FOSTERING WELLNESS APPROACH TO ENHANCE
CAREER LONGEVITY IN ESPORTS PLAYERS
SuperCarry: Fostering Wellness Approach to Enhance Career Longevity
JACEY CHEN
THIS THESIS EXPLORES INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES TO ENHANCE WELLNESS AND EXTEND CAREER LONGEVITY FOR ESPORTS PLAYERS. THROUGH “SUPERCARRY,” I INTRODUCE A SUITE OF DESIGN OFFERINGS AIMED AT IMPROVING PLAYERS’ DAILY WELLNESS PRACTICES AND FOSTERING A SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY WITHIN THE ESPORTS INDUSTRY.
The suite includes:
Digital Platform:
HabitPal
HabitPal is a digital tool designed to help players establish and maintain healthy habits through gamified interactions. It features a role-playing game format where players care for a virtual mascot, encouraging regular engagement and promoting longterm wellness behaviors that benefit both their personal well-being and in-game performance.
Okto is a portable wriststrengthening device tailored for esports players. This one-piece, modular equipment supports quick and easy arm and hand workouts, ideal for use between gaming sessions. Its compact, transportable design ensures that players can maintain physical training routines, both at home and during competitions.
4D6 is a cohabitating facility designed to enhance the training environment for esports players and organizations. It provides not only private training rooms and professional health services but also communal spaces that promote social interaction and community building. This service aims to offer economical access to comprehensive resources, fostering a healthier lifestyle and enhancing team dynamics.
CoreCollider is an experimental product that encourages esports players to exercise their lower back amist training hours.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A condition that occurs when the median nerve is compressed in the carpal tunnel of the wrist.
De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis (Gamer’s Thumb): A condition that occurs when the tendons on the thumb side of the wrist become inflamed and constricted.
Esports: A form of competitive video gaming that often involves organized multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, individually or as teams.
Hard Skills: Specific, teachable abilities or skill sets that are easily quantifiable, such as proficiency in a foreign language, computer programming, machine operation, or mathematical computations.
Lateral Epicondylitis (Tennis Elbow): A condition that can result from overuse of the muscles and tendons in the elbow.
Mental Health: A state of well-being in which an individual realizes their own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively, and is able to make a contribution to their community.
Physical Injury: Physical body harm caused by external force or trauma, which may result from accidents, falls, hits, weapons, and other causes, potentially impacting an individual’s physical functioning.
Profitability: The state or condition of yielding a financial profit or gain. It is often measured as a ratio of profit to revenue and reflects the efficiency of a business in generating profit.
Reflex: An automatic, involuntary response to a stimulus. In the context of esports, it often refers to quick, instinctive reactions during gameplay.
Riot Games: An American video game developer, publisher, and esports tournament organizer known for its highly popular game ‘League of Legends’ and other titles.
Soft Skills: Non-technical skills that relate to how you work, such as interpersonal skills, communication, listening, and empathy. These skills are often less tangible and harder to quantify than hard skills.
Sustainability: The ability to maintain or improve certain processes or states indefinitely. In a business context, it refers to conducting operations without depleting resources or having harmful impacts on the environment or society.
RESEARCH & OPPORTUNITY
The rapidly evolving esports industry, distinguished by its unique blend of digital competition and professional athleticism, stands at the crossroads of innovation and traditional sports paradigms. As elucidated by insights from key figures within the field, such as Dylan Prism, Hector Melendez, Ethan Taberham, and Sean Shannon, the industry navigates a complex landscape of financial uncertainties, physical and mental health challenges, and pressing issues of diversity and inclusivity. Through a detailed exploration of their experiences and observations, a multifaceted picture of esports emerges, highlighting the distinct pressures faced by players, the inventive approaches to training and player development, and the critical need for supportive, inclusive environments. This narrative not only underscores the unique position of esports within the broader athletic and entertainment sectors but also sheds light on the essential strategies and changes needed to foster a healthier, more equitable community for players and stakeholders alike.
As Dylan Prism described, the esports industry faces unique pressures distinct from traditional sports, marked by its “bubble nature” and the recent financial vulnerabilities such as “contract inflation and venture capital withdrawal.” This financial precarity contributes to a high-pressure environment for players, significantly impacting their career sustainability and mental health. Dylan Prism articulates a critical issue regarding “age misconceptions,” challenging the prevailing belief that esports players are “washed” by their late 20s. This notion starkly contrasts with traditional sports, where physical peak times may vary, underscoring a fundamental misunderstanding of esports athletes’ capabilities and career longevity. Moreover, the “recognition of League of Legends as a tier 1 esport in major regions” juxtaposed with the struggles of “tier 2 regions” illuminates the stark regional disparities in esports, emphasizing the global inequities in resources, support, and recognition within the industry.
The interviews reveal that common physical health issues, such as those highlighted by Hector Melendez and Ethan Taberham, stem from the sedentary and repetitive nature of esports practice. These include neck, shoulder, and hand injuries, often exacerbated by inadequate ergonomic practices and the lack of structured physical activity—issues less prevalent in traditional sports, where athletes benefit from comprehensive physical training and conditioning programs. Sean Shannon’s innovative approach to training, focusing on specific game concepts and utilizing “Blitz scrims,” underscores the necessity for creative solutions to replicate the structured, physical training environment of traditional sports within the digital realm of esports.
Mental resilience emerges as a pivotal yet often neglected aspect of esports player development. Dylan Prism emphasizes the overlooked significance of mental health within the scene, pointing out the disparities in support available to players from non-tier 1 teams. This lack of resources starkly contrasts with traditional sports, where athletes often have access to extensive mental health and physical conditioning support systems. The dynamic and ever-evolving nature of esports, with constant game updates and meta shifts, demands mental adaptability and resilience unique to the digital competitive sphere, further complicating players’ mental health challenges.
Industry Statistics
$2.9B
Global Esports Industry Market Size in 2023
$10.9B
Projected Market Size by 2032
Players Statistics
16
Average Age That Players Begin Their Trainings At
25-26
Average Age of Retirement for Esports Players
2.76B
Total Global Viewership Hours Total in 2023
6.4M
Peak Viewership in 2023 League of Legends Worlds Championship
8-14
Average Training Hours Daily
35
Average Age of Retirement for Soccer Players
The importance of support systems is unanimously recognized across the interviews, with Dylan Prism, Ryan Tsai, and Paige “FDL” Richmond articulating the need for comprehensive support structures that extend beyond mere in-game performance. Strategies for maintaining a positive team culture, resolving conflicts, and fostering a sense of belonging and community are essential for player well-being. Sean Wood and Sean Shannon’s observations about the lack of dedicated practice spaces and the difficulties in balancing academic commitments with training underscore the multifaceted challenges esports players face, highlighting the need for institutional support and recognition of esports as a legitimate and demanding competitive activity.
Dylan Prism’s insights into the “ongoing issues with discrimination and lack of diversity in esports” call for a critical examination of the industry’s inclusivity and community responsibility. This advocacy for diversity and inclusion highlights the need for systemic change within esports to foster an environment where all players, regardless of background or identity, feel valued and supported. The discussion around diversity and inclusion underscores the broader societal challenges reflected within the esports community, emphasizing the importance of proactive efforts to combat discrimination and promote equality.
In order to further understand the painpoints from the players’ perspective, I hosted an online co-creation workshop with collegiate League of Legends players and coaches, as well as conducting an interview with a professional Call of Duty player. The co-creation workshop consisted a series of gaming sessions on League of Legends, including Mundo’s Dodgeball and an ARAM (All-Random-All Mid) game, followed by a roundtable conducted on Miro. During the discussions and the interview, they revealed significant mental health challenges that players would face, which highlighted the need for psychological resilience and how mental health directly impacts in-game performance. Conducting a series of gaming activities was effective because it allowed participating players to engage in a familiar and comfortable environment, fostering easy communication and direct feedback on their experience.
In the dynamic and rapidly evolving esports industry, there is a unique opportunity to innovate and design solutions that cater to the holistic well-being of players, enhancing their physical health, and mental resilience, and fostering a sense of community. The insights gathered from various professionals within the esports realm highlight the necessity for a multifaceted approach to player support, focusing on healthy lifestyle choices, habit development, and preventative care. Given the saturated market of ergonomic gear and furniture, the emphasis shifts towards creating novel, user-friendly gear designed for daily use by players, particularly focusing on wrist health and promoting wellbeing before, during, and after gaming sessions.
In addressing the critical need for wrist health among esports athletes, there is a distinct opportunity to innovate with physical products that not only alleviate the risks of repetitive strain injuries but actively promote exercises aimed at strengthening and maintaining wrist flexibility and durability. Moving beyond passive support mechanisms, these products should be designed for active engagement, allowing players to incorporate wrist exercises seamlessly into their daily routines, especially before, during, and after gaming sessions. Imagine a compact, smart device, easily integrated into a gamer’s environment, that guides users through a series of targeted exercises. Utilizing advanced
sensors, this device could analyze wrist movement, strength, and flexibility, offering real-time feedback and personalized exercise programs tailored to each player’s specific needs.
Integrating innovative physical products focused on wrist health with cutting-edge digital technology offers a comprehensive solution to encourage well-being and optimal performance among esports athletes. Envision a smart device dedicated to wrist exercises that connect wirelessly to an app or gaming platform, transforming wrist health exercises into an engaging component of the gaming experience. This gamification of the exercise regimen motivates players to complete their daily exercises through rewards, achievements, or even in-
game benefits, ensuring consistent usage and fostering a proactive approach to maintaining wrist health. The seamless digital integration makes wrist exercises a natural and enjoyable part of a player’s routine, rather than a chore, encouraging adherence and promoting long-term health benefits. This innovative approach not only serves as a vital tool for injury prevention but also boosts overall gaming performance by keeping players’ wrists agile and strong, thus supporting the careers and well-being of esports athletes.
Building on this foundation, leveraging technology further to enhance well-being and performance unveils another substantial opportunity for innovation. Digital platforms and applications can extend personalized training regimens beyond in-game skills to include physical and mental exercises tailored to enhance player performance. With the integration of data analytics, these platforms are capable of tracking a player’s progress, adapting routines to individual needs, and offering valuable insights into areas requiring attention. Furthermore, the incorporation of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies can simulate in-game scenarios for strategic learning, simultaneously integrating physical activities to disrupt the sedentary cycle associated with prolonged gaming. This merger of the digital and physical aspects of player training not only enriches the gaming experience but also promotes a holistic approach to player development, combining the pursuit of esports excellence with the imperative of health and well-being.
Services and spaces designed to foster competitive excellence and a sense of community are essential, particularly for players who lack access to team centers
or practice areas. Creating collaborative, cost-efficient system settings where teams can gather, train, and engage in team-building activities addresses this gap. These spaces could offer access to high-performance gaming equipment, physical training areas tailored to esports athletes, and lounges for relaxation and social interaction. By providing a venue for both competitive practice and leisure, these spaces would promote a balanced lifestyle, enhancing team dynamics and player well-being.
Furthermore, the integration of mental health services within these communal spaces or through digital platforms ensures players have access to support when facing the pressures and challenges of professional gaming. Mental health professionals specializing in esports could offer workshops, one-onone counseling, and group sessions to address issues
such as game fatigue, mental blocks, and the stress of competition. This holistic approach not only aids in developing healthy habits and coping mechanisms but also strengthens the esports community, providing a support network for players navigating the complexities of professional gaming.
In conclusion, designing innovations in the esports industry requires a comprehensive understanding of the players’ needs, focusing on physical health, mental well-being, and community building. By developing wrist-supportive devices, leveraging technology for personalized training, and creating collaborative spaces that promote a balanced lifestyle and community support, the industry can foster an environment where players achieve competitive excellence while maintaining their health and well-being.
EXPLORATION & PROVOTYPES
The overarching aim I have set for my thesis project is to develop three distinct types of products/ services: a physical product, a digital product, and a service. I chose to prioritize the development of a physical product over the others because I perceive it to be a more challenging domain for me in comparison. As such, I embarked on the ideation of physical products at an early stage.
In the initial stage of physical product development, I aimed to explore products that could enhance and maintain the health and performance of esports players. My focus areas included workout equipment, keyboards, chairs, and tables, with a particular emphasis on ergonomics. However, upon examining existing products, I realized that creating an ergonomic product—such as mice, keyboards, chairs, and desks—from scratch might not be ideal given the well-established market presence of companies like Logitech, SecretLab, and Corsair, which already follow a set of developed formulas. Nonetheless, conversations with friends about their ergonomic equipment usage revealed interesting insights. The experience of using such equipment varies among individuals, and everyone has their personal preferences regarding how a product feels and looks. For instance, during a discussion with my friend Belle Xu, who has a keen interest in mechanical keyboards and has experimented with various switches and materials, I learned about the different types of switches: linear, tactile, and clicky. Each type requires a different pressing force, or actuation force, denoted by their colors (e.g., red, black, silver, blue, green). The choice of switch affects both the sound and the tactile experience. For example, a keyboard with silver switches has
a lighter actuation force compared to one with black switches. This conversation underscored the importance of selecting the right gaming equipment for gamers. Not only does it impact in-game reaction time, but the repetitive pressing of keycaps can also lead to significant wear and tear on the wrists and arms, potentially causing conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome and arthritis.
Gaining insights into keyboards led me to shift my focus towards workout and recovery equipment. Through interviews with gamers and physical therapist students, I learned that existing recovery products vary widely and are often used based on medical advice. This suggested that creating a one-size-fits-all product could be challenging. A discussion with a physical therapist student highlighted the potential of workout equipment to benefit not just gamers but also the general population, suggesting its use for both pre and post-game recovery and daily exercises. Thus, I decided to explore hand-related workout equipment, such as grip strengtheners.
I initially explored various types of hand equipment used for hand injury rehabilitation. These products encompass grip strengtheners, finger stretching tools, stress balls, and roller massagers. Grip strengtheners and finger stretching tools vary in shape; for instance, some grip strengtheners consist of two bars that are pressed together to exercise the muscles, while others are airfilled plastic tubes. This variety indicates that grip strengtheners are designed to focus on the pressure applied by the hand during gripping. Stress balls function under a similar principle.
For finger stretching, the primary tools are gloves and plastic balls outfitted with extension cords attached to the fingers, enabling users to stretch their fingers outward. Roller massagers, on the other hand, are akin to foam rollers used for leg muscles but are smaller in size. Through my examination of these products,
I concluded that the key mechanisms for exercising the hand muscles involve stretching the fingers with suitable pressure and using a grip presser. This insight led me to delve into the design of existing products and to conceptualize a prototype of the gripper that I had envisioned from the start.
After examining physical products, I shifted my focus towards creating a service tailored for esports professionals. Initially, I was uncertain about the specific services to offer, given the plethora of existing wellnessrelated services, such as gyms and performance coaching. To address this, I conducted interviews with industry professionals to understand the prevailing issues. A recurring theme emerged: Players recognize the importance of wellness in enhancing competitive performance, yet many prefer to prioritize training over taking necessary breaks. A college-level coach mentioned that players often endure ten-hour gaming sessions without breaks, believing that continuous gaming is essential for achieving professional excellence. Similarly, a physical trainer pointed out
that, unlike traditional sports, esports athletes tend to overlook their physical health and wellness. This neglect makes regular wellness check-ins by physical trainers, in collaboration with team coaches and managers, crucial to ensure players maintain their health alongside their training regimen.
Esports team coaches, often seen as the team’s backbone, play a significant role in addressing both game-related and personal issues of players. However, these coaches may lack a comprehensive
understanding of health and wellness, highlighting the necessity of involving physical or wellness trainers to keep players’ well-being in check. Yet the financial aspect poses a challenge, as many teams, especially those lacking resources or sponsorships, find it difficult to afford such services after investing heavily in gaming equipment, training facilities, and accommodations. This financial strain, coupled with the players’ limited social interactions due to intense training schedules, affects team dynamics, especially in North American teams where player turnover is high. Despite the small size
of the esports community, which facilitates interactions and connections among players, the community aspect requires improvement, as players often hesitate to voice their concerns until it’s too late. Thus, developing a service that encompasses wellness, community engagement, and cost-effectiveness is my goal.
Simultaneously, I explored digital products for professional gamers, focusing on existing training software. Noting the abundance of professional-grade training products, I turned my attention to wellness
and habit tracking. Despite the availability of various products, most lacked specificity and engagement for esports players. One platform, FITGMR, designed specifically for esports players, offered clean and concise layouts but failed to sufficiently engage users to ensure their return. Other apps, such as Headspace, Pokemon Sleep, and Habitica, incorporate gamification to enhance user experience. However, their lack of esports-specific elements and reliance on in-game items as rewards may not sustain long-term interest among players.
TARGET AUDIENCE & MARKET
The focus of my products encompasses three distinct markets:
Regarding the service, the intended audience is esports players and teams, with an expansion goal aimed at individuals aspiring to enter the professional gaming sphere. This service targets a more specific audience compared to the other products, due to the unique characteristics of the industry’s size and ecosystem.
Game publishers are not considered an ideal target market, given their existing infrastructure for office work
and related activities. Gaming influencers, on the other hand, are likely to prefer producing content in their personalized spaces, accommodating their individual preferences and interests.
For the physical product, the primary audience includes professional esports players and those in academy roles. These individuals will serve as the main users of the product, which is designed to be beneficial before, during, and after gaming sessions. The product’s design emphasizes portability, allowing it to be easily transported as players often travel to
various venues for matches. The ultimate aim is to broaden the product’s appeal to a wider audience, including office workers, athletes, and students, thus making it a versatile tool for various user groups.
In the case of the digital product, esports players are again the core target audience, with coaches, managers, and wellness trainers serving as secondary users. This habit tracker is designed to assist professional players in habit development, while also enabling team staff to monitor progress and offer guidance. The potential for expansion is significant,
with the app’s features being applicable not just to those directly involved in esports, but also to gaming influencers, casual players, and even those outside the gaming community. The inclusion of gamification and a rewards system acts as an incentive for continued app usage, offering real-life rewards such as Amazon gift cards, in-game points, and gaming merchandise.
For my interaction design project, I embarked on a unique journey to create a habit tracker app specifically tailored for esports players—both professional and academy/collegiate. This app is designed to help them develop healthy habits for their lifestyle, with the ultimate goal of enhancing their in-game performance. By focusing on their wellness, this app could potentially revolutionize the way they approach their gaming career.
At the beginning stage of the project, I was quite lost. I had gathered insightful data from my SMEs and readings about the lifestyle and health of esports players, but I was unable to fully grasp what kinds of digital apps I wanted to develop. From what I have learned by talking to my SMEs, as well as from my personal experience and encounters, many successful digital products for esports players already exist. The majority of these products are built to provide guidance to players regarding their in-game performance and coaching, such as OP.GG, Porofessor, and Metafy. Therefore, creating a product that provides in-game knowledge and training is not much of a goal for me here, as they prioritize the performance rather than the wellness of players.
After going through the interviews and research for few more times, I realized that creating a product that encourages players to follow healthy routines could be a valuable direction. One of the major findings that I summarized from my research is that players do have an
The competitive nature of the esports field is very similar to the traditional sports field, where players want to rank the highest and believe that “if I continue to grind through the games and practices non-stop, I will get better.” This could be true to a certain extent, as some games require game knowledge (e.g., the functions of each character and category of character, the mechanics of in-game tools/items, the layouts of different maps); on top of this, the fact that the games constantly update requires players to put a lot of effort into memorizing and understanding in order to play well. Moreover, muscle memory and reflexes are also essential, as many in-game situations require players to react and make decisions with split-second timing.
Another thing to mention is that although some teams have health professionals to guide the players through their wellness plans, the main responsibility still lies with the team coaches. In fact, in the esports field, very few teams have the resources to hire specific health professionals due to the financial cost. Therefore, many coaches are required to acquire basic health-related knowledge on top of game coaching. In comparison, in the traditional sports field, athletic trainers are the ones who are in charge of players’ health practices. Esports team coaches are treated as the “parent(s)” of the players; they not only coach the players on their ingame strategies and performance but are also the ones
understanding of maintaining good physical and mental conditions. Despite this understanding, however, they would continue to neglect these conditions in order to have more time for performance training. The reasons that lead to this kind of behavior are the following:
The phenomenon of ignoring pain or grinding through games with a fever is not uncommon in the field. Players tend to ignore poor physical or mental conditions due to stigma. Many believe that they could “handle it later,” which is not true—it could lead to a more severe condition that impacts not only their wellness but also their in-game performance and even their ability to play.
players tend to confide their real-life problems. In an interview [insert source], they said that many coaches don’t have the basic knowledge of telling their players how to eat a balanced diet, and they would often go to him for suggestions. However, developing healthy habits and taking care of themselves still falls to the players’ own discipline. Sean Shannon, the coach for Illinois Wesleyan University and Head Coach for Xora Esports, said that in order to encourage players to exercise more, he would bring them to the gym together to do group workouts. Some of them might not exercise if he didn’t bring them to the gym with him.
After gathering this information, I came up with a “How might we” statement:
This immediately led to the thought of a habit-tracking app. This could potentially be viable because a habittracking app not only helps the players develop healthy habits but also allows them, as well as their coaches and health professionals, to track their progress.
I began to look into existing products in the market, including MyFitnessPal, Strava, Productive, Me+, and Flora. I also looked into other apps that involve a gamification process, such as Pokemon Sleep, Habitica, and Headspace. One of my friends who works in the industry also gave me a suggestion called FITGMR, which is designed specifically for esports players. However, as I looked deeper into these existing products, I found the following issues as to why they are not as effective:
Most of the apps listed are designed for a general audience, focusing on common goals like fitness, diet, and productivity. They lack features tailored to the specific demands of esports, such as managing extensive screen time, optimizing mental focus for long gaming sessions, and balancing a sedentary lifestyle with physical health.
Gamers, accustomed to dynamic and detailed interfaces in video games, find the minimalist designs of most habit-tracking and wellness apps unengaging, leading to decreased interest and engagement due to the stark contrast in user experience.
Existing wellness solutions often overlook the specific challenges of esports athletes, such as intense concentration, disrupted sleep from irregular schedules, and the need for exercises to offset prolonged sitting, making general apps like Headspace insufficient for esports-specific needs.
General wellness apps often miss the mark with reward incentives for gamers, offering simplistic rewards that don’t align with their motivations, leading to lower adherence rates due to the lack of engaging mechanisms compared to the instant, highengagement rewards in gaming.
SuperCarry: Fostering Wellness Approach to Enhance Career Longevity in
I summarized a solution based on these issues: By crafting an engaging platform that stimulates their gaming instincts and drives action, we can bridge the gap between awareness and action. This approach encourages players to naturally integrate healthy habits into their routines, effectively boosting their performance while maintaining their commitment to gaming. Essentially, I would need to come up with a solution specifically designed for the unique mindset of esports players, who recognize the critical role of well-being in achieving peak performance yet often sideline their health in favor of intense training sessions.
Some of the feedback that I got from showing my initial frames are the following:
“It feels like a very typical habit tracker app vibe.”
“The question that I have for you is that why would the target user [esports players] care—like what is the point of this app?”
“Think about what draws players in without them ‘cheesing’ through the stages to get rewards—you want them to ENJOY the process of using this app and not make it a hassle.”
After looking through these feedbacks, I decided to gamified the platform with Table-Top RPG theme with encouraging rewards that could be redeemed both in-game and used in real-life; which not only captivates on storytelling and personal growth, but also a strong incentive that encourages players to consistently return to the app to build on their habit patterns.
SuperCarry: Fostering Wellness Approach to Enhance Career Longevity in
The concept of an esports cohabitating space, which emerged in my initial semester, is a unique proposition. It is not just about providing wellness spaces for esports players, such as physical therapist gyms and mental facilities: It is also about creating a space akin to WeWork, offering a dedicated workspace alongside community facilities and shared spaces. This novel approach piqued my interest and led me to research its viability for esports organizations and players.
My research revealed significant disparities in the resources and facilities available to esports teams. Universities with varsity esports teams or clubs typically provide a designated lounge for players to hold scrimmages, practices, and reviews. Professional teams often have their own “gaming houses” for training, equipped with PC and gaming console setups, gaming chairs, desks, whiteboards, and TV screens. These facilities are often rented, but some well-funded teams can afford to purchase them, enabling them to
hire additional staff like physical trainers, mental/ performance coaches, and chefs. In contrast, teams with limited funding often need more resources, placing the burden on players to seek them out individually. This financial disparity affects the resources teams can access and the quality of their training and living environments.
Before discussing the service further, let’s explore the concept of the gaming house.
However, they can blur work-life boundaries, potentially straining team dynamics: “could become a potential pressure cooker for team dynamics, and when you don’t have a separation between work and life, everything bleeds together”, as noted by Team Liquid co-owner, one of the large North American esports organizations.
Additionally, the industry often lacks adequate health and wellness resources. Many teams, especially those with limited budgets, do not have dedicated health staff, causing players to seek help too late.
Many of those reasons include:
While reading this research, I questioned why the teams could not provide proper wellness support to the players. One of the primary reasons for that was the financial disparities between esports teams and players.
Understanding the financial disparities among esports teams became a key focus of my research. I interviewed Dr. Jordan Tsai, a physical trainer working with North American esports teams such as 100Thieves, to gain insights into this issue. His expertise shed light on the factors contributing to the financial gap.
Many esports organizations rely their income in the following methods:
He mentioned that teams often rely on sponsorships from companies, so if companies pull their sponsorships, the team suffers a hit. When I asked why there is a huge performance gap between North American and East Asian teams, mainly Chinese and South Korean, he explained the esports culture in East Asia, and that esports has been seen as a legitimate sport over the years of its development.
One example demonstrating esports’ status in that region is that it is becoming a metal-counting event in the Asia Games 2022. Since it is being treated as a legitimate sport, resources and cash are being poured into the industry. However, teams still need to compete for those resources, and the top 1% of teams often receive the most money and resources.
Moreover, many companies from other industries have begun to invest in esports, which has led to them having their own teams. These kinds of teams are more financially stable, as their mother companies provide stable financial support and resources each year (their budgets are often counted as part of the company spending). Besides financial support, these teams treat their players’ health seriously, as they tend to see the players as a long-term investment and do not change their rosters as often as North American teams; NA teams tend to swap players in and out every eight months, whereas Asian teams stick with the players for at least one to two years, investing in them longterm while cultivating the synergy of the team. Tsai also mentioned that only in recent years have NA pro teams started taking care of their players’ health seriously, such as hiring chefs and cooks to provide balanced diets and hiring health professionals for players to consult and work with. This in-depth exploration helped me better understand the financial dynamics and resource disparity that cause the performance gap between different teams and regions within the esports industry.
Equipped with this understanding, I revisited the concept of a space service for esports teams and players. ‘4D6,’ offers a membership system that provides high-value, affordable health resources to all teams, helping to level the playing field. I realized that this service could be a game-changer, not just another gaming lounge or training facility. It could provide dedicated workspaces for teams, but more importantly, it could offer a range of wellness support, from physical trainers and mental/performance coaches to nutrition staff and chefs. This has the potential to level the playing field, fostering a healthier, more competitive esports industry. The service could also be financially beneficial, as it is more cost-effective for multiple teams to share the cost of a professional rather than one team bearing the total expense. Additionally, the inclusion of community spaces could cultivate a healthier social environment, allowing players to connect with one another offline.
For my Design Delight project, I initially considered incorporating my service design (which is the esports cohabitating space) into the experience. However, I received feedback that the space experience was too broad, lacking the intricacy necessary for players to have an experience with their physical body; I needed something more specific than just having players and organizations coming in to use the spaces. While I was doing research, one of my classmates, Shuncheng,
suggested that I make an object that would prompt the players to move in order to progress in their training. One idea that came to mind was to create a controller that would require players to control the character’s movements with their own body, in order to pass a set task (such as reaching a certain score in the Snake game) and continue their training.
41.4%
of players reported lower back pain as a prevalent issue
82%
of players acknowledged the importance of wellbeing for top performance in scrimmages and competitions
36%
of players admitted they would forego breaks to enhance their performance
Pushing players to continue until they see a positive result (a win) is common in the industry. Therefore, it often falls on team coaches and staff to push the players to be more mindful of their health. Sean Shannon, coach for the Illinois Wesleyan University team, mentioned that the most he could do are to bring the players to gym workouts with him or provide daily
reminders regarding their diet. He said that “it relies on [the players’] own disciplines to develop wellness habits” because players may often slack off in that area when coaches or staff are not around.
After looking through these statistics and interviews, I asked myself
The word “encourage” here means that I need to create something that is intriguing, while essentially forcing the players to move and take breaks. Returning to Shuncheng’s suggestion of a controller, I thought that if players had to maneuver the controller with their buttocks, it would be fun while fulfilling the mission. Therefore, I decided down the path of making a seat-cushion game controller.
As I dove into the design of the seat-cushion game controller, I looked into how hip rotation works, as it would be the required exercise in order to activate the controller. This exercise is a common workout often done as a warm-up to prevent lower back injuries. Requiring this movement would help reduce the stiffness and discomfort associated with prolonged static postures from sitting, and improve muscular balance and spinal alignment by engaging the core and lower back muscles in a more active manner. Ultimately, this cushion would lead to better lower back health, potentially reducing the risk of chronic back issues over time. I then began diving into the creation of the cushion, starting with building the Arduino codes. After building the codes, I retrieved four push buttons connected them to the corresponding slots on the board, and taped each button onto cutout cardboard pieces.
SuperCarry: Fostering Wellness Approach to Enhance Career Longevity in
The initial button placement was not ideal, as concluded from testing, as the sensitivity of the buttons was too high and needed certain adjustments between the buttons and cardboard to reduce the sensitivity. Therefore, during the reiteration of my prototype, I added memory foam pieces on four sides, reducing the pressure when sitting down.
After constructing the prototype, I began to create the poster for the testing experience. I drew inspiration from 8-bit games, such as the classic Snake game, as well as other games such as Jump King, because these game styles spark a sense of nostalgia. [insert poster]
Many participants who came out to test the cushions complimented the poster, finding it aesthetically intriguing and attention-grabbing. They also thought that the overall experience was fun, but that a few minor adjustments (e.g., further lowering the sensitivity) to the cushion could be made.
Fostering Wellness Approach to Enhance Career Longevity in
FUTURING & 3D PRODUCT DESIGN
First, I looked into the reason that caused many early retirements or unpleasant career experiences among the players.
42%
36% 32% players have back pain players have wrist pain players have hand pain
Three common wrist problems are the following:
A condition that occurs when the tendons on the thumb side of the wrist become inflamed and constricted.
A condition that occurs when the median nerve is compressed in the carpal tunnel of the wrist.
A condition that can result from overuse of the muscles and tendons in the elbow.
Many existing products suffer from poor ergonomics due to fixed sizes that limit adjustability, and their lack of aesthetic appeal further diminishes their desirability. The prototyping process was not easy: I underwent several reiterations, such as testing different types of grips and test printing the shapes.
Landing the final form into a one-piece strengthening product with detachable support would be more viable compared to the shapes that were being testing during the prototyping process. Making it one-piece would make the product easier to be carried around and easy to adjust while maintaining a minimalistic look.
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Aboli Gandhi, SPT - Doctor of Physical Therapy, Student @ Northwestern University Physical Therapy & Human Movement Science
Dylan Prism Ladd - Former esports writer @ DotEsports; Former LoL coach @ SHU Esports; Former SVA LoL Club President
Dr. Elliot Smithson - Dr. of Physical Therapy, Athletic Trainer, EMT @ 1HP; Esports Medicine for Teams: NRG, 100Thieves, Immortals, CLG
Ethan Taberham - Sports Therapist @ CtrlTherapy; BSc @ University of Worcester; Lvl 3 Trauma Qualification & Concussion Training @ World Rugby
Graden Knapp - Kinesiology Student & Esports Lounge Manager @ University of Kentucky Esports & Smart Campus
Hector Melendez - Esports Performance Coach (Fitness & Nutrition) @ 1HP
Dr. Jordan Tsai - Physical Therapist, Orthopedic Clinical Specialist @ 1HP; Esports Physical Therapist for Teams: Cloud9, Evil Geniuses, 100Thieves
Kenneth Zhou - Mental Performance Coach & Psychology Consultant; Masters of Applied Positive Psych @ University of Pennsylvania
Paul Capoccia - Former Director of Esports @ Marywood University
Dr. Ryan Terao - Clinical Esports Psychologist @ USCEsports & BASILISK; Prev: @1HP, LAGuerrilas, TheGuard, OCcsgo, 100Thieves
Sean “Seanatonin” Shannon - LoL Coach @ Illinois Wesleyan University. Prev. Coach @ Grand Canyon University, UT Dallas; Director of Esports @ Medaille College; General Manager @ Supernova
Sean Wood - LoL Operations @ NECCGames, NACE Starleague; Prev. @ GenG Esports; President @ UKYEsports
Alex “MythicNJA” Griswold - League of Legends Team Manager & Coach @ University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign
AJ “SyncShips” Taylor - President of Esports @ University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign; Collegiate Esports Student Leader of the Year 2023
Ethan “Reppy” Fu - League of Legends Mid Laner @ Northwood University
Dakota “Kota” Kannenberg - League of Legends Top Laner @ Ottawa University
Gabriel “Kadachi” Manfroi - League of Legends Coach @ University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
Gil “Shogo” Meron - League of Legends Bot Laner @ University of Mississippi (Ole Miss)
Jon Michael “Aizo” Street - League of Legends Top Laner @ Northwood University
Julian Zhou - League of Legends Top Laner @ University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign
Martim “UncleSam” Madeira - League of Legends Midlaner @ University of Mississippi (Ole Miss)
Paige “FDL” Richmond - Professional Call of Duty Player @ Toronto Tsunami Ryan “Nemesis9” Saenz - League of Legends Top Laner @ University of Mississipi (Ole Miss)
SuperCarry: Fostering Wellness Approach to Enhance Career Longevity