With all the talk of televised leagues, live events and millions of dollars in prizes, it’s no surprise that organisations are considering elements of health and how they can be used to improve a gamer’s performance. Don’t drink 2 litres of Coke a day. Living off chips and chocolate is bad. Try and avoid alcohol 24/7. You know, that sort of thing.
But Red Bull are keen to go one step further. In a post on their careers site, a line was included that indicates the energy drink’s intention to rapidly expand the reach — and professionalism — of their eSports operations.
The job listing is for Red Bull’s program director of eSports, an executive-level position that will be responsible for building “successful media ventures”, the production and management of Red Bull’s eSports events (such as their various Battlegrounds tournaments) and monetising the audience.
A lot of the requirements are awfully similar to the GM of eSports position Time Warner are advertising for, although there’s an absence of notes relating to broadcast mediums and experience that would prevent me from reading too far into the description.
One thing Red Bull wants that Time Warner doesn’t, however, is for their new eSports head to focus on improving “professional gamer talent”, as opposed to simply finding it. “Partner with Red Bull Sports and High Performance teams to institute innovative performance improvement models, training techniques and technologies that increase the success of Red Bull eSports athletes and teams,” the job page says.
Working alongside Daniel Ricciardo might be a touch difficult given the problems Red Bull is having finding a new engine, but maybe there’s a chance that a Red Bull-branded StarCraft or League of Legends player could learn some tips and tricks off former RAAF Hornet fighter pilot Matt Hall.
Comments
14 responses to “Red Bull Wants eSports Players To Be Trained Like Their Other Athletes”
I want to see some League of Legends players hucking their meat at next year’s Rampage!
I’m surprised that there hasn’t been more of a focus on physical health in the esports scene.
I mean, I sort of get it – players are very young, so long-term effects aren’t an issue, and they tend to burn out pretty fast. But I’ve read a bit on Grandmaster-level chess players, and they all said that being physically fit was vital to being able to maintain your concentration for extended sessions (like tournaments). I’m not saying they should be athlete level, but it would make sense to incorporate at least a bit of physical fitness into the esports training regime.
Exactly the same as race car drivers (which Red Bull are in the business of too I suppose). They might be sitting down for the entire race, but their body needs to be able to withstand huge chemical spikes, hydration and circulation issues (I know my bum goes numb when I drive for 3+ hours) and it doesn’t hurt to have some concentration when fangin’ it around Albert Park.
Some physical fitness would probably help my own cushy white-collar desk job as well, but heck, pass me another latte, it ain’t no race 😛
Not drinking Red Bull would go a long way toward improving player health.
Yeah they should just do No-Doz instead
I think a simple combination of a Fisherman’s Friend and soda water would do the trick.
Jesus christ
… I’m trying this later today
Just make sure you say something really pithy and memorable and epitaph-worthy before you do.
Although, “Jesus christ… I’m trying this later today,” would certainly make for amusing and enlightening ‘last words’.
So I’m curious, what exactly is the chemical reaction and why is it deadly?
I’m guessing the carbon dioxide reacts with something in the Fishermen’s friend, not sure which ingredient that is though.
Is it similar to Coke and Mentos?
I have no idea, that’s what I was assuming, but mostly exaggerating the impact for dramatic effect.
Ahhh, thanks, I’ll look into it anyway, it might be the Methonol.
If anyone else knows the reaction and severity of it I’d be interested in the answer.
How about Doritos and MtDew, the official noscope360propwner diet?
I think that combination is just called: “Breakfast of Champions”
I think all eSports teams should start performing media training. The amount of cringe when analysts interview winners is off the charts. That and watching them bitch and moan all year on twitter is quite unprofessional. eSports still has a long way to go in order to be considered a professional sport and unfortunately teams and their owners are only looking for the quick buck from advertising/tournament winnings rather than promoting the sport as a whole.