Self-care is important — 36% of professional gamers in the Middle East, Turkey and Africa worry about their mental health

December 6, 2022

A new global survey by Kaspersky examines the role of performance in gaming and their attitudes towards it.

A survey commissioned by Kaspersky revealed that good mental health is one of the biggest factors affecting professional gamers, with eSports professionals (36% in the Middle East, Turkey, Africa) more concerned about their mental state than other gamers. Professional players pay a lot of attention to healthy habits and lifestyle – 35% pay attention to proper mental preparation and 26% do not forget to get enough sleep. Only 48% of eSports professionals would rather continue playing to improve performance than take more sleep breaks or eat healthier food.

According to a recent study on predictors of mental illness in eSports among competitors by the University of Winchester, it is highly prevalent among eSports athletes at a level comparable to other professional sports such as football. The results also show that professional gamers may face sleep problems, burnout and anxiety from social phobia.

Kaspersky research proves that professional gamers – more than others – are concerned about their mental health, and 88% of eSports professionals agree that well-being is important for peak gaming performance.

Also, proficient players treat their wellbeing all the more mindfully. eSports professionals tend to be mindful of healthy habits – 26% think about getting enough sleep, 35% don’t forget about mental preparation, and 26% take breaks to move around when possible.

Also, 48% of eSports professionals would not agree to continue playing but will instead take more sleep breaks or eat healthier food to improve their performance. In comparison, 64% of top gaming influencers would prefer gaming over healthy breaks.

“The level of competition in gaming championships is extremely high and sometimes even like a real sport. To fight for the top positions, professional players spend a lot of time in thorough preparation. In addition to hard skills in specific games, soft skills play a big role in winning. Our survey showed that 82% of professional gamers agree that it is a peace of mind for them,” said Marina Titova, Vice President of Consumer Product Marketing at Kaspersky. The full report is available at this link.

Kaspersky also recently launched ‘hacker: HUNTER ‘Next Level”, a six-part documentary series co-produced with Euro news, dedicated to online gaming, esports and related security issues. The episode “The Darker Side of Esports: How Players Cope Under Pressure” is committed to the psychological well-being difficulties proficient gamers need to manage. The episode is accessible on Tomorrow Unlocked channel via this link.

To maintain high computing performance and healthy system security, Kaspersky recommends the following:

• A strong and reliable security solution will be of great help to you, especially if it does not slow down your computer while gaming. And yet, it will shield you from each conceivable cyber threat.
• Beware of phishing campaigns and unknown players. It is a good option to double-check the website you are redirected to via the link in the email you receive and the file extension you are about to open.
• It’s safer to buy games only on the official website and wait for sales – they happen regularly, so you won’t be sitting around for long.
• Reliable security solutions can support specific modes created for players. For example, the “Games” and “Do Not Disturb” modes in Kaspersky’s new solutions are automatically turned on when users play games, watch movies or video calls, and turn off when they are done. When using applications intended for work, study or play, the corresponding mode will automatically activate and hide tasks and notifications. Clients get basic security cautions just when their consideration is required.

In the report, Kaspersky characterized the accompanying classifications of players:

• eSports Pro
  Consider gaming performance extremely or very important; have participated in tournaments at least once in the last two years; they are either building an income from gaming or making some money from it

• eSports amateurs
  You have participated in tournaments at least once in the last two years and enjoy participating in tournaments and competitions; DO NOT look for money making opportunities from playing them

• Hardcore players
  Play at least 20 hours per week

• Gadget Gamers
  Invest a high or very high amount of money to improve their game performance (hardware / training / nutrition etc.)

• Gaming Influencers
  Stream at least once a month; have at least 1000 followers

• Top gaming influencers
  Stream something like one time each week and have somewhere around 10,000 adherents

About Kaspersky

Kaspersky is a global cybersecurity and digital privacy company founded in 1997. Kaspersky’s deep threat and security expertise is constantly being transformed into innovative security solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments, and consumers around the world. The company’s comprehensive security portfolio includes industry-leading endpoint protection and a range of specialized security solutions and services to combat sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Kaspersky technology protects more than 400 million users, and we help 240,000 business clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at www.kaspersky.com

For more information please contact:

Amine Mneimne
Golin MENA, Dubai
amneimne@golin-mena.com
+97150 831 0848