GROWING concern about health standards in e-sports has prompted a new federation to pledge to address the problem, as players fall victim to conditions ranging from wrist injuries and stress to obesity and diabetes.

The retirement of top Chinese player Jian Zihao, better known by his gaming handle “Uzi”, sent tremors through the booming sport, whose revenues are predicted to reach US$1.1 billion (RM4.6 billion) this year, according to industry analyst Newzoo.

The 23-year-old, hailed as an “icon” of the League of Legends game, stepped away from e-sports in June, saying “chronic stress, obesity, irregular diet, staying up late and other reasons” gave him Type 2 diabetes. He also has a hand injury.

However, Uzi’s case is far from isolated in a sport where professional players can perform up to 500 moves a minute, according to the American Osteopathic Association, and train for hours a day.

A report published by the association last year said e-sports’ “sedentary nature” means “musculoskeletal injuries of the neck, back and upper extremities” are likely for athletes, also flagging concerns about gaming addiction and social behaviour disorders.

Alarming warnings are nothing new for the sport, which has been met with a mixed welcome from the sporting establishment despite its wildfire popularity, as witnessed by the hundreds of millions who follow big tournaments online.

Attempts to join the Olympics have so far faltered, for reasons including a lack of cohesion between competing companies, the changing nature of games and basic questions on whether gaming can be considered a sport.

Chris Chan, president of the Global E-sports Federation (GEF), a new body backed by Chinese gaming giant Tencent, said credibility is a problem, with health and well-being one area that needs attention.

“It’s about time that in e-sports, we look into all this.”

He said the Singapore-headquartered federation, which launched last December with a focus on “holistic health”, has already set up an “education, culture and wellness” commission to guide its work.

“We’ve got some very prominent doctors who are sitting inside and sharing with us.”

‘Pulling in different directions’

Coaches do sometimes think of health. Ahead of e-sports’ debut last year in the Asean Games, a regional multisport tournament, physical exercise was part of regular training for many teams.

But, said Chan, competition between different industry bodies means important issues, from players’ well-being to corruption, are not being fully addressed.

“We’re all pulling in different directions now.

“Nobody’s addressing the diversity… the fair play, the health.”

He said GEF is aiming “to be a platform for the ecosystem to bring some credibility to the sport”.

It has been joined by dozens of national federations from around the world, and last month announced a collaboration with the Olympic Council of Asia to promote e-sports in the continent.

However, it remains unclear what impact it can have on health and other areas.

E-sports’ governance remains a confusing patchwork, and the new organisation has several rivals, including the South Korea-based International E-sports Federation.

Remer Rietkerk, head of e-sports at Newzoo, said GEF faces “significant” challenges to be regarded as the sport’s main federation, not least as it only has the backing of one major game publisher, Tencent.

Tencent owns Riot Games, the maker of League of Legends, backs large tournaments and holds investments in many other game publishers, but GEF has not yet signed agreements with others.

“To have real, meaningful global coordination, they need buy-ins from publishers because publishers are the ones who can say yes or no to any kind of event or monetised broadcast occurring,” said Rietkerk.

In e-sports, publishers own the rights to games and set the rules of play, with governing bodies having only a limited role.

Alexander Champlin, an e-sports analyst from consultancy Niko Partners, said GEF’s main role initially is likely to be as an advocacy group.

“But expect them to be a contender as e-sports governance does eventually begin to consolidate.” – AFP, August 4, 2020.