Inside esports health issues: Are pro gamers doing okay?

There’s no denying the immense physical and mental challenges placed on esports athletes. Matches are sweat-inducing and adrenaline-packed, but there’s no escaping that most of the action happens on-screen. A new study shows that esports athletes have lower lean body mass (LBM) than their non-gaming peers. 

That’s a worry, as LBM is correlated with obesity, diabetes, and chronic health conditions. Esports athletes are also more susceptible to ailments like wrist pain, forearm sprains, neck and back issues, and eye fatigue.

Is it time to inject more athleticism into the sport? We look at what the industry is doing to address aerobic fitness, mental health, repetitive injury prevention, and ensure both minds and bodies are fit for the next match.

There’s a lot of conventional wisdom out there suggesting that competitive gaming, in fact, all gaming, is a net negative for physical health. 

If you play esports, you’ve heard it all before: too much time spent sitting, not enough calorie burn, bad posture, sciatica, gamer’s thumb, and carpal tunnel. 

Sadly, some of those stereotypes are turning out to be true. Sitting for hours on end, immersed in gameplay, does take a toll on the eyes, arms, neck, and back. And then there’s the mental strain of the competitive schedule. Esports players are often in their teens and spend much time away from home. They live in the public eye and travel extensively. Burnout is a recurring theme, and it’s common for players to retire at an early age.

Consider the well-publicised case of League of Legends prodigy Kyle “Danny” Sakamaki. The Evil Geniuses star had to exit the LoL Championship Series in 2022 and take a mental health break, leaving the team to fend off accusations that it hadn’t been supportive enough of its then-17-year-old star.