The University of Chichester has teamed up with international researchers to explore the mental health of professional esports athletes. The team includes Gaming the Mind’s Dr Atheeshaan Arumuham.

With the rise of esports, particularly with games like Counter-Strike that require intense focus and rapid reflexes, the mental well-being of players has become a significant concern. Counter-Strike is a popular first-person shooter game where players compete at high stakes.

Dr Arumuham said: “Our study provides a valuable insight into the mental wellbeing of professional Counter-Strike esport athletes. Importantly, we have found that athletes may be vulnerable to poor mental health, with nearly three in every four reporting poor mental wellbeing, and one in every four reporting symptoms of depression.

“The key points that we hope the athletes, teams and the wider industry take from these findings is to foster an environment of mental wellbeing promotion and reduce the barriers to mental healthcare for players. By regularly talking about the needs of athletes, early steps can be taken to address these issues, thus ensuring that their wellbeing is prioritised.

“Future studies would be of great benefit to understand what mechanisms are driving these reports of poor mental wellbeing, and if such findings also exist within the wider esports community.”

The research aims to identify the pressures faced by these athletes and develop support systems to improve their mental health and performance.

Read more about the research here.