Jane Pride (third from left) and his teammates stood on the Asian Games podium. Image source: Osports All Sports Pictures
Chinanews.com client Beijing, June 5 (Wang Hao) A few days ago, the well-known e-sports professional player Uzi (Jian Pride) announced his retirement and triggered heated discussions on the Internet. In his Weibo introduction, type 2 diabetes and severe hand injuries are the main reasons for retirement. For the e-sports players, this is not a case. Many people were injured and sick although they were young when they retired.
Why do players suffer so many injuries in esports events without physical confrontation?
Unhealthy lifestyle
Uzi wrote in his retirement statement that due to chronic stress, obesity, irregular diet, and staying up late, he discovered type 2 diabetes during his physical examination last year and decided to retire because of severe hand injuries.
The 23-year-old Uzi, the same age as an ordinary college student, had to retire due to injury and illness. An important reason is that he said that his life and rest are unhealthy.
E-sports is a late-night project, and viewers who are slightly familiar with e-sports should be well aware of this. Most players usually qualify and train late into the night, and it is difficult to get up early the next day. Once this kind of work schedule is developed in the team, some of the players want to go to bed early and get up early, which becomes a luxury.
Screenshot of Weibo.
Imagine that other high-level players get up at noon, and you get up early at 8 o'clock in the morning, finish breakfast, turn on the computer, and find that even a player of the same rank can't be found, then can you still get up at 8 o'clock tomorrow?
Audiences who are more concerned about the live broadcast of e-sports players should often be able to see the scene of their takeaway late at night. Compared to traditional sports, e-sports do not have as high requirements for players' physical fitness, so clubs rarely have mandatory requirements for players' diet. Although almost every club has an "aunt cooking", the players are still keen on takeaway and supper.
The average career of e-sports players is not long, and most of them will retire before the age of 25. But among these young people in the golden age of metabolism, there are many phenomena of being overweight and too thin. An important reason is that the diet is unhealthy.
Information Figure: WCG2019 World Finals kicked off in Xi'an. WCG is known as the "E-sports Olympic Games". In this competition, about 40,000 players from 111 countries and regions signed up for the competition. Finally, 198 players from 28 countries and regions entered the finals. The picture shows the fierce competition of the participating teams. Zhang Yuanshe
Occupational habits
In the professional e-sports arena, all kinds of heroes on the screen are derived from the control of professional players. In high-level games, you can often see extremely fast combos, defenses, moves, etc. These operations are basically completed by professional e-sports players with keyboard and mouse.
Professional players with higher levels often have extremely fast hands. But while being able to devote a pleasing performance, it is often accompanied by hand injuries.
In the 2018 League of Legends Global Finals, iG faced South Korea's No. 1 seed KT in the knockout game. At that time, iG player JackeyLove (Yu Wenbo) mentioned in the team's voice that his hand was shaking. , Feeling hand numb.
When Uzi announced his retirement, he also mentioned his serious hand injury. In fact, a long time ago, there were media reports that Uzi's arm was like the arm of a man in his forties or forties.
The speed of professional players. (Video screenshot.)
In addition to Uzi, in the field of e-sports, there have been many cases where players have affected the game due to hand injuries and even retired.
In fact, it's not just hand injuries. E-sports players sit in front of computers for training and games all year round, and other occupational diseases are also prone to occur. Office workers who have been sitting in the office for a long time may feel the same, such as neck, shoulders, waist, pain, soreness.
Although the players have specialized gaming chairs, the cumulative damage over the years is still serious. Many professional e-sports players have back injuries and spinal problems. Many people need physiotherapy, and professional physiotherapists have become the standard of mainstream e-sports clubs.
Data map: WE team players are in the game. On the same day, the 2019 NEST National Esports Competition (League of Legends) Summer Finals was held in Guiyang, Guizhou. The first match against the BLG team won the WE team 2:0. China News Service reporter Qu Honglun photo
The game is like fighting
Audiences who are unfamiliar with e-sports competitions may think it lacks confrontation and does not require much physical strength from the players. But in fact, e-sports competitions not only have extremely high requirements on the operation of the hands, but also require full concentration.
In the summer of 2016, several teams of LPL (League of Legends in the Chinese mainland's highest level league) fought to compete for the qualification of the global finals. At that time, the high-sounding Snake team played two consecutive BO5 (five innings) the match of. Coincidentally, the two games were played in five innings to win or lose. Snake ended up losing defeat and lost his qualification to participate in the global finals.
The two games, collectively called "BO10", made Snake's players both physically and mentally exhausted. Kryst4l (Yang Fan) players continued to be trapped by injuries after this exhaustion.
Information figure: Kryst4l competition poster.
Since then, LPL has reformed the game system, and now there will be no more BO5 games a day. However, the possibility of extreme situations has been ruled out, and the loss of energy during the game of esports players is undeniable.
In fact, professional e-sports players must not only face the opponents on the field, but also withstand public opinion outside the field. With the increasing popularity of e-sports competitions in recent years, there are more and more discussions about players and clubs on the Internet. Among them, the glaring cyber violence is inevitable. "Keyboard man", from the traditional sports "fighting" to e-sports events.
In the Weibo where Uzi announced his retirement, he mentioned the word stress. As one of the most popular players in the professional e-sports field in China, the pressure of public opinion he has undertaken over the years can be imagined.
Some players, especially young players, are not easy to deal with the mental pressure brought about by the online sound waves. In the long run, it is naturally harmful to the physical and mental health of the players.
Data map: BLG players prepare for the match. On the same day, the 2019 NEST National Esports Competition (League of Legends) Summer Finals was held in Guiyang, Guizhou. The first match against the BLG team won the WE team 2:0. China News Service reporter Qu Honglun photo
Protection awareness is not enough
In view of the serious impact of professional player injuries on their careers, most clubs in some mainstream e-sports leagues have improved their hardware and software to provide players with relaxation and treatment anytime, anywhere. In some larger competitions, the team's lounge will also be equipped with physiotherapy beds to prevent treatment needs in case of accidental injuries.
In addition, the mental health of professional players has also received increasing attention. In the previous women's basketball Olympic qualifying game, Huang Jing, a psychological counselor who became popular on the Internet due to the exciting pre-match mobilization in the dressing room, provided psychological counseling for e-sports players during major events.
However, from the perspective of the general environment, the current e-sports club is far from enough to guide players to develop a good diet.
Taking traditional sports basketball as an example, during the season, the club has certain restrictions on the players' diet and accommodation. Among strong teams, management is even stricter.
But in the field of e-sports, it is difficult to imagine the club restricting players in these areas. Of course, each industry has its own characteristics, and the traditional sports management ideas that follow the e-sports circle may not work. However, in the case where some living habits affect the health of the players, appropriate guidance is still necessary.
Image source: EDG official blog video screenshot.
Some clubs have made attempts, such as the League of Legends branch of the EDG club, which will ask teachers to guide the players to perform yoga exercises.
However, this approach has not yet been popularized. At least from the public information, many well-known e-sports clubs have not done enough in this regard.
The phrase "body is the capital of revolution" is true in most professional sports. Even in an electronic arena where there is no physical confrontation, the health of the players is crucial. I hope that all players can stay healthy, continue their professional career, and dedicate more exciting performances! (Finish)