Three quarters of Russian students are called eSports fans: what threatens them

HSE experts have calculated that 75% of male students in Russian universities are keen on cyber or computer sports. Of these, 33% exercise every day. Among girls, the number of esportswomen turned out to be significantly lower, only 20%.

“MK” learned the difference between a computer athlete and a gamer and tried to understand what the growing popularity of virtual sports will lead to in the future.

– Unlike gaming, eSports is a professional occupation of computer network games, multiplayer, team by team, – explains programmer Ivan Berezin. — In esports, people play against people, never against computer characters. Everything is serious here: there are global championships in Russia, there is the Federation of Computer Sports of Russia under the Ministry of Sports. In addition, there are various international competitions that are held by game manufacturers and international associations. There is an international eSports federation based in South Korea.

Cyber-tournaments have such a scope and size of the prize fund as regular professional sports, tennis, for example. No wonder e-sports is recognized as the fastest growing industry (Olympic Committee estimate) in the entertainment industry. In addition to the competitive component, it contains stellar advertising contracts and bookmakers. For example, in June of this year, one of the most famous Russian teams Team Spirit won a Dota 2 tournament (CS and Dota are the two main formats in eSports) and earned $5 million. And the most impressive (in terms of money) achievement of the Russians belongs to 2021. The joint Russian-Ukrainian team won the international tournament The International 10 in Bucharest with a prize fund of $40 million – the guys earned $18 million. Many of them were under 20 at the time.

– The age composition of the pros in computer sports is 14-28 years old, says e-sportsman Dmitry from Moscow. – In principle, everyone can play – at the age of 60, and at 10, and people with disabilities, there are remote tournaments too. And even individual, not necessarily in a team. The women have separate leagues and tournaments, but there are also those on mixed teams. I don’t know why there is such a division. Many people compare cyber with chess – there is also a division into women’s and men’s. And the age of the players is young, I think, because of the speed of reaction and thinking, this is the most important thing here. Serious money, if we talk about them, is paid at top tournaments. Although, to get there, you must of course play local games for a year or two. In principle, if you practice every day, it will quickly become clear whether you will break out to the top or not. For a good level, you need to train for 3 hours a day, for an acceptable level – at least an hour or two a day.

It is known that some pros leave prestigious universities for the sake of eSports. For example, Magomed Khalilov from Makhachkala, who was just a member of the team that won the tournament in Bucharest, dropped out of medical school. He dropped out of Moscow State University in order to go into computer sports and another star player, Alexander Hertek, studied at the Faculty of Applied Mathematics and Cybernetics. And those who still continue to study take “academics” to prepare for the tournament. After all, the games are team games, and everyone should have access to training. It’s almost like in football: there are defenders, players of the complex line, linear, mixed, spares. And the coaches too – probably this is the continuation of the career for esportsmen with names when they are over 30.

Or they can become teachers — eSports departments are opening at different universities. There is also one in Moscow, at a private university where they teach applied mathematics, strategy, and management. And at least two stars “read” in the “game industry”: Dmitry “LemakaRovel” Makarov, a former member of ESPADA and other teams, who earned his first million at the age of 14. And Mikhail “Dosia” Stolyarov, who became famous back in the “zero”. Stolyarov is 35, a rare case, because in general there is a joke among cybersportsmen “19 is time to retire”.

– For serious tournaments, the age of participants is up to 16 years old, – says esportsman Dmitry. – Although there are isolated cases when children reach the playoffs in tournaments. Or they show excellent results like, for example, Danil Kryshkovets this year, he is only 15. Or that de Lee San Hyuk “Invincible Dragon” from China, who became famous at 14, and is still one of the best in the world. Still, the organizers do not want paper complications. And it is better that the player had a passport.

The way out for the young and early in Russia could be the School League. The age of participants is from 7 to 18, and the prizes are not for children at all – last year, schoolchildren fought for a million rubles.

It is interesting that there is also the eSports 55+ program in Moscow. And their stars, for example, 83-year-old Lev Semenov from the Southwestern Administrative District. Worthy opponents of Moscow athletes live in Sweden, the Silver Snipers (CS) team. The average age is 67 years.

What else can you “earn” by spending 3 hours at the computer every day – besides money? Proponents of such a pastime claim that “e-sports trains memory and attentiveness, develops the ability to work in a team.” It pumps the skill of quick decision-making, improves English, increases self-esteem and makes it popular among those who are “experienced” – this is important for teenagers. Even psychologists see such advantages in computer sports as improved discipline and self-control (sport!), advanced spatial thinking.

– Yes, the development of visual memory and even the effect of neuromodulation in gamblers can be attributed to the positive consequences of such a hobby, – says general practitioner Irina Panova. And the joy of victory is dopamine. But sitting at a computer for many hours also has a negative effect on the body. It’s just that the sport itself is so young that there are no statistics. And its participants are young, the consequences for them may come later. Such as diseases of a sedentary lifestyle in general: varicose veins, dystonia, scoliosis and intervertebral hernia, failure of metabolic processes, stomach diseases. And specifically “computer”: myopia, exhaustion of the nervous system, vital depression. Because one thing is computer simulations that are used in aviation, for example, or in the preparation of the Ministry of Emergency Situations along with physical training. Others are just simulations. Probably, here the way out is not to forget the usual, physical one for computer sports.

Another difference between eSports and classic is its apolitical nature. Like, as they played, and ours are playing around the world, sanctions are not a hindrance. Moreover, esports has an Asian vector – many stars of players from China, India and South Korea. But changes did happen. Team Spirit moved to Belgrade, Virtus.Pro to Armenia, although they continue to play for Russia. Anastasia Glanse Anisimova, one of the few well-known female esports players, left for the German club G2. Top Dota 2 player Roman “Ramses” Kushnerev is now in the US, playing for Evil Geniuses. Russian CS:GO champions Denis Shariprov and Ilya Zalutsky also left for America.