JOIN USE-sport injuries on the rise
The pandemic saw an increase in gamers and gaming content creators. They spend up to 12 hours playing/live streaming content. While it may seem harmless, these prolonged periods of time take a toll on one’s health. So why do we not hear about e-sport related injuries?
“Seated and playing from the comfort of their homes, an e-sports career is assumed to be safer than on-ground sports. While the chances of getting hurt are lower, the factors that leave an e-sports player injured cannot be neglected,” Pranav Panpalia, Founder OpraahFX and OP Gaming. Playing constantly for longer hours will eventually affect a player’s wrists, necks, backs, and mental health.
“Earlier this year there was news that a renowned Call of Duty gamer ZooMaa announced his retirement from professional gaming at the age of 25 because of a thumb injury. And this is not shocking. It is inevitable if gamers don’t play responsibly and follow a fit gaming schedule,” he explains.
Desi Gamers, who has almost 10 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, says that gaming has grown at least threefold since last year. “My screen time has also increased from three to five hours,” he says.
He says that if not played responsibly gaming can have adverse effects on your health.
“Personally, I fell into a sedentary routine where I was only gaming, eating and sleeping which led to very bad back pain. There was a time when I didn’t even feel like eating because my body was so weak and lazy,” he says.
But he’s not alone.
Mythpat, a gaming YouTuber with over 7 million subscribers, says that he has never personally faced any issues as he has an active lifestyle.
“The thing with us gaming content creators is that we are so involved in our craft that we don’t realise the effect long hours of playing and/or editing causes on our bodies. So, definitely, long hours of gaming will affect your hands, back, neck, and most importantly, eyes,” he adds.
Magsplay, another YouTube gamer says she had major issues with her neck. “Anatomically, I have a longer neck than most people, so whenever I used to play for six to seven hours at a stretch, my neck used to hurt terribly,” she says.
Live streamer GamerFleet who has played for 24 hours straight says the major issue he had was with his wrist.
“I use my keyboard and the mouse to play, so there is a lot of friction on my wrist. I sometimes find some rashes on my wrist or that my wrist is stressed,” he says.
India’s biggest gaming YouTuber Total Gaming says muscle aches are a common ailment. “My eyes also used to get dry and dehydrated when I streamed for longer hours,” he adds.
Lifestyle changes help
All of them say that lifestyle changes and a healthier gaming routine have helped them combat these issues.
Magsplay consulted a doctor regarding her pain. “Once I started paying more attention to my posture and reduced gaming time I saw the improvement in two weeks,” she says.
GamerFleet changed his mousepad to combat wrist issues and Total Gaming resorted to power naps to give his eyes rest.
Desi Gamers now takes a break from gaming two days a week and he has joined a gym to help push him to do physical exercise.
Mythpat’s solution was a precautionary one. “I bought myself a gaming chair which has lumbar support. It has a cushion behind the neck and a cushion behind the lower back area as well. It is adjustable according to your body type,” he explains.
Magsplay says that gaming injuries are taken extremely seriously in the west. “Out there e-sport teams have a proper setup where they have physiotherapists and doctors to monitor the players. The teams there have the perfect gaming chairs and a fully structured system to ensure physical health is not affected due to gaming,” she
says.
“E-sports in itself is not considered as a serious profession in India, so what can we expect about the injuries?” Total Gaming says.
But while there may not be federations or health coaches like in traditional sports, e-sports players have families to constantly remind us of drinking water, taking breaks and exercising, he adds.
GamerFleet says that even gamers don’t take the ill effects of it seriously. “Since there is no physical movement during gaming, many gamers end up ignoring the impact long hours of gaming could have on them. Apart from obesity, many gamers suffer from depression as well. They just immerse themselves in the world of gaming as a measure of escapism, which is not healthy,” he notes.
Mythpat believes that gamers learn this over time. “I think as a gamer one learns over the years how to take care. For someone like me, I research a lot, observe my body and listen when it calls for rest. I am aware of the consequences of long hours of gaming,” he says.
He adds that now there are products like gaming chairs to support the neck and back, blue-light filters to protect the eyes. “These are testament to the fact that injuries while gaming is being taken seriously,” he says.
He cautions new gamers against continuous gaming. “You have to know when to stop, else you are bound to attract injuries,” he says.