Earn up to $200,000 per year playing League of Legends, DOTA 2, or Counter-Strike: GO. He travels the world to play FIFA, Hearthstone or even Rainbow Six Siege, lifting trophies in front of cheering crowds. A life many young gamers dream of, seeing it as a way to indulge their passion for gaming while doing their dream job.
If you thought being good at a competitive shooter or strategy game was enough to make you a pro, as even professional esports gamers admit, it’s not that simple. On the occasion of the Six Invitational, the final of the Rainbow Six Siege video game world tournament that ends this Sunday near Montreal (Canada), we slip behind the scenes to follow those who dream of world champions. Keyboard and mouse of Messi or Mbappé under the fingers, helmet screwed on the head, which points to the consecration of his season there. Between disappointment and joy, they live their passion 200%. At the cost of certain sacrifices to get there.
The “exhilarating” happiness of playing in public
“I’ve been here for seven years, almost eight years and this is my first stage in the Six Invitational,” says Valentín “Risze” Liradelfo, captain of the Wolves Esports team that made it to the table. final. Supported by numerous fans, the five players soon qualified for the next round, beaten by a hair’s breadth by the G2 Esport team. But Risze, like his teammates, has strong memories. “It’s an experience to take advantage of, it’s absolutely incredible to have a screaming crowd to give us strength. We are sorry and they are good vibrations that will remain forever etched in my memory”, acknowledges the Belgian.
It is not about explaining the defeat by pressure. “Public pressure, I no longer have much with the experience gained over the years,” explains Valentín. “It depends on the mind of each one, on his personality. To me, I find it stimulating on the contrary”. And he also knows that getting there, even if the title escapes them, is already partly a consecration of all the effort made along the way.
“To be there, you already have to go through a path full of sacrifices. It’s six days a week, almost no private life and head on the handlebars, in the game, all the time”, sums up the captain. “We have to be good, we have to be better than the others and that means working, playing a lot to train. We sacrifice afternoons with friends because there are training sessions in the afternoon, time with our girlfriend or partner because we also train during the day.
I certainly work, but not alone. “Perhaps I am going to demystify the thing a bit, but I think that beyond that, there is also the fact of perhaps having predispositions. Maybe not everyone is cut out to become a professional gamer,” confesses who has always wanted to play esports since he was a teenager.
Predispositions and experience, his teammate Bastien “BiBoo” Dulac has it and he already knew the environment of the Six from having come with his former team Supremacy in 2018. “At that time we were not yet professionals. It was more of a semi-professional hobby. We played as a on my way home from school or work,” she recalls. “I did 2018 and then nothing until 2023.” Which also reflects on the direction he wanted to take. “The difference between that first experience and the current one is that now it is my job. They pay me for it,” said the player. “It was this first Six that made me turn professional. Since then, everything has become more professional around me, but I maintain the same passion.”
Athlete and professional athlete, very parallel profiles
For the two older Wolves, the parallel between sports and sports is true. Shared values too. You have to be just as competitive at heart and have the mind. “The mind is very important in competition,” recalls Risze. “You have to be strong, able to withstand what you throw at yourself to be better, to perform.”
Family support is also important. In the Place Bell stands we meet a fan who scores somewhat compared to the young crowd next to him, but not because of their enthusiasm. It is the father of Nicolas “P4” Rimbaud who came to cheer up his son by giving him a surprise. “He told me that he was very proud,” explains the player excitedly. “Seeing him in the audience shouting for him to be happy for me fills me with happiness.” Because he recognizes that it has not always been easy to explain his work to those close to him. “At first it was hard for him to understand. When the serious things started, the big competitions, the contracts, when I really started earning a living, he understood and has followed all the games since then. He is my number one fan. “, he laughs.
When asked how to be a good esports player, Risze does not doubt the definition of his job: “If you have the fiber, you really have to take care of your image, be careful what you say, who you say it to. ., especially in networks. Finally, simply being human, supportive and a good companion, also capable of being a leader of men, of supporting them and making them give the best of themselves. I think those are the greatest qualities that a competitive player can have”, summarizes the 30-year-old player. And to add: “It is also what makes the best teams.”
Is there a maximum age for an esports player? It is often said that the best years are the twenties, then with time the reflexes diminish. Risze doesn’t want to believe it. “The brain is a muscle that works like any other,” he tells us. “After 25 years, experience will take over or make up for some things anyway and many players are still highly competitive.” At almost 31, he has no intention of hanging up anytime soon. “As long as you have the passion, age doesn’t matter. As long as they let me play, as long as they don’t kick me (kick me off the team, editor’s note), and as long as they think I can still do the job, as long as I have the flame, I’ll play,” he laughs before saying he’s ready for the next competition.
Source: BFM TV
