Does Rank matter in the Competitive eSports Scene?

We've all experienced it. We've all experienced the grind it takes to rank up in competitive videogame titles. While some use their ranks as a flex or means to trashtalk newbies, rank plays a big role in motivation to play a game. It is an assumption that the higher the rank, the better chances you have to go pro. Because, logically speaking, the better you are at the game, the better you will do in the professional eSports scene.

But... Does rank really matter in the grander scheme of things? Does having a high rank mean you will be a great eSports competitor? The answer may surprise you!

YES and NO HAHAHAHA

Yep, it is not as straight forward as one might think. There are several factors, aside from rank, that should be considered when deciding to go pro. So, let's talk about it!

What does rank indicate?

Before we get into why rank does or doesn't matter, let's talk about what rank means. Basically, rank in videogames act like a grading system, the better you play, the higher your "grade". They aim to sort players of the same caliber against each other to ensure balanced gameplay, which is done through tier based sorting or numerical grading. The rank system incentivizes daily play, because it makes gamers have a goal to chase after and fuels the competitive nature of gamers. The rank system exists to rate a player's skills and understanding of the game. The ability to sort players in the proper rank helps balance out the game and makes it fair for everyone.

These ideas stay true in a perfect world, sadly, society is not. With the existence of smurfing, account buying, piloting and boosting services, the rank system has been reduced to being a coin flip. As long as you get grouped up with "better" teammates, your odds are weighted towards winning. This is implies that as long as you have a higher than 50% win rate, you are guaranteed to climb despite your actual in-game performance. Due to human factor of ranking and the randomness of matchmaking, luck plays a huge factor in climbing the leaderboards. 

So, what does rank really indicate? It indicates how much you win or how lucky you are in the matchmaking system. Yes, there are some rank systems that take into consideration how well you play in-game, but a loss is a loss. You can argue, "get good?". Well, that is pretty hard to do especially when there are existing variables that shouldn't even exist in your game (smurfs and griefers). Until someone can address how to truly balance or formulate rank growth, the current system is pretty much a gamble. 

As Dendi said, "mmr is just a number."

Yes, Rank Matters

Though we got pretty cynical in the latter parts of what rank indicates, it still doesn't stop the fact that it is our only measure of skill in the game. So yes, rank matters in eSports to an extent. Even though it may seem like a weighted coin toss, a win is a win. Being sure to play your role properly and working well with whatever kind of team you are put in, drastically increases your odds of ranking up. In some games there are literal knowledge or mechanic checks which need to be overcome to reach the higher ranks. Learning to play more efficiently and understanding the game in a grander sense all lead to reaching the highest rank. Rank matters when it means knowing the ins and outs of the game. Though the ranks may be a coin toss of win or lose, there are still visible differences between how a newbie plays versus a high ranked player. It is in the higher ranks , that you get to see how differently or how efficiently these people play compared to casuals.

Having said how rank matters when in comes to playing the game, where rank matters the most is in eSports is the visibility you gain from being in the high ranks. It certain eSports titles, there is a minimum rank needed to play, and so organizations scout from the upper echelon of said eSports titles. This means, the higher your rank, the quicker they will be able to spot your gamertag. Having a high rank also means you get to play with the existing professional players and there is a slight chance they would recommend you to organizations, if there would be any available roster slots to fill. Grinding it out until you reach the highest rank is your foot in the door to the world of competitive/professional gaming. Your gamertag becomes your business card for possible networking opportunities.

No, Rank Doesn't Matter

As much as your rank can get you into the professional eSports scene, it takes a lot more than skill to stay in the scene. Rank stops to matter when it comes to your performance that the rank system cannot measure or when it is outside of the videogame realm. Rank doesn't matter when it comes your attitude and interpersonal skills, because these aren't measured by the videogame (except in-game reports of misconduct).

We've seen it happen before, a pubstar (someone who grinds ranked games) who does well in normal games, but bombs out during competition. Rank mostly fails to consider how well you do in teams and thus your skill can only carry you so far in the eSports scene. When a high ranked player gets scouted, they undergo a tryout process to see how well they synergize with the planned roster. If they are not adaptable or suitable to with the line up, they will not be considered, no matter the skill. Aside from in-game cohension, if they lack in the area of interpersonal skills, it will be a hard ask to keep them in the team setting. We have seen teams fall apart due to a toxic member or too many big egos trying to best each other. This type of behavior is due to the rank system measuring only how "better" you compared to everyone in the match (that is why we have a generation of big egos looking to the the superstar player).

Rank doesn't matter as much when you consider out-of-game functions. Being a professional gamer is a job and one must treat it as such. Your high rank will take you in many directions in-game, but your interpersonal skills may affect how long you will be in the industry.

The Verdict

So does having a high rank matter in the competitive eSports scene? It is still a yes and no.

Yes, having a high rank will get you noticed and possibly scouted, thus getting your foot in the eSports door. Also no, having a high rank isn't the only thing that matters, because being a professional implies that you must learn to deal with other people (something rank cannot measure).

The best thing to do if you plan to play professionally is through holistic development. This means that aside from getting good at the game, you should also be focusing on how you perform outside of it. You have to consider ideas that rank cannot measure in the videogame.

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