raising awareness about local eSports, or even going on TV and radio to get the word out, he is doing his job and showcasing his sponsors.

I think this is the main problem in South Africa – teams want to be sponsored so that they can get the free machinery and get flown to tournaments. But they don’t realize that the sponsors want to see a return on the investment. It isn’t just about giving a pro a free keyboard and hoping for the best – they want other players to see the local pro-athletes playing with awesome hardware, making those consumers choose one brand over another. I asked Congo Kyle how he juggled the need to spend time on the craft in order to become worth sponsoring, and then, once sponsored, how he keeps up with that lifestyle:

I have to be honest it did take a massive toll on me at the start. It affected my studies, I found myself up till late at night and not getting up to go to university. This was my passion now and I had zero inclination to continue studying a degree which I hated. I did make a promise to my parents I would finish a degree and I plan on keeping that promise. It also took a toll on my long term relationship with a beautiful, loving girl who was extremely supportive but unfortunately couldn’t cope with the lifestyle. I have made some sacrifices but looking back I regret nothing. I go to sleep thinking about eSports, I wake up thinking about eSports and I wouldn’t change that routine for the world.

Sustainability kitty

When it comes to a team, it goes beyond gaming:it means the team has to be great at what they do (in-game), as well as interesting, personable and social. Not always an easy balance. it’s that personality and humor that makes Congo Kyle fun to listen to, and awesome to interview – just check out the following Q and A that I subjected him to:

Q: Do you have voice exercises to keep your timbre silky smooth?

A cigarette and a smooth bourbon usually do the trick. No, I usually talk so much that my voice is warm and ready before a game starts. Anyone who has met me knows I can grind an ear off in one conversation. PS: I don’t drink on the job

Q: How many women throw themselves at your feet now?

Not enough. I have used it as a pickup line a few times and it works pretty well actually, but it’s always the same questions and explaining what I do isn’t the easiest thing in the world to someone who isn’t a gamer. My QT3.14 gamer GF is out there, I can feel it. (So please follow me back on Twitter)

A big thank you to Kyle for his time and making me smile. The reality is that being a professional eSports athlete means hard work – just like being professional in any career. It will require sacrifice and dedication, and it may not be what you thought it was. However, for those with a passion for working in gaming, it is a dream come true. Let’s hope that infrastructure improves and teams are able to start streaming their practice matches soon – once teams can show off what they can do on a regular basis, it will help grow a following and improve brand awareness of their sponsors. Win-win for everyone.

You can follow Kyle on Twitter and Facebook

Like esports?
Check out esports central

Last Updated: January 23, 2014

23 Comments

  1. UltimateNinjaPandaDudeGuy

    January 23, 2014 at 15:08

    Comes down to money in the end…

    Do you have enough to money to sit and play DOTA all day to train with a team and get good enough. For other countries it is an actual career based on how the contracts look and the salary they get.

    Over here it just isn’t recognized. I work in an IT company and people look at me weird when I say I watch eSports. Not even to mention that I need to explain what it is.

    Reply

  2. Admiral Chief in Vegas

    January 23, 2014 at 15:09

    Misread poor ping as pooping, lolled at myself hahaha

    Reply

    • RinceThis2014

      January 23, 2014 at 15:21

      XD

      Reply

    • Estian Hough

      January 23, 2014 at 16:51

      Have my upvote sir!

      Reply

      • Admiral Chief in Vegas

        January 23, 2014 at 18:00

        😉

        Reply

  3. RinceThis2014

    January 23, 2014 at 15:22

    I hope one day they make a decent movie about these dedicated people. Worth the time.

    Reply

    • Dusky

      January 23, 2014 at 18:05

      There is one already. Cant remember the name.

      Reply

      • Matthew Holliday

        January 23, 2014 at 20:12

        free 2 play.
        its not out for the public yet

        Reply

    • Matthew Holliday

      January 23, 2014 at 20:14

      Valve did a movie/documentary called “free to play” which premiered at The International 3 dota tournament.
      we’re still waiting on a public release of it though, Gabe is working on Valve time after all.

      apparently its amazing.

      Reply

    • B4d R0b0t

      January 29, 2014 at 14:05

      There are a few. Beyond the game is very good. Search for a link on YouTube.

      Reply

  4. Hammersteyn

    January 23, 2014 at 15:24

    Looks start with sustainable cheap broadband internet first.

    Reply

  5. oVg

    January 23, 2014 at 15:28

    Not even the South African Athletics Board can get it right let alone gaming.
    Besides the only job in South Africa that has a sustainable career is working for SANROL 😛

    Toooooo soooooon?

    Reply

    • RinceThis2014

      January 23, 2014 at 15:28

      Ouch man!

      Reply

      • oVg

        January 23, 2014 at 15:29

        e-tolls > e-sports

        Reply

        • RinceThis2014

          January 23, 2014 at 15:31

          More like E- Aeeeshhhhh! AisH!

          Reply

    • Kensei Seraph Moe Ninja

      January 23, 2014 at 15:37

      Driving from Byranston to Gold Reef City via the highways and back costs R100.
      Doesn’t seem like SANROL is sustainable due to the fact soon no-one will be able to afford owning a car.

      Reply

  6. Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!

    January 23, 2014 at 15:44

    Not if the MSSA keeps ducking it up

    Reply

  7. Mossel: A Tale of One Mollusk

    January 23, 2014 at 15:57

    +100 for Shining reference…

    Reply

  8. Dusky

    January 23, 2014 at 16:05

    Awesome article nice one, Congo seems to be someone with incredible passion, I wish him the best of luck in his chosen path. Wont be long before an international picks him up, his casting is quality and at this stage the best we have to offer by a long shot.

    Reply

    • Congo

      January 23, 2014 at 16:06

      Thanks man! I appreciate every little bit of support!

      Reply

  9. Congo

    January 23, 2014 at 16:06

    It was a fun interview 🙂 Thanks for the opportunity again Zoe!

    Reply

    • Matthew Holliday

      January 24, 2014 at 00:07

      Congorats on the Dotatalk pickup

      Reply

  10. Matthew Holliday

    January 23, 2014 at 20:21

    If sponsors want a return in investment, then they need to put their teams in a position to do so.
    For dota 2, the Korean scene has had money thrown at it left right and centre, bosting some of the biggest prize pools around in e-sports.
    the scene there is still developing, I would even go so far as to say its on par with our own.

    Even the Australian scene is developing and has more money being put into it than the South African scene is getting.

    For the life of me, I dont know how we havent organised to get our teams involved or over to either of those countries to compete.
    I watched Doni and Flarez take on, and beat Loda and S4(two members from the team that won TI3) in a ranked match (I know its not the same as a competative game, but the base is there for us to work on)

    TL;DR
    if sponsors want a return in investment, then they need to either send teams to Korea/Australia or arrange so that its possible to play online against the Koreans/Australians.
    Our teams have the potential to make money, but arent in a position to do so.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Check Also

If You Could Create a Game About South Africa…

There is no question that we live in a beautiful country, but it’s also one that can be ex…