eSports - National Motorsports Safety Association

Safety plans are designed to avoid incidents involving injury to personnel and property damage during Motorsports events. Many event organizers will have a copy of their plan available electronically via their websites, or at event registration. The guidelines below are designed to capture "general event safety" for the respective discipline. Use this information as a foundation for a proactive program of safety awareness and site safety supervision. Although specific personnel are assigned duties involving the enforcement of safety requirements, REMEMBER: safety is the responsibility of every event official, participant, and non-participant attending the events.

You might be wondering why eSports is listed on the NMSA website alongside more traditional forms of Motorsports. This is mostly because many of us in the Motorsports community also participate in eSports competitions during the off-season, you might recognize titles like: iRacing, Forza, Gran Tourismo, and more. These events usually take place online with fellow enthusiasts. And with the growing popularity of eSports, it’s important to consider some safety precautions and potential health risks before engaging in these sorts of activities.

In this episode of Break/Fix Podcast safety related topics like: eSports Safety and all the topics on this page and more are covered.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and wrist injuries due to repetitive motion

This is the most common injury threatening most, if not all eSports athletes, possibly ending their careers. eSports athletes spend countless hours playing and the intense repetitive movement of the fingers and hand causes swelling. Because of this, pressure is applied on the median nerve found in the carpal tunnel, whose primary function is to carry information from the hand to the brain and vice versa. Early symptoms include numbness and tingling but, as time passes use of the hand becomes more and more difficult.

Collapsed lung due to poor posture, inactive lifestyle

Several eSports athletes have suffered from a spontaneous pneumothorax, otherwise known as a collapsed lung, over the last few years. Those suffering from this often feel pain in the chest, shoulders, or back and difficulty breathing. The correlation between eSports and the ailment isn't 100% clear yet but the incidents could have been caused by poor body posture, an unhealthy diet, an inactive lifestyle, and bad breathing techniques, often observed in these athletes.

Performance-enhancing drugs

There have been some unfortunate reports of eSports players taking drugs like Adderall, a drug used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; when used by a normal person, it was said that the drug boosts concentration and focus especially when in the game. Abuse of these drugs could lead to increased heart rate and blood pressure. Over use of the drug can become addictive and regular dosage might be necessary for the user to keep feeling the effects.

Mental fatigue and early burnout

Important as reflexes are, the key to most victories in eSports is credited to sound strategy and a focused mind. Yet most of these athletes, similar to those from other sports, can be burdened by immense pressure and anxiety.

Poor nutrition and lack of exercise

As mentioned previously, the amount of time these athletes commit to practice may not give them much room for other matters – even much-needed physical exercise. Be sure to take breaks, be careful of what you eat and avoid sugary drinks!

The data and recommendations presented by this safety plan provide a foundation from which the event organizers and safety stewards will implement a functional program of incident avoidance. This plan is not all inclusive and additional safety supporting procedures may be developed and implemented during the event. Where safety is concerned, there is no excuse for knowing something to be wrong, or risk generating, and ignoring the situation because it is not spelled out in writing somewhere. Safety is not a game of semantics or rule bending. It must be a living program balancing the needs of a highly competitive Motorsport, with the realities of safety and risk reduction.