1 June, 2019
Electronic Sports, commonly known as Esports, have been gaining a lot of ground during the past decade. Esports are computer gaming which has been organized at a professional level and it is competitive. There is a lot of controversy as to whether computer gaming is actually a sport and whether gamers are actually athletes.
Professional gamers, just like athletes, have to put in a lot of hard work and training to acquire the necessary skills which will allow them to compete professionally. Even though there is no physical activity involved, the skill required from Esports gamers is viewed by a lot of people to be sufficient to consider them as athletes; Esports athletes need to have precise motor skills, incredible hand-eye coordination and the heart rate of a marathon runner.
Pursuing an Esports career has a lot in common with pursuing any other sport; gamers train like other athletes; they have a relatively short career with a peak performance in their late teens to early twenties; they deal with doping issues with the use of performance enhancing drugs; they may get injuries such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and wrist injuries; they may experience mental fatigue and early burnout. In contrast to other athletes though, esports athletes are not organized in unions which makes them more vulnerable in terms of financial compensation, work-related benefits and fair treatment.
This month, we want to acknowledge the challenges faced by Esports athletes and we will attempt to offer insight and possible solutions. Furthermore, we will explore the future of Esports and the financial and other sporting opportunities for Esports athletes in an effort to help them navigate through the issues that come along with an Esports career.
Athena P. Constantinou
E-mail: [email protected]
