A new study has found that professional esports players have the same mental stamina as top Olympians. Researchers from Queensland University of Technology examined 316 esports players from among the top 40% of players. “To be a millionaire esports gamer you deal with stress similar as if you are getting ready to go to the Olympics,” Dylan Poulus, Queensland University of Technology. The esports professionals played games such as Overwatch, Rainbow Six: Siege, and League of Legends. Competitive competitions in these games can attract as much as 60 million viewers online. Mental toughness and emotional control were among the mental skills found to be necessary for pro gamers to succeed. “Similar to traditional sports athletes, esports athletes with higher mental toughness employed more problem-focused coping strategies which aided in their success,” Dylan Poulus, Queensland University of Technology. It was found that accepting elements of the game that were beyond their control lead to better performance. The researchers say that it is likely that any psychology related to traditional sports can also be applied to esports.
