Not just a game
Growing esports industry struggling to deal with the dark side of success
Amid a light show and theatrical smoke in Shanghai’s Mercedes-benz Arena, the five members of the OG team celebrate after securing their victory at The International, esports most lucrative tournament.
Teams compete in the fantasy battle game Dota 2 for a share of nearly $34-million in prize money, eclipsing the $30-million prize pool of the Fortnite World Cup held in New York in July.
Professional video gaming is on the crest of a wave after the roaring success and untold riches of these recent tournaments.
This year worldwide revenue from esports is expected to break the $1-billion barrier and is projected to have an audience of 545 million viewers worldwide.
The resulting attention has revealed the growing potential of a thriving pursuit. But it has also shone a light on esports’ darker side as the nascent industry struggles with rising criticism over the behaviour, physical and mental health of some players — as well as cheating and match fixing.
During The International, Evgeniy “Blizzy” Ree, a 24-year-old player from Kyrgyzstan, revealed that he was ignoring doctor’s orders on his deteriorating eyesight while playing for 12 hours a day.
Ree had been advised to wear glasses and take six months off from playing.
“I didn’t listen,” he told AFP. “I didn’t worry before but now I feel like my eyes are really ... I can’t see so much. He also told me not to play the computer for six months to get back my vision, but I didn’t listen. I need to play.”
Carpal tunnel syndrome — a wrist injury often associated with repetitive movements of a computer mouse — is a common issue, as are back and shoulder complaints.
While the situation is improving, with more progressive teams hiring nutritionists and fitness coaches to look after their players’ well-being, the booming business of esports retains a Wild West feel.
If esports does not have a clear policy on its players taking care of their mental health and making time for exercise, promising amateur players may fall into the trap of playing their game of choice for several hours a day without taking care of themselves.
“I see it as a sign of the general lack of standards and governance within the esports industry,” says Ian Smith, head of the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) set up to safeguard the industry against cheating.
“It affects all esports titles and games to some degree where number of hours played and intensity is not monitored or controlled.
“Having said that, ultimately, this is about personal responsibility and a “sport” working to safeguard the vulnerable and avoid problems. Bear in mind the NFL and rugby union have only got to grips with concussion in the last couple of years, so I think esports can be cut some slack as it matures and professionalizes.”
Indeed, player health is just one area that professional gaming must address as it continues to grow. The industry is still debating whether it has a doping problem with no clear guidelines on what constitutes performance-enhancing drugs.
In 2015, Counter-strike player Kory “Semphis” Friesen claimed that “everyone was on Adderall,” the ADHD prescription drug that can help players calm their nerves in high-pressure matches.
The world’s largest esports company, ESL, started performing drug tests at its tournaments and did not find any evidence of doping.
But ESIC believes that the greatest cheating threat in esports today comes from match fixing. In 2016, Smith estimated that the illegal betting market in esports was worth $2 billion. In a high-profile case, South Korean Starcraft 2 champion Lee Seung-hyun was sentenced to 18 months in prison and banned for life for fixing two matches in 2015.
With no overall governing body for esports, formulating policy on these issues has so far been a challenge.
Fortunately, there is hope. ESL has taken the lead on both doping and match fixing. And as major companies invest in their own esports operations, they will not want their reputation blighted by the industry ’s more unruly habits. Microsoft, for instance, is expanding its professional scene with the new shooter Gears 5 and will have a code of conduct in place.
“It’s a constant learning curve,” says Rose Gunson, Gears’ esports program manager. “We’re always trying to be better. We do not want our esports to become something where people feel like they cannot participate because they’re hearing language or behaviour that they don’t want to be a part of.”
The desire is there for esports to clean up its act. But while the viewers and prize money keep growing, any appearance of impropriety, corruption or danger to players could prove fatal to the mainstream ambitions of a pastime that still struggles to overcome the popular view of gaming as an unhealthy, subterranean waste of time.