Thibault Pulcini has been active in the world of esports for 8 years. After taking his first steps as a volunteer, he is now a team manager at G2 Esports. He talks about his career path and offers advice to those who want to get started.
"While I was still a mechanical engineering student, I coached an associative League of Legends team".recalls Thibault Pulcini, manager of the Valorant women's team at G2 Esports. His passion has led him to travel the world, from South Korea to Brazil, via Turkey and the USA. This November, he is in Berlin, at the Game Changers Championship.
Always attentive to his team's needs, he manages everything to do with "out-of-game performanceadministrative, commercial and organizational tasks. "I make the schedules, manage the sleep and physical activity routines..."
"The most important thing is experience. If you don't have them, you have to create them."
A passionate profession to which he devotes "90 % of his life. Although "closed with few places", However, the world of esports is not inaccessible. "There's a lack of professional people with real skills." As a result, more and more people are coming from traditional sectors before becoming esport enthusiasts.
"Many places are still won through cronyism", estimates Thibault pointing: "This leads to a lack of professionalism in the sector. Too many people have jobs without the right skills. À In his eyes, that's just as many places to take.
"In interviews, the most important thing is experience. If you don't have them, you have to create them." And that's exactly what he did. First, with a team of League of Legendsthen with the "Odyssey esport", a student team he helped create while at the Gaming Campus. "A project with no real resources and no remuneration".. However, it did have the merit of allowing him to add a new line to his CV, but also to consider himself as a "newcomer". "semi-professional".
Multiple doors to choose from
The status of "professional was not long in coming. The following year, Gaming Campus formed a partnership with FC Nantes. At the time, the soccer club was launching on League of Legends and Fortnite. Thibault is recruited for a two-year work-study program as a manager. He begins to rub shoulders with the professional world of esports and to create his own network.
When he graduated, he was almost rolled out on the red carpet. He received two offers and chose to join G2 Esports. "My background doesn't represent the easiest way in. In my graduating class, not everyone has managed to find their place in the industry".says Thibault.
Although he doesn't identify an easy door of entry, he points out that an esport club has all the jobs of a business: human resources, sales, accounting, etc. "You can get your first foot in the world of esports through these more ancillary professions, and then progress internally to professions at the heart of the business." As with many passionate professions, there's no single entry point, and places are at a premium. It's up to you to find your own way.
English