When athletes get older in conventional sports, their performance has generally declined. The players’ physical ability typically declines as they get older, but what about in esports? The muscles that make up their entire body must be used in most traditional sports, but in esports? The physical component is not very large. In contrast to traditional sports, players in most esports have exceptionally low average ages and frequently retire at very young ages.
For instance, numerous League of Legends players have stopped competing professionally in recent years, but none of them were older than 30. Kim “Khan” Dong-ha, who is only 26 years old and one of the most recent players to retire, did so in order to fulfill his military obligations. A year earlier, following the 2020 LCK Summer Season, at the age of 25 or 26, the ROX brothers Song “Smeb” Kyung-ho, Lee “Kuro” Seo-haeng, and Kang “GorillA” Beom-hyeon all resigned. Khan was the only other member of the ROX family to do so.
In contrast to that, traditional sports players typically retire in their late thirties because their careers are mostly focused on physical exhaustion. Because of this, League of Legends players’ careers is much shorter than those of athletes in other sports. Why is it the case? Obviously, esports athletes use their bodies less frequently than competitors in traditional sports. There must be another explanation.
The majority of cases, nevertheless, don’t involve wounds. Why then? Older players and coaches in the scene were questioned about why esports players’ careers are so brief, and the majority of their responses were consistent in that the players aren’t as motivated as they once were. When a person’s passion becomes their work, they frequently lose their enthusiasm for that thing.
The majority of cases, nevertheless, don’t involve wounds. Why then? Older players and coaches in the scene were questioned about why esports players’ careers are so brief, and the majority of their responses were consistent in that the players aren’t as motivated as they once were. When a person’s passion becomes their work, they frequently lose their enthusiasm for that thing.
Bok “Reapered,” the head coach of 100 Thieves Han-gyu stated that players tend to lose interest in the game as they get older and treat it more like “work.” “Players experience more intriguing things as they advance, and gaming begins to feel like labor. When that occurs, individuals are unable to play with the same enthusiasm they did when they first began. The brilliant coach made a good point. A former LCS player made a similar statement. Some athletes just lose interest and stop practicing or playing as intensely as they once did. They believe that the games are less enjoyable than they remember them being. For me, that was the situation. At the conclusion of my career, gaming wasn’t enjoyable.
Veteran supporter Kim “Olleh” Joo-sung of the Golden Guardians concurred regarding motivation, stating that players must first enjoy the game. There is no set amount of practice time because playing video games isn’t as physically demanding as playing traditional sports; instead, it depends on how much the player is enjoying the game. While some people can play for four hours straight, others can only practice for 20 hours nonstop.
Veteran supporter Kim “Olleh” Joo-sung of the Golden Guardians concurred regarding motivation, stating that players must first enjoy the game. There is no set amount of practice time because playing video games isn’t as physically demanding as playing traditional sports; instead, it depends on how much the player is enjoying the game. While some people can play for four hours straight, others can only practice for 20 hours nonstop.
The fundamental focus of these was that the aging curve in esports is actually caused by players losing interest in the game as they become older. It seemed reasonable, even though it might not represent the whole truth for all participants. Reapered elaborated on his remarks and mentioned how young players are inherently motivated. “Today’s young athletes, for instance, must begin in the rookie league or as a trainee for a franchise. They must put in a lot of effort there in order to be noticed and moved up to the academy or the Challengers league. After that, they will need to put in more effort to make the main league’s starting team, he stated.
The result of all that work enables them to compete in the top level. The next drive is to become a star player, take home a World Championship, and so forth. Reapered emphasized that individuals who are able to use their passion as fuel for their determination toward these goals can achieve those goals, but those who are unable to do so would eventually lose interest because there are numerous temptations after becoming a well-known player earning a lot of money.
“When prospects become star players, they are revealed to temptations lurking here and there. The salary, the parties, countless DMs from female fans, etc. When they try out those things, they’re also fun. The point is about how well they can endure those temptations and keep their passion for the game, or at least keep the balance to maintain their performance.”