With the professional League of Legends scene growing, the physical and mental care of players is becoming increasingly important. Many top teams worldwide have dedicated teams responsible for physical training and “unraveling” psychological issues for players. Their contributions, though often unrecognized, are crucial to the success of these teams.
Specifically in the LPL region, a psychologist named Liu Jiejie is in high demand by many teams, much like star players. This expert helped Tian “revive” in the LPL Spring 2021 after a severely underperforming 2020 season. Currently, Liu Jiejie serves as a psychological consultant for the LNG Esports organization.
In a recent interview, the expert surnamed Liu announced research results that left the community stunned. Specifically, in the last three months, this expert has consulted for 45 League of Legends players, with 41 of them (91%) diagnosed with mental health issues. Among them, 17 suffered from stress, 18 experienced mild anxiety, and 6 had moderate anxiety. Notably, one individual was in an extremely serious condition and frequently thought about suicide.
The primary cause of mental health issues among professional League of Legends players is the pressure of competition and the high expectations for performance. “Players invest a lot of effort into training, but just a few disappointing results (even in scrims) can heavily impact their mental state. The inability to adapt to a new environment or new teammates can also lead to players’ collapse,” shared expert Liu Jiejie.
Additionally, the pressure from public opinion after each match or a failed campaign also leads to mental health issues for players. A notable example is when teams in the LCK had fans send trucks to their headquarters to criticize them for unsatisfactory performance. Such actions create additional pressure for players and make them more susceptible to mental health issues.
Of course, the pressures from public opinion and performance are an indispensable part of League of Legends and Esports in general. Therefore, teams need to pay better attention to the mental health of players to help them stabilize their mindset for success. It would be truly unfortunate if this psychological care were overlooked, leading to regrettable incidents in the future.