GamerDoc sat down with Esports Heaven for an interview, where she talks about her traditional medicine background, transitioning to esports medicine, and more. 1. You recently released the “Handbook of Esports Medicine”. How has its reception been so far? Coming from a traditional medicine background, the importance of a textbook cannot be understated. It’s where you go for your basic, scientifically proven information. So when I started in the field of esports medicine, I looked for any printed text on the subject and found nothing. Not one mention in a sports medicine book, not one self-published softcover, nothing. That just wasn’t acceptable to me. So I spent three years planning, writing, editing, and re-writing, re-editing, and fixed the problem.

2. What impact do you hope for it to make? Esports medicine needs legitimacy. If esports organizations are going to prioritize player health, they need to trust the process. They need to know there will be results. By creating standardized resources from a reputable source, I hope to help everyone in the field do their jobs better. 3. You stated a couple years ago that when discussing gaming injuries at a medical conference—many doctors dismissed the premise. Has this changed at all? How long do you think it will take for it to be considered a serious matter? Yes and no. The older doctors still scoff at the concept of being injured while gaming. The younger generation, however, is excited by this field. Medical students, interns, and residents have been coming out of the woodworks desperate for an entry into this field. I’m so excited to start working with medical schools and hospitals to give them official training programs. 4. You’ve treated many people within many different games. Have you noticed any different shifts depending on the game the person is playing? Certainly. Think about the difference in injuries we see in basketball players (ankle) versus American football (concussion, collision injuries). It’s the same for gaming. Console players rely more on thumb movement, and both hands utilize a more flexed finger positioning. For PC gamers, the thumb becomes less important. Thus, we see more thumb injuries in console gamers, versus finger and wrist in PC. This is obviously very generalized, but a trend.

5. Obviously hand injuries are the most common concern, but what else have you seen? Hand, wrist and finger injuries are very common. However, elbow, shoulder, neck and back complaints have also been popping up more often. One of the most important things I’d love to see more emphasis placed on in the future is the mental health aspect of gaming as well. These players often go from small LAN party MVP to social media sensation overnight. The spotlight and social media toxicity that comes with it, coupled with increased training pressures, travel schedule, and a slew of other issues are extremely emotionally taxing. The stigma of discussing these issues is huge, so things like this are flying under the radar. 6. One of the benefits you advertise with your brand is that you don’t have any sort of gimmicks. In your opinion, what are some of the most egregious examples of people peddling gimmicks in the esports industry? I love this question. Hands down, irresponsible nootropic companies peddling untested products to an under 18 population. Supplements are not the sole component of a healthy lifestyle, but rather a tiny component of a larger program. If you’re already exercising regularly, focusing on nutrition, training appropriately, and maximizing your sleep schedule then added caffeine, lutein, spearmint, or theanine might make a difference in your performance. It might! But if you’re not focusing on those pillars first, the gains are going to be minimal. 7. What misconceptions in gaming do you think exist regarding diet? Diet is one of the most important components to competing in anything at a high level. Take a quick browse at what Tom Brady eats in a day if you don’t believe me. Your brain can only use sugar as an energy source, and needs a constant, steady supply in order to function maximally. Your muscles need protein for recovery and injury prevention. Your gut needs fiber so you don’t feel bloated and terrible on gameday. Esports nutrition is going to see huge interest in a few years, just wait.

8. What do you think are the biggest areas of focus that need to be worked on right now within esports medicine? Injury prevention. I know this is the second time I’ve mentioned him, but Tom Brady is 43 years old and has more Super Bowl rings than any single NFL franchise. Tom Brady is more successful PAST middle age than every single Dallas Cowboy who has ever existed. Yet we’ve got League of Legends players retiring at 23 because of physical injuries. You’re telling me that esports is more physically taxing than American Football? No chance. The truth is, esports organizations and players ignore the fact that you can get injured from video games, that those injuries are preventable, and that after they occur, those injuries can be treated. We can prevent injuries in your players. We can fix them once they are broken. We can take that 23 year old mid-laner, extend his career from 10 more years, and turn him into the greatest esports athlete of all time. We know that science can make better traditional athletes, so lets make better esports athletes. 9. General question—please feel free to be as detailed as you’d like to be. Where would you like to see yourself in five years? I want to help make the most dominant esports organization the industry has ever seen. “Work smarter, not harder” has been my motto for some time now, and esports is just starting to catch on to that. Get your players in the gym for 20 minutes before practice. They might stink up the room a bit, but that boost of endorphins is going to make learning new techniques and skills more effective. Offer meal prep the entire season with protein and carbohydrate proportions varying depending on the type of training they’ll be doing that day. Invest in recovery technology, screen your athletes for imbalances or early signs of preventable injuries, the list is endless. I want to make esports better, higher performing, more entertaining, and thus more profitable.

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