With the widespread popularity of video games in the world today, it is no wonder that the esports industry is thriving as well. With esports, skilled gamers the world over have the opportunity to compete and win in a variety of gaming tournaments, just as traditional athletes do. However, while you might be eager to dive into a contract with the first esports agency that shows interest in you, it is important to ensure that you choose the best one for you.

Why Should You Sign with an Agency?

Like with professional sports, acting, or any other careers that require you to sign deals with corporations, plan out events and appearances, and be very visible to the public eye, an agent is a necessary asset to have. Whether you are just starting out or have already made a name for yourself in the world of esports, having a trustworthy and reliable esports agency at your side will be very helpful for a number of reasons.

Put simply, the value of being represented by an esports agency is that the agency is there to help ensure that you make the best decisions for your career. Whereas you might not be trained in reading legal documents and contracts—something that you will sign a lot of as part of your career as an esports athlete—your agent is, and they will guarantee that everything in the contracts serves your best interests.

What to Look for in an Esports Agency?

Like all decisions that affect your career, choosing an esports agency to represent you is a choice that should be made with consideration and care. As noted earlier, it is never a good idea to dive right in with the first agency that shows interest. Not only does this prevent you from making a decision informed by research, but it is also possible that the agency may not have your best interests in mind and is only interested in exploiting young and eager esports athletes. It is important to do research into a number of topics.

 See What Others Thought About Them

While you might not have the pick of the litter when it comes to esports agencies, chances are that you will still have a couple of options. When considering these potential esports agencies, look up reviews of them as an agency. By looking up reviews and seeing what other esports athletes have thought of the agency, you might just realize that the esports agency you thought seemed so great is actually not. Without looking up reviews of their services, you will never know if the agency you are considering is actually good or not.

Consider Your Needs

If everyone who has previously worked with an agency says positive things about them, it can be tempting to choose them immediately. However, the next step is to determine if their services will satisfy your particular needs. Every esports athlete is different, just as every person is different. Therefore, an agency that worked well for one athlete might not work as well for you.

Pricing

No esports agency will take you on for free, so one of the first things to consider is price. Are they too expensive for you? Or do they seem too cheap? Both of these could be signs that going with a different esports agency might be a good idea.

Location

If an esports agency’s headquarters is very far away from where you are located, it might be best to choose a more local agency, unless you are willing to move to the location of the agency in question. While you may be able to work with an agency from a distance through email and other online methods of communication, it will be altogether more convenient if they are located somewhat close to you. For example, if you are ever required to meet with your agent in person, flying to another country or continent might be a serious inconvenience, and could even affect your own ability to work.

Services Offered

Finally, whether you intend to compete internationally, or simply wish to be represented on a smaller scale to the public, it is important to consider the services offered by the esports agency that you are interested in. If you want to have international representation and compete in large-scale tournaments across the globe, then a small esports agency is definitely not the right choice for you. Similarly, if your resources are limited and you do not want international representation anyway, then going with a smaller agency may be best. In fact, not only will the smaller agency be cheaper, but they will also be more tailored toward smaller-scale representation than a very large esports agency that predominantly represents world-famous athletes.