Entain Unveils its #MindYourGame Esports Mental Wellness Campaign
What separates pro athletes from amateurs (besides their natural skill, years of training, quality of equipment, and physique) is their uncanny ability to handle high levels of pressure in front of millions of fans via cameras, live audiences, and all the other competitors on the playing field.
Now there are billions of dollars at stake in athletics thanks to the emergence of the U.S. legal sports betting market, which only adds to the mental pressure that the participants already feel, and eventually, this takes an emotional toll on them that can’t be weighed, or tape measured.
That’s a reality Entain Foundation U.S. understands full well, and now the non-profit dedicated to promoting responsible gambling is partnering with INTENTA, a platform exclusively for gamer behavioral health, to raise understanding on this mental health issue with regards to esports.
“The #MindYourGame campaign will raise awareness about the benefits and opportunities of gaming and esports, including enhanced problem-solving, improved memory, greater engagement in STEM subjects, and a myriad of career opportunities.”
It’s aimed at educating students on the benefits of esports and raising awareness of how to play safely to improve their mental health, with the goal to reach as many students, parents, educators, and professionals as possible at 450+ U.S. high schools from November 2022.
For those new to esports – it’s short for electronic sports, and it is a modern form of competition using video games, including organized, multiplayer video game competitions, now mostly between professionally paid and sponsored players, individually or as teams.
Esports Participants Considered ‘Mental Athletes’ Vulnerable to Health Issues
Esports participants are an oft-ignored group of ‘athletes’ since their games don’t require physical strength or full exertion, but what takes a similar toll on them is the extended periods of full mental focus mixed with the emotional pressure that comes with a public competition.
These esports players, or so-called ‘mental athletes,’ are under just as much emotional pressure as any other type of competitor so it makes sense that over time, if ignored, enduring this high level of stress and psychological demand can take its toll in the form of mental illness.
The #MindYourGame campaign will “share safe play strategies to protect and improve students’ mental health and provide support pathways for anyone struggling with problematic gaming” using the various techniques mentioned above.
The #MindYourGame campaign also has plans to deliver an esports educational series called Gaming World via video in an attempt to reach the younger esports participants since, in their estimation, “multimedia digital content is the preferred platform for students.”
Entain a Finalist for 2022 American Gambling Award for Responsible Gaming
If the name Entain Foundation U.S. already sounds familiar, it could be because they were one of four finalists for the 2022 American Gambling Award for Responsible Gaming in recognition of their ongoing support of multiple responsible gambling initiatives.
With over thirty U.S. states now with their own version of a legal sports betting market, expect more and more of those operators to gradually include esports as part of their menu of wagering options, putting even more pressure on all those ‘mental athletes.’
It takes efforts such as the #MindYourGame campaign to begin shifting the world’s attention over to the benefits of a healthy mind and body, with mental health only recently losing its prior stigmas paving the way for a broader campaign towards healthier gaming and living.