Esports was part of me for a long time, back when I’m a kid, during which, CS:GO was what got me to this particular profession. Despite myself actually have a small dream of competing on the big stage, I was more attracted to the behind the work of the livestreams, even until now. From the small things like how to set up game servers compliant for tournaments, custom HUDs and graphics, and broadcast hardware (DeckLinks, switchers, etc.)
Once a dream and sometimes a consequence of (probably) ADHD hyperfixation, now, as the lead of the broadcast team of a small Esports startup, I have almost everything to play with. Network equipment, PCs, broadcast equipment, cameras, going around places, doing directing gigs and more that I’m still dreaming of.
Only, as of now, it’s still not going anywhere far yet.
Unless you have a desire to learn overseas, in Vietnam esports in particular, and broadcast/livestream in general isn’t really a good career prospect, at least for the time being. Most people would consider the entire broadcast/livestream part to be in the Media class of jobs, and you’re somewhat expected that, for any big shows, you’re supposed to have a livestream part in it, and it shouldn’t be too expensive to fund it. In fact, sometimes, the whole thing can get stripped down very hard to some very bare bones stuffs.
Worse than that, having to compete against so many other organizations all wanted a piece of the pie when you’re a small humble startup, it really is stressful, knowing that you, the Director, D.O.P and Technical, can fuck anything up at a push of a button. Because of me doing solo jobs way too frequently, managing even the graphics, data, switching to screens, and having to call cues, plan scenes, and more, it gets insanely tiring. Even all of that, all of those things you do, just one small mistake, and people are gonna use it to bolster their own stuffs. For me, my entire life actually depends on me not making mistakes.
So yeah, like I said, it’s stressful as hell. I know what I signed up for during my first University years, and, despite the initial success now, it’s possible that, for no reason at all, people may tear us apart. You can try keep telling yourself “Just focus on your work”, but you very damn know everything rests on your shoulders.
It’s not for the light-hearted, as a startup. Even more so when you’re facing adversaries from many sides. But one thing I have learned over the 2-ish years, is that it all will be worth it at the end. Slowly, my studio added more stuffs, work became less stressful, I get to train a whole new people, and even signed on high-profile jobs that are worth putting into my CV. Things are definitely looking up for the better, striving for greatness day by day.
Life is stressful sometimes, especially in this line of work, but I’m still hopeful.