The growing concern about health standards in electronic sports has prompted a new union to pledge to tackle the problem, as players fall victim to conditions ranging from wrist injuries to obesity, stress and diabetes. The retirement of Chinese star Jian Zhao, known as "Uzi", has shaken the booming sports community, and is expected to have revenues of $ 1.1 billion this year, according to the analysis company, "News".
The 23-year-old, who is considered a role model in Legend of Legends "Leg of Legends," withdrew from electronic sports "i Sports" last June, justifying this by "chronic fatigue, obesity, irregular diet, late sleep and other reasons", What led to him suffering from type 2 diabetes and undergoing surgery with his hand.
Ozzy's condition is not isolated in a sport whose professionals can make 500 movements per minute, according to the American Orthopedic Association and train for hours per day. A report by the association last year indicated that the "sitting nature" of electronic sports means "musculoskeletal injuries to the neck, back and upper limbs" for athletes, and has raised concerns about game addiction and social behavior disorders.
The alarming warnings are not new to electronic sports, as they have received mixed reactions from official sports organizations despite their sweeping popularity, which is confirmed by hundreds of millions of online followers.
Recent attempts to join the Olympic Games calendar have faltered, partly due to poor cohesion among rival companies, changing the nature of the games and basic questions about whether video games can be considered a sport.
Chris Chan, president of the World Federation of Electronic Sports, a new organization backed by Chinese gaming giant "Tencent", believes the problem lies in reliability, as health and well-being requires close attention. "It is time we discussed all of this in electronic sports," he told AFP.
Chan pointed out that his Singapore-based federation, launched last December with a focus on "universal health", has already formed a "education, culture and well-being" committee to guide his work. "We have some eminent doctors sitting inside to participate with us."
Prior to the launch of electronic sports last year at the Southeast Asian regional games, physical exercise was part of the regular training of many teams. But Chan noted that competition among manufacturers raises important issues that have not been fully addressed, from player welfare to corruption.
"We are all going in different directions now. Nobody treats diversity ... fair play, health." According to Chan, the World Federation of Electronic Sports aims to be a platform for the ecosystem to raise the credibility of sports.
Dozens of national federations from around the world joined the federation, and last month announced its cooperation with the Asian Olympic Council to promote e-sports in Asia. However, it remains unclear what its impact will be on health and other areas. Chan's union also faces many competitors, such as the South Korean-based International Federation of Electronic Sports.
Remer Ritterkierk, who is responsible for electronic sports at "News", said that the World Federation faces "big" challenges in order to be considered the main association for electronic sports, especially as it only has the support of the games publisher "Tencent". Tencent "Rayot Games", the maker of the legend, has the support of major championships and invests in other game publishers, but the World Federation has yet to sign contracts with others.
"In order to obtain expressive global coordination, they need approval from publishers because publishers have the right to accept or reject any event or broadcast from which income is generated." In electronic sports, publishers own the rights to games and lay down the rules of competition, while Administrative organizations have a limited role.
Alexander Champlin, an e-sports analyst at Nikko Partners, confirmed that the primary role of the World Federation was likely to be a support group "but expect them to be competitors when e-sports governance begins to merge."