When League of Legends <\/em>team TSM exited the 2016 League <\/em>World Championships after losing to Royal Never Give Up in October, League <\/em>veteran AD carry Yiliang \u201cDoublelift\u201d Peng couldn\u2019t bounce back. Doublelift gave up everything to win Worlds, spent around the clock hours of \u201csweat and toil<\/a>\u201d into being the best. And after that loss, his mental health suffered. Doublelift didn\u2019t say it, but former Counter Logic Gaming teammate Zaqueri “Aphromoo” Black did: Doublelift was burnt out. Though he\u2019s back on a competitive team now<\/a>, Doublelift left TSM in November. It wasn\u2019t a retirement, but it wouldn\u2019t have been surprising if he had retired. Doublelift\u2019s been playing League <\/em>competitively for more than seven years. At 23, he\u2019s on the older end of the esports age spectrum<\/a>. Players often retire a lot earlier. And there\u2019s a big reason for that: Burnout. Players don\u2019t know how to separate work and play. But how do you fend off burnout when work and play are so closely intertwined? It\u2019s not easy: Plenty of esports organizations struggle in finding the balance between practice and not <\/em>practice. Because before going pro, gaming is <\/em>a downtime activity\u2014something that comes after responsibilities of the day. It\u2019s how you wind down after work or school. Gaming is considered a hobby to the public-at-large, a waste of time. Breaking beyond that stereotype can be a challenge even for those who play video games for money. That\u2019s why one esports organization is putting player health, both mental and physical, at the core of its management philosophy. Should it prove successful, Hammers Esports could help push the esports industry to a more standardized way of encouraging player health. Hammers, originally created to support the organization\u2019s Vainglory<\/em> team, was founded only in 2015 and has quickly grown. With Vainglory<\/em>, Clash Royale<\/em>, and Critical-Ops<\/em> teams, Hammers is getting into a new game: Overwatch<\/em>. <\/p>
Being able to step back from Overwatch<\/em> is healthy.<\/p><\/blockquote>
How do you fend off burnout when work and play are so closely intertwined?<\/p><\/blockquote>
Whether that\u2019s going out and sightseeing in Los Angeles or heading to the gym, it\u2019s something that\u2019ll have a positive impact on team mental and <\/em>physical health. Despite this being Hammers\u2019 first time using a life\/work structure that prioritizes health, it\u2019s been important for the organization since the beginning. Hammers actually has a clause in its player contracts to enforce health standards. \u201cWe\u2019re really strict on that. Players have been cut before for not following the health clause, regardless of their performance.\u201d Sleeping a decent amount and doing more than just \u201cvegging\u201d out at the computer is a long-term strategy for keeping players at their peak, minimizing burnout and injury. With the conceptualized facility imagined in Los Angeles, Hammers will be gunning for the city\u2019s Overwatch <\/em>League slot, even though there will be major competition. Blizzard hasn\u2019t revealed how much it\u2019ll cost to bid on a spot in the Overwatch <\/em>League, but it\u2019s rumored to be really <\/em>expensive\u2014reportedly up to $15 million<\/a>. Though they\u2019re a relatively young company, Hammers is apparently ready to drop big numbers on the slot. More information will come, of course, when Blizzard announces more about its league. Hammers, too, will reveal its partnership details in the coming months. \u201cWe know that we swim alongside big sharks, but we expect that goal to be eclipsed over time,\u201d Perez de Tagle said.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
