Pro gaming runs in the Glinsman family. Patrick “MegaZero” Glinsman followed in the footsteps of his brother Ian “TreeEskimo” Glinsman, who played League of Legends for V8 Esports. Patrick has taken a break from his studies at Carnegie Mellon University to become the top laner for compLexity Gaming. Glinsman explains why the life of a pro gamer isn’t as exciting as fans may think in this exclusive interview.
What do you think selling out the Staples Center in an hour means for legitimizing eSports?
Selling out the Staples Center in less than an hour means there is a large audience for eSports. While in the past most kids grew up playing sports, that’s not the only option now. People grow up playing video games and it’s something they grow very attached to. In my mind, a sport requires two things: an audience/player base and a skill differential. With those two things, anything can grow into the size of a real sport.
What advice would you give to aspiring pro gamers who think they’re good at League of Legends?
My advice to aspiring pro gamers is to watch streams and replays of your own games. Really learn from your own mistakes and see what you could be doing differently. If you’re looking to be a pro, you have to always be improving your own gameplay even after you’ve joined a team and been in the big leagues.
What’s the biggest misconception about pro gamers?
Currently the biggest misconception about pro gamers is the amount of money they make. Currently in the amateur scene I’m making around minimum wage, I can’t even afford to stay in my own apartment anymore. There are probably one or two people in Europe and in North America who are making six figures, but other than them it isn’t the fabulous life everyone thinks it is.
What similarities do you see between cyber athletes and real athletes?
The biggest similarity between cyber athletes and real athletes is their drive to perform. You can see both athletes really put in a lot of effort making sure they’re improving and will perform their best.
What does it take to be a pro gamer today?
Being a pro gamer has two elements, an attitude element and the physical element. Physical for video games is reaction time, hand-eye coordination, and game mechanics. However, equally important, is your attitude. Without a proper attitude, you can’t improve as a player and you won’t get along with teammates.
What’s been the secret to your success in League of Legends?
There isn’t really a secret to my success in League. Hard work and, overall, being a friendly guy.
How did you get involved in eSports?
I never really planned to be big in eSports, I just joined a team during winter break of college and we ended up qualifying for the North American LCS (very similar to the NFL or NBA).
What opportunities have arisen since you went pro for gamers who want to make the leap to pro gaming?
ESports is constantly getting bigger and better, if you want to get in the scene, now is the best time to do it.
What do you feel you’ve sacrificed to get to where you are today in eSports?
I haven’t really sacrificed too much to get where I am today, I’ve taken two semesters off of college but I made sure to keep in contact with my advisers so I can go back.
What’s your life like as a professional League of Legends player?
Life as a pro gamer is pretty much get up, work out (staying healthy is important), play casually, scrim, maybe a tournament match, then I can do whatever I want for the rest of the day.
What do you want to do after you retire from eSports?
After I retire, I’ll go to school for either Engineering or Computer Science.
What impact do you feel the Coke Zero Challenger Series will have on eSports?
It really depends how big the Coke Zero minor league is, it has the chance to make playing as an amateur a great experience rather than living off of ramen.
What changes would you like to see in Riot Games’ Season 4?
I would like to see less tanks and more focus on objectives for Season 4.
What are your thoughts on the fan feuds that seem to occur out there between League of Legends and StarCraft II?
No opinion on the fan feuds.
