For years, those involved in the world of professional gaming have relied upon the mice, keyboards, and other peripherals that Razer produces. But starting Thursday, they're becoming more involved in the growing field of e-Sports, with the formation of the Razer Academy.
According to Robert Krakoff, president of Razer USA, the just-announced venture is designed to help the ever-increasing number of pro gamers out there.
What a lot of non-gamers and people outside the industry don’t realize is that e-Sports and the cyber-athletes that compete in these tournaments put in a lot of physical and mental effort to ascend to the level of greatness that they have. I believe it’s an art, the way the top gamers can maintain focus throughout a high-powered, one-on-one, 20-minute StarCraft II throwdown, or the way a team comes together to take home the victory in one fast-paced Counter-Strike round. All these are skills that can be taught and cultivated, whether you want to make your mark in the world of e-Sports or just put yourself on top of multiplayer leaderboards all the time.
No matter your goals, your aspirations, the Razer Academy is here to make that journey inspiring and educational.
The academy will include resources for basic and advanced techniques, to help master the very essence of competitive gaming. In addition to articles and guides, instructional video and audio content will be provided as well, all delivered by various big names from their respective, competitive fields.
Naturally, there will also be detailed guidance provided to help aspiring pro gamers to fully maximize their Razer gear.
Since this is only day one, there's not much in the way of content, but one can still meet the experts who will guide interested parties on their journey to cyber gaming greatness. Games that have been touched upon so far include "League of Legends," "Street Fighter 4," World of Warcraft." "Star Craft 2" and "DOTA 2."
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Matthew Hawkins is an NYC-based game journalist who has also written for EGM, GameSetWatch, Gamasutra, Giant Robot and numerous others. He also self-publishes his own game culture zine, is part of Attract Mode , and co-hosts The Fangamer Podcast . You can keep tabs on him via Twitter , or his personal home-base, FORT90.com .