Ismael Pedraza-Ramirez

The rapid rise of esports has prompted growing concern for the mental health of esports athletes. Gaining a better understanding of the mental health status of esports athletes is crucial to recognize the health risks associated with the industry, as well as inform targeted mental health interventions. Thus, the aim of the current study was to examine the mental health status of a large sample of esports athletes, spanning different performance levels and esports titles. Using a cross-sectional survey, we examined the well-being and symptoms of common mental disorders, in an international sample of 1,105 esports athletes. Overall, 36.7% of participants reported low well-being, 44.7% experienced symptoms of depression, 33.4% experienced anxiety, and 69.3% experienced sleep disturbance. The findings suggest that the mental health burden of esports athletes may be greater than previously reported. Moreover, esports athletes of higher competitive levels and females reported higher symptoms of mental ill-health but also higher well-being, relative to esports athletes of lower competitive levels and males, respectively. Future research is needed to better understand and explain this mental health burden within esports. Additionally, this study highlights the urgent need for the design, implementation, and evaluation of context-specific targeted mental health interventions in esports.

One goal of sport psychology research is to assist athletes in adapting their training and competitive behavior to maintain or enhance high-level performance under stressful and competitive conditions. To extend this research into esports, a comprehensive understanding of the stress–performance relationship in esports is essential. This knowledge can subsequently guide future intervention studies focused on enhancing players’ performance. This study aimed to explore the relationship between playing esports in competitive settings, and psychological and physiological stress among professional League of Legends players. Unlike previous research focusing on noncompetitive gameplay, we examined seven male professionals during training and competition, measuring perceived motivation and match importance, as well as perceived stress, affect, emotion, heart rate, heart rate variability, and respiratory rate. Data were collected before, during, and after gameplay, evaluating in-game performance (i.e., kill-death-assist ratio, gold, and self-rated performance). Significant differences were observed, with motivation and perceived match importance being greater during competition compared with training. Our findings substantiate that both psychological and physiological stress responses intensify during competitive gameplay in contrast to training. This supports existing theoretical and empirical research, emphasizing the intricate nature of the stress–performance relationship. Practical and theoretical applications are discussed.

This case study utilized the holistic ecological approach to talent development as a framework to examine the structure and influence of an elite League of Legends environment. We conducted semistructured interviews with five elite male players (M_age = 20.2, SD_age = 2.95) and three elite coaches (M_age = 24.67, SD_age = 3.21). In addition, observations were implemented in situ to gather important information about the daily life experiences of the esports players and coaches. Findings suggest that this environment’s organizational culture was significantly influenced by interactions within the microenvironment, leading to the development of healthy relationships between players and coaches, impacting development and performance. Given the findings, we offer several salient applied implications for practitioners in elite esports, notably, the importance of understanding a team’s organizational culture alongside working at a one-to-one level. Furthermore, practitioners can educate coaches in optimizing a learning environment and support them in mitigating the challenges of a volatile industry.

This chapter will introduce the work of an applied sport psychologist in esports, a novel field of performance. Esports is a new and fast-evolving domain thus there are no clear guidelines or structures in place for sport psychologists. This case study will explore initial challenges sport psychologists may experience when transitioning from traditional sports into the field of esports; how a sustainable team culture can be created in a remote environment without losing sight of the will to win; how to develop meaningful relationships with players and coaches; how to know if you are doing the ‘right’ thing within your role; and the importance of creating an honest support network to support your development as an esports psychologist. From this chapter, readers will gain an insight into transitioning from working in traditional sports to the up-and-coming world of esports, carving out a role as a psychologist in this environment, and negotiating the unforeseen challenges that may come with working in a new high-performance setting.

Given the competitive nature of esports (e.g., maintaining focus and adaptive coping) and the increasing interest from practitioners in addressing stress management issues, empirical evidence on stress management strategies is needed that is tailored to the unique demands of esports. To ensure that ethical and professional standards are being met, it is important to first explore the factors that practitioners perceive to negatively impact the performance of esports players and the stress management strategies that are currently being used to support these players. Therefore, an online survey of 25 practitioners was conducted with results highlighting a variety of factors that were perceived to negatively impact players’ performance such as players’ ability to cope and lack of self-confidence. In addition, stress management strategies used before and after competition most frequently included strategies such as imagery, breathing techniques, and social support. Future research directions, limitations, and practical implications are discussed.

The popularity of electronic sports (esports) has increased over the last decade, and knowledge has been shared between sports and esports. Yet, research on esports coaching remains conspicuously absent. From this position, sport coaching researchers and practitioners lack an evidenced base to inform their critical consideration of esports coaching. In response, this study describes the experiences and contexts of 14 head coaches in professional teams competing in “League of Legends”. Analysis identified themes including; 1) uncodified career and education pathways for coaches; 2) coaches practice by a review-plan-do cycle shaped by the pressure to win; 3) coaches practice in a complex, technological and global environment; and 4) coaches practice amongst challenges and paradoxes. The findings present an original analysis of esports coaching and provide a platform for sport coaching researchers and practitioners to critically consider the relevance, development, practice and context of esports coaching in relation to their own work.

Competitive gaming, better known as electronic sports (esports), is rapidly growing in popularity. We systematically reviewed the available literature regarding the psychological aspects of esports using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) evidence-based reporting checklist and a Population, Intervention, Comparator, and Outcomes (PICO) framework with the following inclusion criteria: (i) published between 1994 and 2018; (ii) empirical investigation (as the current state of research is dense with positions and opinions but has few empirical investigations); and (iii) focussed on esports games that are associated with either cognitive performance or game performance. The goal of our research was twofold: to present a summary of the empirical evidence addressing the psychological characteristics of both cognitive and game performance in esports, and to integrate esports in the field of sport psychology. More specifically, our goals were to highlight the interplay of psychological aspects of performance and esports and to clearly define the theoretical foundations of the psychological aspects of esports performance. Underlining the differences from video gaming will inform future research directions and stimulate the development of high-quality practice in the applied field of sports and exercise psychology.

Artículo publicado en el Vol. 4 de la revista de Psicología Aplicada al Deporte y al Ejercicio Físico sobre entrenamiento psicológico en esports desde una perspectiva holística