“Esports athletes also have something called ‘the grind’ where they get on the game and they play it for as long as they can – just play, play, play. It’s unstructured training. The grind is giving kudos, you’re seen as a bit of a legend the more you ‘grind’.
“If you take all of that into consideration, I’m not surprised we are seeing players at the highest level suffer from burnout, high levels of poor physical and mental health and injury.
“What we’re trying to do is encourage athletes to take a healthier approach to gaming.
“To help them understand that if they have a more structured, healthier regime in place, not only will they be better gamers, by working on areas that they need to work on, alongside a coach, but also that they will be much healthier, with better nutrition, sleep etc. and through this, they will be better placed to reach their full potential.
“Without the athletes and the players, you have no esports, just like any traditional sport. So, we have to invest in their health and understand the things that will affect it.
“If you’re physically and mentally well, of course you will perform better, so we need to create an environment that fosters and supports the players.”
