Through ACE modeling techniques, I find that between 25% to 39% of the total variance in time spent playing video games can be attributed to shared genetic traits with the remainder explained by shared environmental factors (e.g., parenting and culture) and environmental attributes unique to individuals.
After all, each of us is born unique, making it very likely that some of us are just inherently better at gaming. Faster reaction time, hand-eye coordination, and decision-making are all key genetically ingrained skills to have as a pro.
It is true that genetics play a big role but at the same time, no individual person can know how far practice can take them, so the problem is when people believe things like "I can't be pro because I'm not naturally talented" because genetics don't really define your skill ceiling they just define your starting point.
You'll need good reflexes, a good mind for strategy and problem solving, and the ability to multitask (seriously, if you haven't played StarCraft, you don't know the meaning of the word). There's no one course to take to become a great gamer. Nobody will care if you went to college or not.
Being a professional gamer seems like a dream job, but there's a lot of hard work involved before lifting an esports trophy. Most players train for six to 12 hours a day to gain experience and advance their careers. Even if you haven't joined a team or won any tournaments, you can still earn a check as a gamer.
Key Gamer Demographics
The average gamer is 35 years old. Over 50% of Europeans play video games. Over 1.8 billion people are PC gamers. 48% of American gamers are female.
A professional gamer plays video games full time and competes in tournaments in order to win prizes. Pro gamers are also paid by sponsors or advertisers when they play, and sometimes they're part of a team of players where they earn money as well.
Yes, it's possible to get paid for playing video games. One of the most lucrative opportunities to make money playing games is being a popular streamer or content creator, but you don't need millions of fans to start making money.
Of course it is genetics. Being a good Widowmaker requires fast reaction times, and that is 100% genetics. I believe your ability to physically track and time your click at the right split-second is also a physical trait to some extent, although I believe it is easier to train this than the reaction time.
In 2020, 96% of boys and 76% of girls reported playing video games regularly, while the corresponding figures were 96% and 63% in 2018 [14]. Since video gaming is more prevalent among boys than girls [15,16], the literature has particularly focused on male adolescence.
Video games can even kill brain cells and interrupt a person's sleep. How do video games affect the brain? Studies show that people playing "shooter games" damage the hippocampus area of their brain. This is the area used for spatial and long-term memories.
Video games increase intelligence
The results showed that those children who spent an above-average amount of time playing video games increased their intelligence by approximately 2.5 IQ points more than the average.
"Research in the past has pointed to the fact that people who are good at strategy games such as chess tend to score highly at IQ tests. "Our research has extended this to games that millions of people across the planet play every day."
Here is how the major platforms rank in terms of average IQ: PC: 112.3. PlayStation: 110.7. Xbox: 103.8.
Yes, gaming is a career.
Professional gaming also does not have any specific educational requirements, or credentials needed. It is currently all skill-based. There are many people who make gaming their career by going into streaming on popular platforms such as Youtube and Twitch.
The Daily Regimen of Players in Professional Gaming. The life of a pro gamer is filled with rigorous training and demanding tournament schedules. Over time, this can result in problems like burnout unless players are diligent in staying healthy.
If you believe that talent is something one is born with – an innate ability that cannot be learned – then it can be said that gaming isn't a talent. But if you believe that talent can be developed through practice and experience, then gaming is definitely a talent.
Qualifications To Become A Professional Gamer In Australia
You do not need a formal education to become a pro gamer in Australia. However, studying computer science, graphic design/ games design, digital media, management, computer programming, and marketing can improve your chances of getting into the gaming industry.
At 7.6 hours per week, the average gamer plays just over one hour every day on average.
State of play
78% of gamers are over the age of 18. The average age of an Australian gamer is 34 years old. Adult players have been gaming for an average of 12 years.
As of March 2023, 49 percent of video gamer in the United States were female, with the remaining 51 percent of U.S. video gaming audiences were male. Currently, there are approximately 212 million gamers in the United States.