Sport

The esports psychologist: mind control and video games

The psychology applied to the esports is a speciality that each day has more importance for the improvement of the sportive performance of the players of video games. It is a reality that the esports have reached a level of professionalism above the imagined does only some years and this supposes that many of the professional teams are drafting the figure of the sportive psychologist specialised to his technical bodies: the psychologist of esports.

The staffs of the teams of esports begin to have all type of human resources in addition to the players and players. The clubs of esports each day are more structured contributing trainers, sportive directors, preparadores physical, nutricionistas, experts in communication and now also psychologists.

Esports: A mental sport

Achieve an optimum mental state is key for the players of esports that have to process a lot of stimuli in very little time. This psychological requirement goes to determine the level of self-supervision and emotional management of face to achieve an optimum level in the state of activation of the player.  Each game has his specific peculiarities, to the equal that there are players more expert in one or another game. They are not the same characteristics the ones of a player to be the best in ENDOWS 2 that for Counter Strike, League of Legends, Call of Duty, Fornite or FIFA among others.

How it can help a psychologist of esports?

The sportive psychology adapted to the esports does not differ too much of the work that makes  in other sports, once deleted the physical component of the real game. The rest of variables to improve are similar and focused to the sportive performance. In the video games exist variables like the attention and the concentration that even need levels of activation much more optimum that in other sportive practices. We could consider the video games a sportive practice more, to the equal that considers  the chess. In this sportive modality mental component is the fundamental part of the game independently of the physical component, that also has to be taken care.

Attention, concentration and perception of the gamers

All gamer that  precie will have a good computer or console, instrumented with the last technology; the best graphic card and the best provision by heart RAM to reduce the maximum possible the times of latency and that answer the fastest possible to the requirements of the game. As this same is what the player has to attain have in his brain: improve his capacity of processing of bits of information.

This goes to help to gamer to resolve faster and more eficientemente the problems that go arising during the game. This attains  learning dynamic of processing of the notable information thanks to the improvement of the attention and the concentration through a process designated narrowing atencional. It is important also know lidiar with the visual fatigue, since they are many the hours those that happen  in front of a screen.

The sportive psychologist will contribute the tools and necessary learning to differentiate between attending, concentrate and perceive the different types of stimuli (visual and auditory) according to the situations of the game to improve and expand the memory RAM of the brain of the player. Your hard disk also will work better if you have it freed. Sure that prefer a hard disk SSD that one HDD, as the same.

Control of the tilt: of the tilteo to the state of flow

The esports also have coined new psychological terms. The tilt or tilteo is the mental state that crosses a player that in spite of carrying accumulated a lot of hours of game does not achieve the aims that pretends or experiences the defeat. This emotional state of frustration generates unrest and irritation in the player that will reduce his performance. This term proceeds of an expression that already is used in the game of the póker.

The taking of control of the state of tilt is fundamental not to fall in a state of spirit that alter the performance. Learn to improve this frustration and turn it into all the contrary: the state of flow in which the player achieves a maximum state of concentration and perception in which all goes out him well in the game. The difficult? Keep the optimum state the greater possible time.

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Entrada Relacionada

Emotional intelligence and video games

The emotional management will be one of the most important tools that has to learn to any person and any player to have an emotional stability that allow to keep his level of game. Besides, it is of big importance of face to that the player further of the video game keep a stable life and no repercuta his situation of gamer in the rest of facets of the life.

Know the basic components of the emotional intelligence and dominate them will help to improve the capacities of resolution of problems; reduce the level of stress; improve the skills of communication and autoconocerse better to improve the qualities of jugabilidad. Have a big emotional intelligence in the big components of the same is essential: autoconciencia emotional, empathy, automotivación, social skills, emotional self-supervision, etc.

Communication and behaviour in internet

The communication so much in the real life as through the social networks, video games or new technologies in general has to be very taken care. Fulfil with some norms of netetiqueta in appropriate internet and learn to communicate  with the mates of team inside and out of the game is another of the tools that will do healthier the relation of the gamer with the world and of the world with the gamer.

It is very common in this world that exist the figures of the troll or hater in internet that will do the impossible life for a lot of players: insults, threats, ciberbullying, etc. Learn to lidiar with this type of communicative problems and improve the capacities of asertividad basic is fundamental so that the player keep the calm at all times; and it win also the confidence and respect of the rest of the community.

The player no only goes to have to communicate behind a screen in his room. The interviews, the media, the meetings with sponsors will have to be dominated to improve his capacities of communication in all the fields.

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Personal orientation: the life of the player out of the game

The professional player of video games is used to to devote a lot of hours to this activity, but at the same time is used to to have a very short professional sportive path. Therefore, it is fundamental the personal orientation. The conciliation of the esports with the studies, the labour life and the preparation of the person further of the video games for the labour and professional life.

Behind a gamer  there is a person, with his personal problems further of the esports. All these personal processes can repercutir also in the sportive performance of the player. The figure of the psychologist that accompany to the player further only of the problems in the game will be a great help. The psychologist of esports will act no only acts in the context of the game but it will serve of guide and support in the orientation and global advice of the player in all his appearances of the life.

Prevention of the addiction to the video games

It is important also educate to the players to avoid behaviours or extreme behaviours that alter his lives until turning into them addicted to the video games. It is an increasingly common problem between the teenagers that has to avoid  from the prevention. They have to learn to differentiate between the healthy game and the toxic game; conciliate the game with the rest of his personal facets not to neglect to family, couple, friends; or rest of commitments and duties so that they do not see  conditioned of extreme way by the relative activity to the video games. Know how the games with all the machinery of marketing behind them attain to stick to the player is the first measure of prevention.  Play yes, but of way controlled.

The psychologist of esports a figure for the improvement of the performance

All the variables that come presenting are behaviours and human thoughts and the skilled professional in his study is the psychologist. The psychologist of esports will make tasks of observation, analysis, evaluation and follow-up of all the appearances related with the mind and behaviours associated. The knowledges of this type of professional applied to the world of the esports, with the quantity of stimuli to process in so little time and a career sometimes so fleeting, turns it into a figure of big value so much for players, clubs, trainers, managerial as for the families and surroundings tied to the world of the video games.

If you want a more personalised attention can put you in contact with me through the channels of usual communication of the web.

Iván Pico

Director y creador de Psicopico.com. Psicólogo Colegiado G-5480 entre otras cosas. Diplomado en Ciencias Empresariales y Máster en Orientación Profesional. Máster en Psicología del Trabajo y Organizaciones. Posgrado en Psicología del Deporte entre otras cosas. Visita la sección "Sobre mí" para saber más. ¿Quieres una consulta personalizada? ¡Escríbeme!