Friday Dec 13, 2024
Friday Dec 13, 2024
Wednesday, 20 November 2019 00:54 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Electronic sports (Esports) athletes, like other professional athletes idolised the world over, run the risk of injury and poor health when winning becomes their sole priority. Gamers often suffer from tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, wrist and forearm inflammation, posture and vision issues and even have problems related to repetitive stress associated with long hours of gaming.
MAS GamerTech recently partnered Sri Lankan Esports pioneer Gamer.LK in developing a series of innovative solutions that will significantly improve gaming health, performance and longevity. This will be achieved through the use of next generation smart fabrics, with the ability to effectively address gamer health issues, such as those caused by repetitive strain and long hours of gameplay.
Competitive video gaming is a phenomenon that has recently taken the world by storm. It is widely considered the fastest growing sport in the world, combining digital entertainment and professional sports. With Esports viewership now having achieved record numbers, traditional programs such as the South East Asian Games have added Esports to its medal roster. The International Olympic Committee has also started discussions to include Esports in the 2024 Olympic Games.
Esports was first introduced to Sri Lanka by Gamer.LK in 2008. Following nearly a decade of dedicated efforts by Gamer.LK, Esports is now recognised by the National Olympic Committee as well as the Sri Lankan Sports Ministry, with Sri Lanka taking part in the International Esports Federation World Championships as well as the Asian Games 2018. Local Esports athletes are also increasingly and consistently competing in both homegrown, regional and global tournaments, offering large pools of prizes. They are also afforded many opportunities for overseas travel where they can meet their sporting idols, all of which keeps adding to the fervor surrounding this new sport.
As a result of the growing buzz surrounding Esports, both abroad and in Sri Lanka, issues related to video games and their physical toll continue to come to the fore. In fact, a recent MAS GamerTech study discovered that a majority of gamers faced issues with hand health, with it also being one of their biggest fears.
Additionally, gamers frequently suffer from vision issues, posture issues and obesity. If these conditions are not treated, there can be permanent, long-term damage as well as significant performance deficits. Evaluating over 600 professional and lifestyle gamers, this study was conducted by the MAS GamerTech team working in conjunction with two doctors specialising in Esports, who confirmed and validated its findings.
The MAS study also informed the current direction of research and development undertaken by the MAS GamerTech team, empowering it to pool resources company-wide. Today, a group of dedicated world-class designers, engineers and marketers as well as entrepreneurs are in play to meet the challenges of Esports, creating and commercialising textile- and apparel-based technologies of tomorrow to address gamer health issues and improve gamer experience.
The research and development initiatives currently underway at MAS GamerTech, combined with Gamer.LK, will undoubtedly break new ground when it comes to positioning Sri Lanka as a global leader in Esports and gamer wellness.
