By Joe Chigbrow
There’s no doubt about it and no way to deny it, Esports are coming by storm. What was once a collection of large blocky cartridge games that fit into an even clunkier console that we all grew up with, is now the face of a new and rising phenomenon. While Esports has brought to light a new generation of competition, career opportunities, and culture, it can come with some rather harsh backlash. There are concerns that it leads to an unhealthy sedentary lifestyle or that these professional gamers get no time outside. Like all change, Esports will be met with much criticism for years to come. While some of the concerns and stigma expressed by the general public towards Esports can have some validity, it is important that we take note of and research carefully the truth behind Esports. There are many misconceptions that we may be led to believe about these players and games in this rising industry, if we aren’t careful enough to inform ourselves.
One of the most harrowing misconceptions about Esports is a direct attack on the player base. Many of us have all heard the stereotype that people good at these competitive games (or who even just spend a lot of time playing them) are obese and/or are living in ‘their mother’s basement’. Unfortunately, we have seen that this stereotype can have some truth to those into casual gaming. However, it is a completely different story when it comes to Esports. At first glance you may notice a counter consistency within professional Esports teams in that almost none of them are anywhere near obese. In addition, they always appear clean and bright at professional events and tournaments. Why though? How do these professional athletes have the time to both compete practice and stay in shape and healthy? Well, it comes down to the exact same things that professional football, baseball and basketball players all learn from the beginning. That is that a healthy body makes a healthy mind, and a healthy mind is better at decision making and reacting intuitively and effectively. People who play games at the highest level understand that the only way to properly improve and keep themselves at the top is to keep their body running at 100% all the time. In order to keep themselves healthy professional players will participate in team workouts (or individual), eat healthily (keeping track of their sugar intake), and most importantly drink a lot of water.
Professional organizations that sign these players also understand the importance of their players health. It can be in the form of physical exercise, time getting fresh air, or a change in diet. A great example of this is the TSM training center located in Los Angeles. Exploring their website, you can see that the facility boasts an all-out functioning gym, a wellness center, and a kitchen. These organizations make money by winning and being winners. This opens the door for them to be sponsored by more companies in turn taking in more revenue by being an established winning org. If these types of organizations thought they could win without any emphasis on players health then they wouldn’t have gone to all that effort and money to make this facility for players. TSM recognizes how crucial physical and social health in connection with mental health and competitive readiness so they put together a facility to help them win at that.
In spite of the stigma towards professional gaming we can see that the people behind this new generation of athletes are committed and are ready to be taken seriously with their training and lifestyles. While there are certainly cases where the stigma and stereotypes have truth, the best of the best players know what it really takes to compete. Just like in any other professional sport, success is driven by doing the hard things as well as the easy things. Health will always be something that football players and professional Esports players will have in common. With the ascent of Esports now and in the future, we can look forward to a healthier future for people of all interests. In addition to the descent of hurtful stereotypes.