Esports are video games played at a professional level. These are organized video game competitions, based on formally defined rules, most often in form of tournaments. It is typical for competitive players to master the game at a very high level, therefore, facing the same physical and mental health demands as traditional athletes. In this master's thesis I have studied which are the areas of psychological training for e-athletes and how psychologists can help them with their preparation. I gathered the data through semi-structured interviews with seven competitive League of Legends and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players. The key elements of psychological training for e-athletes were mental preparation, training strategies, and skills development. The most common barriers e-athletes face are negative emotions when playing. The players have listed anxiety management as an area of psychology that they perceive to be most useful in e-sports. I have developed a psychological training framework that gives an overview of the areas in which a psychologist could work to assist e-athletes. Many of these areas are also present in sports psychology, suggesting that sports psychology techniques and areas can also be used effectively in esports.
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