Playing games is one of the most popular hobbies in the world. But with enough passion and will, any hobby can be turned into a professional profession.
Many of us grew up playing games. Some of us got started with the SNES console by rebooting classics like Donkey Kong and Super Mario Kart. Still others, I started on the NES or Nintendo 64, where I was introduced to the first shooting games (Duke Nukem, Goldeneye 007 (). Even older people discovered the line of games on the Atari 2600. No matter what device you started playing games on or how many games you play Played by it, all players have an incomprehensible passion for virtual worlds where digital connections and friendships are formed, both with other players from the real world as well as with the characters with whom we explore rich digital worlds.
There are quite a few of you who have nurtured this passion from childhood into adulthood itself. You have invested tens of thousands of hours, played hundreds of games, and discovered countless secrets and an infinite number of breathtaking moments. Have you ever wondered if you will be able to transfer all this knowledge to the professional stages?
Thirty years ago, at the beginning of gaming, it would have been difficult to advise anyone to start a professional gaming journey. Esports events have been very rare, especially on the European scene. Today, the story is completely different. We can thank the esports producers, esports tournament organizers, sponsors who recognized the potential in the new esports industry, and of course the players who encouraged the development of the esports industry, including you.
This is now developing rapidly in Slovenia as well.
Diamant Esports – the first professional e-sports organization in Slovenia
Today you have the opportunity to show your talent and effort on the Slovenian and world stage. You have the opportunity to turn a hobby into a profession. The biggest esports and “streaming” stars (Faker, N0tail, Bugha, Shroud, Ace and Dr DisRespect) started in the same place you live as regular fans of PC games.
The main objective of Diamant Esports is to create a professional environment to train talented and promising esports athletes and provide them with the best possible starting point for achieving the best results in international competitions.
Diamant Esports is more than just a professional esports organization. He also wants to become an example and set standards for e-sports in Slovenia. It is not always about winning, but also about the relationships between players and the attitude towards esports itself. For this purpose, they collaborated with the Electronic Sports Association of Slovenia (EŠZS), whose efforts are focused on regulating e-sports and raising public awareness of the role of e-sports in today’s world, and with counselors and psychologists from the Nora Institute (LOGOUT) integrated treatment programs for competitors.
The organization is currently active in two matches: League of Legends and Valorant. Two completely different games and two completely different sets of players. Turn your single champion Yorick, Kayle, Urgot… into a team player with whom you and Diamant Esports will win international titles.
Brimstone, Killjoy, Jett, Raze… Which dealer have you invested the most hours in? Show your skills and maybe a chance awaits you in the Diamant Esports teams.
For more information, we called T-2 and asked them a few questions. We spoke about Diamant Esports’ work with Tom Bejanovic, Team Esports Manager. We were particularly interested in what such an organization does for Slovenia and what it means for young players.
What do potential players need to do to join the organization? Are tests underway? What are the entry conditions?
The players must be good and enthusiastic in the first place. They can draw attention to themselves by doing well in the various competitions we follow (the Scouts), but of course they can address us directly through the channels ([email protected], our Discord channel and more). We sometimes organize open exams, the last time we had them was in December and January. We also report this through our communication channels. Usually, players are invited for testing by the management and coaches when we have a vacancy or when we want to increase the team.
Why these two games? Are you planning to expand your squad collection to include other games (Apex Legends, Overwatch, Call of Duty()?
League of Legends was the first game we supported due to its reach and competitive structure and it is already there. Matches in the largest regional competition Esports Balkan League, where we participate, are broadcast on television and “streaming” platforms such as Youtube and Twitch, and the competition has a long tradition. Valiant develops in a similar direction. So we were glad to learn about the opportunity on the awakening scene. We were fortunate to have the best team in the Balkans, with which three Slovenian players also play.
We are constantly looking for opportunities to expand both teams and playing areas and monitor the results of successful Slovenian players in various video games. Before expanding, let’s check the path to the biggest competitions, how saturated the market is already, and how competitive the team or player we are interested in is.
How do you take care of the players? Salaries, sponsorships and scholarships?
The professional approach to sports is reflected in the entire operation of the organization. For players, a manager takes care of contracts, registration in competitions and media activities, a coaching team that forms the training schedule, develops players and teams, and conducts theoretical training before and after matches. Everyone’s job is to develop a positive team spirit and good relationships within the team that are key to success. Salaries, scholarships or fees depend on the player versus player and are contractually determined.
Can players who want to sign a contract with your organization stay active on the Youtube, Twitch and Facebook Gaming platforms?
Of course, we encourage players to be active on all platforms and social networks, as we understand that this is absolutely necessary to establish contacts with our fans and build a fan base. At the same time, through these channels we can also meet young, ambitious and talented players, who then, through hard work and perseverance, will one day reach the point where they can put on the diamond jersey and play in the largest regional competitions.
The creation of Diamant Esports was also supported by the T-2. We asked them about the reasons for entering the field of e-sports.
“We supported the creation of Diamant Esports in T-2 for several reasons: as an operator, with our high-quality communication services and a rich offer of the best equipment at the T-2 Club, we can meet the special needs of many fans of computer games for esports that take place in a digital environment. That is why we entrust the experienced management team of Diamant Esports to take care of the development of professional players, the acquisition of a wide range of knowledge and their good physical and mental fitness.In close cooperation with the Federation of Electronic Sports of Slovenia (EŠZS), which directs all efforts to organize e-sports and raise public awareness of what e-sports is, and with LogOut counselors and psychologists, who design integrated therapy programs for esports. Our competitors, we are on the right track to set a good example for young people, thus showing them how organized and disciplined they are to enter the interactive, highly engaging and exciting world of gaming”, says Gregor Otambohar, Member of Sales and Marketing Management at T-2.
For more information, visit their website www.diamant.gg.