Mental Health Awareness in Competitive Gaming

Competitive gaming is now the go-to for many online players in Australia and around the world, and its popularity keeps skyrocketing. These encompass online casino network tournaments, Esports, and other forms of ranked play. Esports, in particular, is drawing massive attention, with statistics projecting enthusiasts in the niche to reach 318 million by 2025. Currently, Esports has a market worth $23.9 billion and an overall viewership of 640 million worldwide.

Amidst the high followership and revenue of competitive gaming, there’s a severe call for mental awareness. The industry’s growth has made events more frequent than ever, putting pressure on gamers who want nothing but victory. In this post, we’ll draw attention to major mental health challenges in competitive gaming and provide tips to help mitigate them.

The Mental Challenges of Competitive Gaming

While engaging one another in stiff competitions, players can encounter different experiences that result in mental health problems. We’ve highlighted the four major challenges below.

Stress and Anxiety from Performance Pressure

Most competitive gamers take the activity as a job—an occupation where they earn a living. As a result, they always want to be at their best. Not to mention, thousands of fans follow the games with high expectations. All of this can bring significant stress to pro players and anxiety to those who are new. Even in more personal situations, there’s still a demand to perform optimally.

For instance, at online casino slot tournaments, there are no fans for players to appease. Sometimes, entry into the tournaments requires no financial commitment, as players can get free spins at Gamblenator AU and other sites. Yet, no one wants to miss out, and all players have the desire to win. The tournaments usually run for a limited time, so they must concentrate their efforts, which can result in massive stress.

Burnout from Repetitive Training

This problem is more common with Esports gamers, especially those just starting. The majority of Esports games are more or less video games played on consoles. Hence, players often need to practise repeatedly, which leads to burnout in the long run.

For emphasis, check out the top Esports games below and how long it takes to get good at playing.

Social Isolation from Tight Schedules

We’ve explained how new competitive gamers need to train for a long time to become pros. Meanwhile, the pros have tight schedules to keep up with. If it were traditional sports games — like football, basketball, and all — players would train on the field, where they socialise. But with online competitive gaming, it’s all remote.

Practising remotely regularly can make players feel lonely and isolated. That’s a serious issue on its own. However, it’s worse when the sense of loneliness and isolation results in depression.

Cyberbullying Due to Poor Performances

It’s difficult to discuss the mental health issues of online gaming and leave out cyberbullying. The internet is a free space where everyone drops their opinions, good or bad. Since their careers are online, competitive gamers have to gather and maintain an audience across multiple social media platforms.

Occasionally, when players perform poorly, they become subject to harassment from some fans who expect something different. This challenge is amplified by the fact that viewers usually bet on competitive games. For instance, Esports is available for betting at almost every top sportsbook.

Strategies for Maintaining Mental Well-Being for Competitive Gamers

While the challenges are profound, there are simple tips that can help pro-competitive gaming players manage the risks. Check them out below:

• Time management and breaks: From time to time, players need to take a break from the demanding schedules of competitive gaming. It’s okay to skip playing and training for a few days or a week to prevent burnout.
• Regular physical activity: Due to the remote nature of competitive gaming, it’s crucial that players have a daily routine that incorporates physical activities. A walk, stroll, a few pushups, and even yoga can go a long way toward helping.
• Stress management techniques: Regular physical activity can help with stress management, but there are more particular techniques worth engaging in. Players can try meditation, deep breathing, and mindfulness exercises, especially in anxious situations.
• Having a support system: The fact that competitive gaming is online and remote doesn’t mean players should be isolated. It helps to join support groups consisting of friends, family, co-players, coaches, and others. Such systems will provide much-needed positive support to maintain players’ mental well-being.
• Watching out for negative signs: One way to mitigate the mental health challenges of competitive gaming is by recognising the signs early. So, players need to be on alert for signals that signify they’re experiencing a mental health issue and seek professional help immediately. The signs could be regular feelings of sadness, anger, less motivation, or unstable sleep patterns.

Role of Competitive Gaming Organisations

Besides individual players, competitive gaming organisations — like Esports organisations, also have a role to play in ensuring optimal mental well-being. Here are some areas where they can capitalise on more reliable results:

• Education and resources: Organisations can regularly organise training sessions and educational workshops around mental health topics. This will help more players become aware of the risks along with helpful coping mechanisms.
• Workload management: It’ll help if gaming organisations create balanced schedules with sufficient rest times for their players. There should be sufficient breaks and relaxation days.
• Positive work environment: One way to prevent isolation and depression is by ensuring players are respectful to one another. Guidelines that specify a positive work environment by competitive gaming organisations can significantly help in this case.
• Providing role models: Finally, organisations should encourage pro-competitive gamers to act as role models for new players. They should share their experiences to help others become more aware of the importance of mental health and wellbeing.

Staying Responsible With Competitive Gaming

Competitive gaming and gambling go hand-in-hand, so it’s critical for gamers to be responsible. For players who engage in tournaments at online casinos and other betting sites, the primary rule is to have time and money limits. Additionally, it’ll help if players focus more on improving their gaming skills than simply winning.

Bottom Line

Mental health is always a serious topic when it comes to online gaming. From stress to anxiety, isolation, depression, and cyberbullying, there are many challenges to be aware of. However, by applying the tips outlined in this post, managing the mental health issues of competitive gaming should be easier.