In January 2021, professional Call of Duty player Thomas Paparatto, better known to his fans as ZooMaa, announced in a Twitter statement that he would end his eSports career because of a thumb injury. His decision took fans by surprise, and not everyone understood why something as seemingly minor as a thumb injury could cut short a successful career, but, as ZooMaa went on to explain in a future post, the injury required surgery, and it severely limited the range of motion in his thumb, making it impossible for him to use a controller stick. Fortunately, ZooMaa continued to stream because the injury did not affect his ability to use a mouse and keyboard, but, even so, the eSports industry lost one of its most influential players.
To many outsiders, Paparatto’s retirement at 25 sounded odd, to say the least. Wasn’t he too young? And what’s so hard about sitting in a thousand-dollar gaming chair all day? As it turns out, being a professional eSports player can take a serious toll on your physical and mental health, and it’s quite rare for someone to be successful for more than a few years without sustaining some sort of career-ending injury.
The health risks of competitive gaming
For most people, gaming is relaxing but, when it’s done at a competitive level, it can actually become quite dangerous, and not just because eSports tournaments are ruthless. In fact, most of the time, it’s the training that gets to you the most. To reach that level of efficiency where they react instantly to what happens in the game, eSports players have to train for up to 10 hours a day. They’re not just naturally gifted; to ‘git gud’, they have to practice for hours, until they develop quick reaction times. A professional eSports player can make up to 400 precise actions every minute, and even though these actions typically involve clicking, they can still cause health issues in time.
When the same finger movement is done repeatedly, that increases the risk of micro-tears, which, in time, leads to local inflammation. This causes pain, numbness, and a tingling sensation. Many eSports players have reported that, after an intense game, their fingers fall asleep and that their motor skills are inevitably impaired. In severe cases, this condition requires surgery, and the downtime can be up to six weeks.
The most common conditions in eSports are carpal tunnel and the tennis elbow. They’re not unique to gaming, of course. The incidence of carpal tunnel is very high among office workers, and tennis elbow is common among athletes, painters, and carpenters. However, if other professions need decades to develop the first symptoms of a musculo-skeletal issue, an eSports player can get them as early as in their 20s.
In many respects, being a professional gamer sounds like the perfect job because you can make up to six figures by playing your favorite games, but the pressure is incredible. Many well-known players, including Diego Ruiz and Justin McGrath, spoke publicly about their history of anxiety and depression, and how it impacted their careers. More often than not, eSports players are successful for a few years, and then they give up competitive gaming and turn to streaming because their bodies can no longer handle the stress. One aspiring eSports player, Julia Bright, who started playing competitively as a teenager, gave up at the age of 20 because of a torn ligament in her wrist. The cause? Not taking care of her wrist when playing Apex Legends. One surgery and a twelve-week pause later, her wrist was only 80% recovered, and she has to limit her gaming sessions to 40 minutes.
So, what can eSports players do in this case? Taking breaks is key, doctors explain. Because games can get very intense, it’s important to stretch between games and get up as often as possible. You can also look for hemp buds for sale, which have a double effect: they can help reduce inflammation, irritation, and pain, and they can also promote a sense of calm and focus, which is essential for competitive players. Many professionals turn to energy drinks to improve their reaction times and stay alert, and there’s even a trend for gaming drinks, but relying on them for performance can lead to long-term health conditions.
Wrist and thumb injuries aren’t the only risks of the job. Being a professional eSports player also means leading a sedentary life. You have to sit in a chair for more than eight hours a day, and since you’re focused on the game most of the time, you have bad posture. In time, this can lead to lower back injury, neck pain, and shoulder pain. In this case, prevention is the best cure, so use an ergonomic chair and get up as often as possible. Some eSports players even recommend standing up while playing, although this is only possible if you use a controller or if you have a standing desk.
Social media is an integral, and sometimes dark part of eSports.
Every world-class eSports player has a social media following, which can be a double-edged sword. At the best of times, social media can help eSports players create a supportive community. At the worst of times, it can perpetuate a toxic culture of hate speech, trolling, and bullying. All athletes are exposed to public scrutiny but, in eSports, where being online is pretty much a job requirement, the pressure can be too much to bear. Recently, Jayke Paulsen, a famous League of Legends player, confessed to ending his eSports career because the hate comments affected his self-confidence and even exacerbated his depression. It goes to show that eSports, although it might seem like the perfect career for someone who loves gaming, is not for everyone, and you need to be aware of the risks before joining it. You need a solid support system and good health discipline if you want to stay in the spotlight for more than a couple of years.
