Start networking. Set up as many introductory calls as possible. The gaming industry is a massive and prideful community that are known to take care of their own. The only way you can truly become part of that ecosystem is to build a network of friends, acquaintances, and allies in the industry.
The eSports market size is now more than a billion dollars. Teens and even children as young as 6 can now earn hundreds of thousands of dollars competing in eSports. What does one have to do to succeed as a player in eSports? What are the challenges and opportunities that pro gamers face? What does the eSports lifestyle look like? How is it similar to traditional athletics, and how is it different?
In this interview series, called 5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career In eSports, we are interviewing professional gamers, eSports coaches, esports tournament organizers, and executives from gaming companies who share lessons from their experience about the “5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career In eSports.”
As part of this series, we had the pleasure to interview Bryan Reedy.
Bryan Reedy is the Founder and CEO of Gamer Advantage, a wellness gaming company created by gamers for gamers. In 2018 he set himself of a mission to improve gamer’s well-being through technology and today Gamer Advantage has grown to be is one of the most trusted brands in the industry. Through groundbreaking, proprietary tech and with over 500 partners world-wide as well as a global distribution, the company is set to revolutionize the esports space.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to ‘get to know you’. Can you tell us a bit about your background and your backstory?
As a born and raised Eastern Michigan native, I was just your average kid — until age 10. That’s when my life took an unexpected turn. After being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, I experienced first-hand how close the line is between life and death; to put it simply — -I almost died! Thankfully, after some intense medical intervention that included me getting airlifted in a helicopter to the hospital, followed by recovery in ICU — with Nintendo 64 as companionship! — my health gradually returned. This experience left me more connected than ever before with my body’s wellness journey; allowing me profound insight into comprehensive healthcare solutions for myself as well those around who may suffer similar fate. I was part of an unbelievable journey.
After graduating high school, I earned a degree in Film Studies and Broadcasting from Eastern Michigan University before jumping into the deep end with Detroit’s first-ever FM gamer radio talk show. Although we were ahead of our time — when it became a sports station sadly gaming wasn’t considered appropriate for sports radio yet — the show ended up canceled. Despite this setback, my thirst for knowledge led me to enter the finance world where I experienced great success as both branch manager and banker; not to mention some awesome marketing experience too! After experiencing a growing family, I took the plunge and joined a family owned eyewear business. From that moment on, I was inspired; passionate about understanding how technological advances could be applied to this industry (more on that later). Nowadays, as CEO of Gamer Advantage and devoted dad-of-two who loves gaming (as well as fishing, outdoor exploration and traveling), it’s safe to say life has come full circle!
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this particular career path?
Fifteen years ago, I was on radio for gaming — I had the job of my dreams. Unfortunately, at the time, we were a little bit ahead of the scene. Little did I know that this would be just an early glimpse into today’s exploding industry! Gaming has always been something close to my heart but after the radio show I never anticipated really working in gaming ever again. I wasn’t a developer, coder, or a content creator and I didn’t see much opportunity in there for me. Upon joining the family business, I was asked to develop blue-light blocking eyewear for numerous entities — social media influencers, drop shippers…the list goes on. As I uncovered more about the marketing tactics used to sell these glasses my enthusiasm dwindled.
Being an “opportunity guy” at heart who loves lending a hand in helping humanity and individuals reach their potentials, it’s important to me that any product or service aligns with my values before becoming part of the conversation. The blue light blocking category was just something that I didn’t truly believe in and so I had to spend some significant time researching and understanding it. I did a deep dive and discovered what it takes for the outcome to be effective. When I discovered the potential, my first thought was to make a difference in the gaming world. But there was one problem: gaming users had a bad attitude towards it. This gave me pause to think about how my ability for explanation, motivation and connecting with people through passion — all skills in which I excel at — could be utilized to re-shape these perspectives, on what seemed like latest tech gimmickry, into something truly beneficial! Today I’m proud to say that the Gamer Advantage eyewear is available in over 30 counties, 850 retail locations and has hundreds of partners and affiliates who follow and believe in our product and its effectiveness on their wellbeing.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you first started? What lesson did you take out of that?
When I first launched the company, my passion for delivering a premium customer experience knew no bounds. To make an impression on customers’ trust levels — literally- I opted for a costly half shoe-sized box with magnetic lid, foam inserts and matte printing adorned by an acrylic stamp containing our eyewear product inside. It certainly made quite a beautiful presentation. At the time we ordered the packaging we were selling only a frame a day or so and the MOQs for these boxes were enormous. Where this actually turned into a bigger mistake was that these packages weighed 1.1 lbs., rendering it ineligible for First Class shipping rates by .1 lbs. We had to absorb the additional shipping costs to ensure our customers received the eyewear in a fair and equitable way — despite the tens of thousands of dollars for extra packaging fees during this period.
Despite some hiccups during the packaging process, we ended up with a stunning outcome — little did we know that this actually became an issue of its own! Our logo made our boxes so captivating that thieves couldn’t help themselves! While it was frustrating, we took it as a huge compliment from those uninvited admirers. Now whenever someone mentions “the box”, there’s always laughter afterwards!
Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?
As a believer that some insights can only be captured using quotes, I have many that I can share. The one I tend to rely on most often is “Be happy with what you have while pursuing what you want.” There are many reasons why it resonates deeply but the first one that comes to mind is from the time I spent at Fifth Third Bank. When I was a Branch Manager I was part of the President’s Circle for three or four years in a row — an honor reserved only for the top one percent of top performers — it was something beyond rewarding. From all-expenses paid trips abroad to recognition companywide, achieving this milestone afforded me many unique opportunities most don’t get!
After proving my skills in that role, I took the plunge into marketing — and it was incredible. From writing PR statements to running events for Fifth Third Bank, every day brought something new; yet still there remained this drive inside me to take that next step forward in my career journey. It wasn’t until then that I realized maybe not having one grand ‘end goal’ didn’t mean failure — just so long as you remain happy with what you have currently achieved while continuing your pursuit of growth and development towards what you want!
What are some of the most interesting or exciting new projects you are working on now?
The most interesting and exciting one was our national roll out to retail at Best Buy. Having your product available in over hundreds of locations in 48 states is a huge milestone. And then there’s our international success with expanding to Europe. My recent trip there reinforced both the interest and feedback about Gamer Advantage — I’ve been mind blown. Additionally, we’re currently developing incredible lens tech that provides enhanced vision and protection. It’s top secret, but I can say it brings us on the cutting edge of gaming eye care. We strive to be innovators and put the wellbeing of gamers first — after all, how else would they enjoy their favorite titles? Reflecting on where it all began is truly humbling but thrilling at the same time — it’s been quite a journey so far!
What would you tell a young person who aspires to follow in your footsteps and emulate your career? What advice would you give?
I’ve learned that the key to success is not only being open to accepting feedback, but also having the willingness and determination to improve your communication. We all make mistakes — it’s essential that we learn from them in order to grow! There’s a great life quote I live by which asks “How long do you try?” The answer? Until. If you want different results tomorrow than what happened today, be ready for change; don’t repeat yesterday’s same routine! I’m a firm believer that ambition and passion should be the chief drivers of any career — school is only one element. There’s no one-size-fits all approach to this as it requires an individual path of discovery. To truly succeed, it’s important to look ahead at where you want your life and work to go next and take actionable steps toward acquiring those skills necessary for success. My own journey has been characterized by my commitment to continued growth. I make sure there are always small wins each day propelling me ever closer towards reaching long term goals.
As a big fan of James Clear’s Atomic Habits, I’ve personally experienced the power that 1% improvements can have. When it comes to lasting change, don’t expect an overnight transformation — consistency and steady progress are key. 2023 marks 15 years since my college graduation but I’m still just as excited about life! It’s not about flipping any switches; it’s all about taking those small steps forward towards your goals while still appreciating what you already possess in the present moment.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
As a natural change agent, I’m driven by the desire to help others. I’m always striving to bring goodness into the world through Gamer Advantage and beyond. And while success has been rewarding in its own right, I find more personal gratification by helping others along my journey. That’s why at Gamer Advantage we focus on initiatives like increasing our ability to compensate content creators worldwide and decreasing our environmental footprint. Even with this interview, if 1 person out of all that read this adopts the not giving up attitude and being happy with what they had — that means I was able to bring good.
The truth is that none of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person that made a profound difference in your life to whom you are grateful? Can you share a story?
My amazing wife has been my personal cheerleader from the moment I embarked on this journey, but it was a chance encounter with someone else that made Gamer Advantage an actual reality. This is the creator of our lens technology. His faith in me and the concept of Gamer Advantage sparkled despite not knowing who I am — and our now deep friendship taught me to make honesty a part of every equation if success is what you seek. He has taught me that achieving success in life and business comes down to finding the balance between being a good person and working towards your goals — even if it means accepting imperfection along the way.
Growing up as a business can be filled with ups and downs, but Gamer Advantage was taking it to the next level until an unforeseen mistake threatened our success. Luckily, that same person stepped in at just the right moment: though humble-minded and not expecting recognition for his hard work, they owned the challenge fully — and fixed something I could probably never fix alone! This inspiring individual proved that humility goes hand-in-hand with being successful both professionally and personally!
Ok, thank you for all that. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview. Many of our readers may be familiar with gaming, but they haven’t been exposed to the culture of professional gaming. What does the eSports lifestyle look like? What is life like for a professional gamer?
Going back in time, people didn’t think that being a professional eSports player was going to be a real thing. They were just really passionate gamers, who did it as a hobby. Although eSports has moved very fast, it is still insanely disorganized, there are dozens of titles, teams and areas of opportunity to compete as a professional. It stretches all the way from kindergarten through the elite high-end, multi-hundred-million-dollar championships. It goes as far as you can imagine. From the outside the eSports lifestyle looks like a very unorganized grind that has a lot of downside and very rare upside long-term. It’s highly competitive, athletes encounter immense pressure and unpredictability. For example, today they might be competing for a team in Las Vegas, tomorrow that same team could vanish. Then they pivot to compete as an individual until picked up by another team. Once acquired by another club, their daily life becomes no different than any other sport — with high expectations to perform well, adjust to the atmosphere quickly and remain ready for public attention.
The pressure professional eSports players feel goes beyond mastering their game; there’s an expectation to be the perfect person too. On top of demonstrating excellence in-game, they must also show mastery over social media — a skill other traditional sports don’t require from athletes. In this ultra-competitive and highly visible field, every action is monitored under a microscope.
What are the unique opportunities that pro gamers have?
eSports is truly an industry like no other. I’m always amazed by the sheer number of international players who come together and enjoy games such as Call of Duty in unison, despite coming from different countries, speaking multiple languages, and living across various time zones. This consistency makes eSports one of, if not, THE most internationally connected industries out there today. Also unlike other sports, there is a very low barrier of entry for people to work towards becoming a pro gamer — it only takes a PC or an Xbox to start out.
With over dozens of sports in the world of eSports each path to becoming a pro gamer is unique. From Rocket League to Call of Duty and hundreds of other titles, eSports is a massive landscape with immense opportunity for growth. Worth mentioning that while tournaments are the most recognizable form of competition, there’s also another way in — streaming or creating content on YouTube or Twitch. This is also a good way to make a very healthy career.
What are the unique challenges that pro gamers face?
The biggest challenge is the lack of a support system. The gaming industry continues to skyrocket yet it remains highly misunderstood. I’m sure you can relate if you’re part of the young demographic going after your dreams — but convincing friends and family who may have no experience in the field can be quite tricky! And then there’s lack of support from mental and physical wellness perspectives for those gamers fortunate enough to make millions. For example, many of those gamers earn seven figure salaries a year, only a few know though that they need to create a business structure to protect themselves. Imagine your dad worked at Ford and you got a job at Ford. He will teach you the ins and out, all the benefits and perks — everything about it. As a first generation gamers, such scenarios simply don’t exist and they are on their own.
Reaching the top in gaming takes an immense amount of dedication and support, both emotionally and financially. It’s important to remember that although failure is inevitable, it should be accepted the same way as we do in traditional sports. Instead, a lot of times parents say “it’s just a game”, right? Wrong. Passion shouldn’t come with prejudice, so if your kid puts their heart into something as intense as competitive video games, they deserve recognition for every win or loss! You would if it was a baseball game, right? Treating traditional and eSports differently as a parent is an absolutely toxic unhealthy behavior and the better we can do to understand how important this is, the more talent will be able to develop in the gaming industry.
How is professional gaming similar to traditional athletics? Can you explain with a story or an example?
The competitive attitude and ambition of a player in gaming and traditional athletics are equal. Winning takes hard work, no matter the sport. Just as much effort and heart goes into becoming a top-level League of Legends player as it does with being an Olympic athlete or World Cup champion — the pressure remains equally intense on both sides physically and mentally. The stakes are high in trying to reach those pinnacles of excellence! Another similarity over the last year or two is the adaptation of treating gamers like athletes. Just two short years ago, the idea was unheard of and most players were living in frat-like conditions with no structure or care for their well-being to ensure their success — they’d literally game until their knuckles bled! Now there’s internal personnel carrying out strategies to help these gamers reach peak performance by focusing on player shape outside gaming too. For example, eSports organizations have started employing sleep coaches — something that was commonplace for traditional sporting teams ages ago!
Sponsorship and marketing side is also similar as well as the pressure associated with it — to be the best of the best, the face of brands and become an advocate for things that lack awareness. Just like in football where top-tier athletes are invited by the NFL to advocate for valuable causes, it’s also expected that gamers use their voices as influencers too.
How is it different? Can you explain with a story or example?
My opinion on this could be debated but the differences are seen in a tale of two athletes that says it all: one, a Call of Duty pro who retired at 27 years old and a famous football player who retired at 45. What accounts for their contrasting lifespans in competitive sports is the underestimating of mental health and support for the gaming community. An athlete’s early retirement at the age of 27 can often be attributed to various factors like a publisher’s ability to keep the game going or an internal turmoil within their team. However, when they acknowledge that their “tank is empty,” mentally speaking, there may be something else causing this pressure and burnout. If things are not working out one could always move on elsewhere — but “having nothing more to give” implies it goes deeper than just playing for another team. It implies burnout — a degree of burnout we don’t see much in traditional sports.
With traditional sports, young people get recruited by talent scouts who work for professional teams. Is it similar with eSports?
Not only that is similar, but the pool is also bigger and harder to navigate. For example, someone who’s really good at video games can create a Twitch channel and start streaming their play. That would be like finding someone in their basement playing baseball. There are millions and millions of people publicly displaying their talent. It’s scouted regularly and sometimes it takes a social post to blow up for that person to get noticed but it doesn’t diminish what everyone else is doing. Additionally, marketability and gaming expertise seem to grab a lot of attention from recruiters who don’t just focus solely on team building but engaging audiences through content creation as well.
If a young person reading this wants to become a professional, paid gamer on an eSports team,, where do they start? What are the steps they need to take to get picked up by a team?
To be successful in the gaming industry, focusing on one specific game is key. For example, if you’re an Overwatch expert — earning a top 500 spot as a support player should be your first goal. By taking any opportunity to show off your skills and networking with others in the community, you’ll increase your chances of being noticed and breaking into pro-gaming! That said, getting into professional gaming starts not only with bringing advanced gaming skills but also leadership qualities that can create a positive and supportive environment — raising everyone around them up in the process!
Can you please share “5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career In eSports”? If you can, kindly share a story or example for each.
There are obviously more than 5 things you need to create a career in esports. There are hundreds if not thousands of career paths within gaming and esports. Here are 5 things that could apply, no matter what direction you choose. These are in no particular order.
- Start networking. Set up as many introductory calls as possible. The gaming industry is a massive and prideful community that are known to take care of their own. The only way you can truly become part of that ecosystem is to build a network of friends, acquaintances, and allies in the industry.
I’ve always said that every person on this earth is worth meeting at least one time. Don’t only search for opportunities to network with people who are interested in the same things you are. Find connections across all sectors of the gaming industry. Many of the relationships you build will blossom into productive working relationships and even better, friendships.
2. Make yourself accessible. Gaming is a global industry and seems to run 24/7. Some of us prefer to work bright and early in the morning and others very late at night. Don’t let time zones be a reason you can’t be available or the reason you can’t keep your finger on the pulse of what’s happening.
Most jobs in gaming are not Mon-Fri 9–5. Sure, the industry has some jobs that fit that bill, but what’s important is that you are pursuing what you are passionate about and that may not happen on your schedule. Basically, all you need is a phone in order to type emails, have video calls, and start making content. Even the highest level of professional in esports is accustomed to a quick response on all platforms.
3. Learn how to balance. I have found that working in gaming has at times conflicted with my love for gaming in my free time. I think we all know how important a work/life balance is, and in gaming it’s no different. In fact, it is easy to lose focus on why you are really doing what you are doing. Is it because you love to game or because you love the business of gaming and esports?
Make sure you don’t give up your passion for playing video games and always make sure to give yourself time to do other things. There is no career worth the sacrifice of time with your family and friends.
4. Keep it clean. If you want to have a career in esports, especially a highly successful one, you don’t want anything coming back and biting you in the ass. That is the politest way of saying it.
It is very important to maintain an ultra-high level of professionalism and while you can be cheeky from time to time, being rude, disrespectful, racist, or publicly heavily opinionated about any controversial issue is a path to disaster. For some people keeping certain social channels for personal use is possible, but if it’s on social media, it’s public and can be interpreted without your permission. Positivity, helpfulness, and intelligent humor will get you much farther than hate, violence, and emotionally sent messages and social posts.
5. Last, but certainly not least, be creative. Don’t do things because that’s what you saw someone else do, do things that your gut and your brain both agree on. Esports is full of copycats and wannabes.
What makes you unique to esports is your ability to bring perspective, ideas, and more importantly, solutions to an industry that is more passionate than ever. Being open to change is important and I feel that is part of being creative.
The industry is fast paced, embrace the change, and find a creative way to execute 1% better than you did the day before.
If I could leave you with one last and final thought it would be, go get some sleep. If you aren’t sleeping well then, I am confident you will find it impossible to find success at anything.
Wonderful. We are nearly done. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
There are a million people that I’d love to meet but there is one that is really stand out for me — Jimmy Donaldson aka Mr. Beast. His content has captivated me over years — and here’s why: Despite his young age of 26 he looks at life with an inspiring mentality that nothing can ever satisfy him more than helping other people. He maintains his humble outlook on life; believing that making an impact on others gives true meaning in life — not material possessions or accomplishments alone! His genuine ability to look inside oneself and be like “this is what success means to me” is truly inspiring to me.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
On Instagram @gameradvantage and through our website www.gameradvantage.com. We share our news eyewear tech and helpful health tips on improving gamer’s well-being.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
Bryan Reedy On 5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career In eSports was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.