An excursion into esports: how players prepare for tournaments

by Kate Summel Sport

The esports market is growing at leaps and bounds, especially in the US and Asia. The number of eSports events is increasing, as are their prize pools. Esports teams fill entire arenas with fans who actively support professional players. They provide a special atmosphere at every event that has gone far from the days when gamers played in their rooms in splendid isolation. The fans and the energy in the arenas make the sport so lively and real that thousands of spectators attend the competition and regularly guarantee sold-outs at the stadiums.

Even soccer players can't resist the popularity of competitive video games. FIFA can compete with the most popular esports disciplines like League of Legends , Counter-Strike , or DOTA2 , both in terms of popularity and prize money. There are now many successful FIFA professionals who have fulfilled their dream of becoming a pro gamer and making a living playing FIFA.

Some professional footballers decided to try a different experience and try their hand at eSports commenting first . The West Ham trio, Robert Snodgrass, Ryan Fredericks, and Andrey Yarmolenko took the opportunity to get a glimpse into the world of the hugely popular game, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. They were invited to a studio in London that aired the BLAST Premier CS: GO 2020 spring regular season. They had the best commenting teacher possible, host August “Semmler” Massonat, also known as “SemmlerTheRiot”, one of the most recognizable persons on the CS: GO scene. The commenting on CS: GO matches from Snodgrass and Fredericks was so hilarious that laughter was heard throughout the studio.

The mental preparation of the players

Since the players have already turned their hobby into a profession, it remains a matter of time until esports will receive a head organization similar to FIFA in football. However, the professional level that gamers have achieved in recent years requires the same preparation for tournaments as professional athletes in other sports. The topics of mental performance, recovery and nutrition are becoming increasingly important. Most professional teams have their own managers, sports psychologists and nutritionists.

Maintaining focus and full concentration is critical to being successful in esports. Pro players prepare for the competition for hours every day, developing iron discipline and investing all their time and energy into the game. It becomes clear how important the psychological attitude is.

If you look at their preparation for an important match, it will not be any different from any other professional sport. It includes heavy daily workouts that take several hours to complete. And also discipline and a certain routine. Before the game, pro gamers are exposed to a lot of stress and, like any other competition, huge pressure to win. Also, some players, using the spacebar test service like https://spacebarcounter.io, to train their skills.

During a match, it is important to focus on winning, step back from the hum of the audience and make decisions within the game every second. Pro players have to make and implement over 300 decisions and moves per minute for several hours. This all implies a maximum of mental activity. For this task, the key factors are strategy, fast reaction times, information processing in a fraction of a second, and reflexes for proper coordination.

To be able to use all of this, esports players must use their full mental potential throughout the entire game. Of course, this comes with tremendous effort and difficulty for the players, and in addition to vigorous training, it raises the importance of recovery.

What do the players eat?

Of course, one more thing is critically important: how do esports athletes eat? This kind of pressure can cause digestive problems, so they rely on foods that digest well for the stomach, such as freshly made smoothies. So only very balanced meals and no fast food. Each team has a list of fruits and vegetables that their guys love.

Considering that most matches take place in the evening, esports players usually eat two hours before the game. At times like these, anti-inflammatory vegetables like broccoli, ginger and onions are essential to neutralize stress and stay morale. Meat? Only easily digestible species or fish. Gamers generally prefer sweet potatoes or rice as light-on-stomach side dishes.

Fast energy is important right before the game. So the diet includes berry or banana smoothies, as well as energy bars or caffeinated pills. The 15-minute break between games and their analysis is full of carbohydrates, usually rice cakes or fruit, to rejuvenate.

Another important factor in esports is emotional balance. Well-being and mood, which are key during such mental activity, are also essential. Melatonin and magnesium are very important for guys, as is the use of UV glasses for a good night's sleep. When players go to the gym, of course, important proteins are added to the diet. Typically, one day a week is a cheat day where guys can eat whatever they want.

The success of esports will continue to skyrocket and professionalization will evolve with it. Since the Asian Olympic Committee has included esports in the 2022 Asian Games, it is only a matter of time before the sport is included in the Olympic Games.