Esports orgs need to take the health of pros more seriously as they continue to stop wrist and hand injuries

I just saw the post that came up Street Fighter 6 pro Kakeru Watanabe he announced that he had tendonitis. This came from playing Street Fighter non-stop after Worlds. The accompanying photo features Kakeru wearing arm braces and looking sadly into the distance.

“I want it to cool down at the end of the month when Ingrid comes out, so I will take a break from training until the pain is gone,” said Kakeru.

In the world of sports, I think Kakeru is very lucky. It is a situation that can improve, and for now he is not giving up on his organization. It reminded me of all the esports pros who have retired due to mental and physical health issues, even in their early 20s.

Esports are often seen as very different from traditional sports. It is not considered physical activity because the players are sitting in a chair. I mean, I vividly remember Cody Schwab nearly passing out on a powerful anti-pop-off against Juan “Hungrybox” DeBiedma. Although it was meant to tease his opponent, he ended up needing to hold on to Hbox for support.

But that brings up a more important topic: Esports professionals need better physical health.

This is not a new topic. Esports organizations (back when money came in from investors and such) had physical therapists on staff and gyms inside their team houses. In China, where esports is still a big thing, I visited a local esports stadium and saw all kinds of gyms and doctors’ offices. But it is never taken as seriously as it should be.

While esports is seen as just “sitting”, you need to be in shape to sit with your back straight (or lean forward) for 10+ hours a day, year round. Otherwise, your back will hurt a lot. And any hand injury is a big deal. You need to stretch your fingers and wrists, maybe even strengthen them. But in general, you have to be in perfect health to be in the right mental and physical condition to compete at a high level in anything.

Despite this, very young players often suffer from mental stress, fatigue, and hand-related injuries.

Call of Duty pro Thomas “ZooMaa” Paparatto is a controller player who had to retire at the age of 25 due to weakness in his thumb and wrist. He had surgery on it a few years ago, which caused a lot of anxiety and stress as he tried to recover. Unfortunately, injuries returned again, “which made it very difficult for me to compete at the highest level against some of the best players.”

“Playing through the weakness and pain in my hand is no longer possible,” he wrote on Twitter.

He is not the only player who has retired due to hand injuries. Keyboard and mouse players are also easily injured, including StarCraft II, Counter-Strike, and League of Legends. One person on Reddit even recalled: “It used to be a badge of honor to have carpal tunnel surgery scars for StarCraft players, or at least it was pretty common.”

Royal Never Give Up’s Jian “Uzi” Zi-Hao has retired from League of Legends due to ongoing issues with his shoulder. It affects his entire arm, the doctor told him that his arms are the same as those of a 50-year-old. Cloud9’s Hai “Hai” Du Lam also retired due to persistent wrist tendonitis. He could not keep up with this difficult practice.

The best esports player of all time, Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok the most common is wrist pain that comes and goes. In 2023, he had to step down from T1 to recover from cubital tunnel syndrome. His hands are insured for nearly $1 million.

The list goes on. Dozens of careers are ruined by early wrist and hand injuries, brought on or compounded by regular playing. Clinton “Fear” Loomis retired from Dota 2 after being diagnosed with tennis elbow following an ongoing wrist injury. Aziz “Hax” Al-Hami had to leave Super Smash Bros. Melee after suffering multiple injuries to his hands and wrists due to repeated stress on his joints. Issa “Issa” Rahim has retired from Fortnite due to a chronic hand injury. He was only 19 years old.

These players are all young. But often that’s part of the problem. These young players often do not see the need to practice and stretch. They are not focused on their life. They start bad eating habits and body shape. They are afraid to take a break. They don’t want to slow down.

More support is needed. Esports organizations should require expansion and more tests for affected body parts. No one in their early 20s should have to deal with chronic hand pain. While many joke that esports isn’t a sport, there are still real injuries to constant practice and competition. And they shouldn’t be treated like a joke.

Let’s hope Kakeru can recover and make a comeback. Japanese fans wish him well, even saying he makes wrist bandages look cool. Let’s hope you have the resources to overcome this.