UK Esports Team Committee (UKETC) members have announced the inclusion of psychological first aiders, which are individuals trained to help players with mental issues.
Fnatic, Resolve Esports, MNM Gaming, EXCEL Esports, Vexed Gaming, Endpoint, Method and Manchester City Esports have all agreed to train first aiders together with nonprofit Play Aid. These first aiders will help players overcome mental health issues and work on their well-being.
The term “Psychological First Aid” is a technique recognised by the World Health Organisation. It focuses on noticing and providing assistance at early signs of mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety and others. The technique was first designed to help relieve PTSD but is used in a wide range of applications, one of them being professional gaming.
Play Aid, a non-profit from the UK, trains players in this form of first aid so they can easily deal with the stressful environment of competitive gaming and streaming. The organisation is supported by Movember, a global charity committed to helping men’s health.
Dan Cooper, Director of Innovation at Movember, noted that esports teams are a great partner to work with since they are a direct line towards younger people. Cooper also added that the organisation is happy to help highlight the importance of mental health and self-care to esports fans and teams.
As a part of the partnership with Play Aid, the UKETC teams will all have psychological first aiders trained in their teams to help others overcome possible issues. In a statement, the teams noted that they want to be an example of a focus on improving mental and physical health, and hope that more esports organisations around the world would do the same.
Dr. John Mills, Play Aid’s Managing Director, commented: “We are thrilled to partner with teams within the UKETC to promote the importance of psychological first aid in esports teams.
“By providing free Psychological First Aid training, we hope to empower esports teams across the world to better support their players’ mental health and wellbeing.”
