Have you ever witnessed a gamer shouting during a game? Have you noticed their agony whenever they lost? Have you ever realised their tears when they won?
Professional athletes at the highest level regularly deal with fierce competition from opposing teams or individuals, but also intense psychological pressure, including performance anxiety, fear of failure, and tensions resulting from miscommunication, particularly in team sports. Professional gamers competing in major esports competitions experience the same kinds of stressors, according to a new psychology study published in the International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations.
The University of Chichester in the UK with its newly launched BA (Hons) esports degree focuses on the scientific study of the physical and psychological impact of esports, including nutrition, coaching, and strategy in an immersive gaming environment, according to co-author, Philip Birch, who specialises in sports and exercise performance psychology.
The objective is to gain a clearer understanding not just of the stresses esports players face but also the coping strategies they use to deal with those stressors. Birch and his colleagues decided to focus on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive because it is similar to physical team sports like football or rugby.
“We thought it as a good opportunity to see how esports players cope in front of live audiences and how they get along as a team,” Birch remarked. Many elite teams are more like families, often rooming together as well as training and competing in CSGO together. “Sometimes families get along really well, and sometimes they don’t,” he said. And unresolved tensions can potentially affect overall team performance. According to Birch, the qualitative nature of the study is better suited to an initial exploration of the various stress factors and coping mechanisms common to esports players. Future studies might opt for a more quantitative approach, although that would require more people.
Birch concluded that esports players faced 51 different stress factors, most notably team communication problems and anxiety about competing in front of live audiences, akin to stage fright. Those are the same stressors typically experienced by professional sports athletes competing at the highest levels. Communication issues included players not listening, or not following instructions, or aggressively negative (often profane) verbal criticism from the in-game leader (IGL) during gameplay. Other internal team issues include lack of confidence in one’s teammates—especially in terms of maintaining emotional control under pressure and fear of failing and letting down the team.
External stressors include trash talk from opposing teams, social media attacks, and the anxiety associated with playing a fast-paced, high-pressure game in front of a large live audience.
“As an industry, we’ve known for a long time that stressors on top-level players can negatively affect their performance,” said ESL’s chief operating officer, Rob Black, in a statement. “This study proves this and reinforces what we have been saying for years. Further developments are needed in this area, and that will be key in ensuring the number of professional players continue to grow worldwide.”
It will grow but yes, GAMING is never an easy task!
