Esports: In Regards to Esports Obsession and Imbalance

The Esports scene is mainstream now, and a lot of people know about it. This comes with its ups and downs, but now kids dream of becoming rising stars inside the activity. However, the path towards that is rough and then some. The level of talent needed to compete at a high level is insane. This makes the journey there a long and arduous one. To top it all off, the climb only gets harder as more and more people get better at the game.

In any sport, “the greats” suffer from an obsession: they want to push the barriers of what is possible. This creates a sort of toxic drive that burns all other available bridges, consciously backing themselves into a corner. Then through loads of perseverance, they break through the thousands of walls blocking their way from success.

This story isn’t common and many fail to try to make it there. Life sometimes throws many obstacles that make things even harder. However, the greats persevere through them and keep their love for the game alive.

Burning every other bridge is a horrible idea. But every once in a million years, it works.

Toxic Drive

The reason this obsession is dangerous is because of its power. It doesn’t only tip the scales of the person, but it can hurt his or her peers.

As an example, it’s very easy for a person to flunk out of college as a direct consequence of this. Instead of studying, the person decides to play for hours on end, and they can’t really push past tests. Then they start skipping classes and their whole life turns inside out.

A very powerful tunnel vision is born and everything changes. Healthy habits disappear and darkness starts enveloping the person. Becoming better at the game gets a top spot on the priority cabinet and poor decisions start becoming common. However, the person becomes completely blind to the plethora of problems created by this decision-making process.

Next thing, an unstoppable chain of events put pressure and strain on the individual. Life-changing decisions pop and this sort of obsession consumes the person. Their loved ones suffer because of this, and life keeps going without care for the situation.

Taming the Obsession

Becoming obsessed with improving sparks frustration. Because it takes a while to start scratching the surface of greatness – Image: Geek Insider

A lack of balance can destroy all possibility of escaping tough situations, and often creates them. However, by becoming conscious of the situation, the person can tame this monster. All it takes is willpower and an open mind.

Becoming aware of the issue is the first step in a ladder to a healthy lifestyle. Achieving this awareness and coming to terms with it may take a while, but when it happens, self-reflection begins. Then a door opens, holding the path towards a better life.

The next step is fixing the priority shelf. Keeping the goal at the top is okay if other things join it. Among the top ones are health, social life, and sleep. Taking these under account even helps players improve in the game. Self-care must always go over any important goal because a corrupted mind can’t really work towards any goal.

Why is this a Prevalent Issue?

In the present, nerd culture isn’t frowned upon. This means that a lot of people are playing games without any sort of obstacle. Pairing this with the quick rise of esports and Twitch’s internet domination makes the medium a core piece of today’s society.

Just like kids dreaming of being the next Michael Jordan, nowadays they dream of becoming the next Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok or even Daigo “The Beast” Umehara. Esports is spreading through the world like crazy and there is no way of stopping it. The ship has sailed and it’s showing no signs of losing steam.

Fortnite itself aided the spread of information by creating its Skirmish series. In a flash of genius, Epic informed its player base of the tournament through the news tab. This seems like a minor factor, but Fortnite has an overwhelming number of players. Most of them are very passionate about the game and don’t hold back on sharing this information. Just like that, People learn of these competitions and through watching streams, they decide to embark on a quest to surpass Richard “Ninja”  Blevins. A drive that starts picking up steam, and eventually comes with its share of risks.

In conclusion, becoming the greatest out there is a great goal, but it shouldn’t consume anyone’s life. It should be handled with care and kept in check over time. Also, it isn’t important how much time is spent, but how it’s spent changes everything. Make sure to make the most out of short bursts of time and push past the current barriers.

Featured image provided by Kotaku

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