The Esports debate: Does your age really matter when it comes to being successful?  

In today's day and age, Esports has emerged as one of the most popular and viable professions, which has seen the rise of prominent pro players and organizations.

Moreover, since the onset of the global pandemic, Esports, and the gaming industry in general, have witnessed unprecedented growth and etched their place at the forefront of the entertainment sector.

Games such as League of Legends, Call of Duty, and Fortnite, to name a few, are known to host some of the biggest esports tournaments in the world, with enormous prize pools up for grabs. The level of competition is intense as gamers across the globe take on one another to claim ultimate bragging rights, which makes for a highly enjoyable spectacle.

However, a recurrent factor that tends to pop up in an esports debate is the age factor, as some believe that the younger generation has faster reaction-based skills. In contrast, others argue in favor of maturity and experience.

Recently, Jake Lucky of Esports Talk posted a tweet about this very factor, which soon led to a whole new debate online:

Problem is Esports is so young, we don't know how much age matters.

— Jake Lucky (@JakeSucky) September 26, 2020

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The Esports debate: Is age a deterrent?

At the moment, Esports is witnessing a blooming purple patch, which has truly cemented its position as a force to reckon with.

At a time when almost all sporting activities were stalled, esports continued to be a mainstay in the sphere of entertainment.

Considering the behemoth esports is today, take a look at its growth and future projections:

Image Credits: roundhillinvestments.com

Image Credits: weforum.org

Jake Lucky's recent tweet opened up a Pandora's box related to his statement.

One particular user seemed to raise a pertinent point related to the timeline of a person's life:

I think this is correct but not due to reaction time or general skill, but rather the timeline of their lives. As you get older most people generally get married, have kids, and their priorities change. Also, they likely have been grinding to the point of burnout.

— Un1ucky (@un1uckyfps) September 26, 2020

Some others based the relevance of age on motivation and drive, rather than reaction time:

I think people fall off with age in esports due to motivation and drive, not reaction time.

— Hobshy (@hobshytv) September 26, 2020

the reaction time is a factor but if you have the talent and passion could go on. However the drive to grind,practice,focus and commitment it’s the most difficult thing. As a cod fan, I see clayster and the drive to compite is his fuel. Different to scump, cause of his talent .

— Ricardo Leiva Concha (@R_leivac) September 26, 2020

As they get older into their mid-20's they're expected to either have 1: made it or 2: given up and gone back to "real jobs". And mostly still in esports you arent making enough $$ unless you're in the top 1% or you've converted to content creation 2/2

— HyProxima (@HyProxima) September 26, 2020

Several others cited the example of Clayster, who is one of the most successful COD players and continues to defy age to eke out major victories:

Idk jake my man @Clayster is the oldest mf in the league and he still gets buck

— ODG_NicaGrunt (@ONicagrunt) September 26, 2020

It doesn't, look at @Clayster. His shots are shakier than his knees, but he's still competing.

— Octane'sBurner (@OctaneSburner) September 26, 2020

Clayster is obviously nowhere near as good individually as he used to be though. He would have a 1.2 k/d for whole events before, now he constantly goes negative, It's just that there are other factors that matters for winning. Also, most of the decay is after the 30s

— A Terra possui formato de dinossauro (@Jotapeee1048) September 27, 2020

Think @Clayster might have something to say about that

— Call Of Duty Plug (@Klutchonly1) September 26, 2020

Jake Lucky's tweet was also seconded by other pros who shared their thoughts on the matter:

It matters because the qualities in the same teammate can change with age.

— Surge Octane (@OctaneSam) September 26, 2020

Why is it that people thing skills degrade with age in esports?

— Chance (@ChanceCasts) September 26, 2020

damn old man tries to work technology i guess age does matter in esports

— davis. (@hitchariide) September 26, 2020

The key takeaways from this debate revolve around the fact that maturity, irrespective of age, seems to be the one defining trait which can counter any such drawbacks of age.

A combination of maturity, skill, and experience can thus prove to be a potent combination in defying the onset of age and ensuring a sense of relative longevity.