The Counter-Strike Professional Players’ Association (CSPPA) has been working with two English universities to plan a comprehensive research project that will examine what factors influence the mental health of esports players, specifically in CS:GO, the organization announced today.
The researchers include Dr. Phil Birch and Ben Sharpe from the University of Chichester, as well as Dr. Matt Smith from the University of Winchester. Dr. Birch and Dr. Smith are both senior lecturers in sport and exercise psychology at those universities.
Elite CS:GO players face significant stressors in their competitive careers, according to preliminary evidence gathered from a study published by Dr. Smith and Dr. Birch. Famous CS:GO players such as gla1ve, Xyp9x, ALEX, and olofmeister have stepped away from competitive CS:GO this year due to feeling symptoms related to burnout.
The data collection for this project will begin in the coming weeks. It’ll be the first project of its kind in esports to use the expertise of researchers, the Professional Players’ Association, ex-professional players, and coaches.
“We are confident this project will advance the current lack of understanding of the factors influencing mental health in CS:GO,” the CSPPA said. The association hopes this project will help put them in a better position to support the players and assist them in dealing with the intense demands of professional gameplay.
Although the project is focused on CS:GO, the CSPPA thinks it may help other esports also understand the mental health of its players and highlight the importance of mental health as a whole in the esports ecosystem.
