1. Health issues
Due to the necessity of a great deal of practicing, it forces the players to sit and stare at a computer screen for no less than 8 hours per day, which means the subsequent impacts on their health are unavoidable. These include vision issues; back, wrist and shoulder pain (similar to the symptoms of Office Syndrome); stress resulting from concentrating on the games for hours; sleep disorders; and a sedentary lifestyle owing to the players sitting in one place for extended periods of time. In the long-term, these can lead to chronic health problems, such as heart disease, coronary artery disease, diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
2. Developmental issues
The latest data show that esports athletes performing at the highest levels tend to be aged between 19-25 years old, meaning they must have been training seriously for many years prior to reaching this level. As such, they often begin this difficult training regime before they are 18 years old, and this is a time when the body is undergoing all aspects of the fundamental development that are crucial to their future, such as intelligence development resulting from various life experiences that differ interpersonally, personal responsibility and cooperative skills, basic education required for living an independent lifestyle, social skills and survival skills. Although there are still no studies available that show a direct link between esports and developmental issues in children, it is not difficult to see how sitting to play an online game for 8 hours each day could lead to a lack of ability in any one of the aforementioned skill sets.
3. Social issues
Although esports athletes are popular within esports circles, the requirements for heavily training means that they often lack the opportunity to meet more people in real life. This can eventually lead these athletes to face difficulties in adapting and communicating in the real world.
4. Extreme aggression
Esports games can be categorized into numerous age ratings depending on the content. However, a large number of these games, regardless of age category, involve extreme violence which, when played over an extended period of time, could result in desensitizing players to violence. Thus, there is a potential to develop their own subconscious violent tendencies.
5. Financial issues
While it is true that the top esports players will become famous and reap huge financial gains, before they get to that level, many financial sacrifices must be made for the latest gaming equipment and games. Additionally, only a mere 1 in every 1,000,000 of those who invested so much money is going to make it as professionals and, if they are fortunate enough to become an esports star, they must be aware that the career tends to only last a few years. Hence, some thought must be given to what career they will pursue afterwards.
6. Time sacrifices
If a successful career in esports is not achieved, in addition to the aforementioned issues, children will also lose a large chunk of their young lives to playing online games – a significant portion of their whole lives which they will never be able to get back.
When the aforementioned dark sides of this new sport are taken into consideration, it does not seem worth to let children under the age of 18 spend so much time and resources on the dream of becoming an esports professional. However, it is inescapable that children nowadays are exposed to the internet, social media and online games. It is also true that these services can be beneficial to our everyday lives. Nonetheless, parents should analyze the benefits and disadvantages, including seeking advice on the use of communication devices from sources such as the American Academy of Pediatrics in order to ensure these devices can be useful instead of harmful. Simply put, parents should have a basic level of understanding of how children can use communication devices safely at an age appropriate level, limiting their use where necessary and ensuring they only have access to suitable content. Moreover, parents should promote the development of their children’s other basic skills which they will require in the long-term.
In a case of children with a strong intention to be an esports professional, they should be taught about the disadvantages that could come with such a choice. They should also be mature enough to carefully consider various benefits and negative impacts of this career before making a crucial decision thereafter.
