The first professional VR players are playing right now.

It takes deliberate practice to compete in eSports.

As eSports worthy games mature, so do the players and the competitive scene. If a VR player starts practicing now, they should be of a professional skill level by time VR eSports take off. Deliberate practice of existing VR games will at least teach players the fundamentals of what’s to come.

Playing VR at a competitive level will require deliberate practice like any competitive scene before. In a VR game, the player’s whole body is involved. Players have to physically practice the game(s), and take care that their fitness is not a limiting factor for their performance.

Tactics and strategies are also important; they vary from game to game and playfield to playfield. As an example, there are Counter-Strike players who succeed on Dust2, but know few strategies for other maps. A professional player plays maps they don’t like in order to learn them. Practice takes place outside of their play time in order to become better at the game.

Practicing competitive VR provides physical training.

During VR practice, players can do bodyweight exercises like push ups, squats, and HIIT movements such as jump squats. Using the entire room-scale environment, players move around as much as possible in an effort to practice an active form of play.

By practicing, VR players are physically exercising and conditioning themselves. Over the next 3 years we will see VR early adopters playing at professional levels in VR eSports.

Now is the time to begin the trail to professional play.

If anyone is interested in the professional VR scene, the time to start is now. Start streaming on Twitch and posting content to other platforms such as Facebook. Inspire other gamers to dive into VR gaming and become the first in a line of professional VR gamers. Just as eSports is taking over the world’s past time, players can be pushing the VR industry itself.

Players of existing VR titles are already organizing tournaments and competing. SmashBox Arena has hosted multiple tournaments since its launch, and the community surrounding the game continues to host competitions and events.

Competitive VR gaming is only ever going to grow larger. The time to start is now. If you’re interested in competative VR, I would love to hear from you!