With the recent announcement of Doublelift ’ s competitive hiatus , the League community seemed to do a double take as one of North America ’ s most experienced and acclaimed veterans took a vacation leave to recharge and focus on his mental health and refreshing his competitive mindset .
This came as a surprise to many people , due to Doublelift showing arguably his best performances in his career , with CLG dominating both the 2015 Summer Split and Doublelift proving his worth for TSM , being one of the most threatening forces on the team during the convincing 2016 Summer Split . It ’ s clear that Doublelift has had a relatively successful career , especially in the past year . But that ’ s the key word , relatively .
From a fan ’ s perspective , winning the regional title can be one of the biggest accomplishments a fan and player can hope for . But does a player like Doublelift feel the same ? As stated in his Yahoo ! eSports interviews and TSM : LEGENDS interviews , whether these are successes in the eyes of his organization , his fans or even his family , Doublelift isn ’ t satisfied with just winning NA Championships . Doublelift wants it all ; the World Championship title .
It ’ s not uncharacteristic for a longtime professional in any field to feel discouraged or straight up take a hiatus after not reaching a career goal after years of hard work . Alternatively , some eSports pros retire after meeting their goals . This phenomenon isn ’ t new to eSports either , with early retirements from icons such as CJ Entus ’ Madlife , Starcraft legend Artosis and Counterstrike pioneer HeatoN . All of these players retired at different points in their career , facing community backlash , chagrin or even bittersweet support .
Under such a high-pressure , intense training environment , it ’ s not unexpected for a player to retire after a few years of competitive play . What is unexpected is for players to take extended breaks from competitive play to “ recharge ”, which Doublelift is currently doing , and what Super Smash Bros . Melee professional PPMD did . PPMD is one of the few cases in eSports where we have to reflect on whether mental health is being adequately addressed and recognized in the scene , where PPMD was unable to attend tournaments , practice and then eventually extended his hiatus to be indefinite as he felt his play plateaued and would never be what it once was . While
Doublelift isn ’ t to our knowledge battling any mental health disorders , it ’ s obvious his mental health as a competitive player and as a person was in dire need of rest after again not being able to attain his ultimate goal , even in the best of situations .
These hiatuses , or extended vacations are still rare , but give us an interesting insight on how dangerous burnout really can be for a player . An extended leave from such a high-pressure environment could do wonders for a player ’ s wellbeing and career in the long run .
This begs the question , how will organisations deal with their players going on a month leave ? From a MOBA perspective , what if Bjergsen wanted to take a split off to recuperate from a disappointing performance on the Worlds stage and streamed full-time , what would that mean for TSM ? Although this all seems worrying , a lot of teams are already providing the solution to this problem with extended rosters . SKT developing Easyhoon and then Blank , Team Liquid ’ s 10-man roster and Qiao Gu Reaper ’ s 7-player team , these LoL teams , or any MOBA professional squad , can not only develop talent to diversify team compositions but avoid player burnout and allow players to take leaves if need without worry of finding a quick replacement . Bigger rosters have to become standard practice within the Western regions also , especially when more and more players are facing wrist issues as well .
Obviously , this means that teams need to spend even more on their rosters , and even without players on the bench being on a payroll , money is a huge factor for players taking breaks or even retiring : When players can make more money streaming , whilst also leading a more healthy lifestyle , why would they even become professional players in the first place ? There needs to be a better system in place , that rewards professional play over fun streaming . Without a change in the way things work , the next Doublelift won ’ t even make it to the big stage , because he ’ ll just make more money while streaming comfortably from his home .
To say the least , as a community we should be more understanding and aware of mental health in the eSports scene and aim to be more accommodating as a fanbase , and make sure organizations follow in our footsteps . With a Best of 3 format being standard worldwide in competitive LoL , now ’ s a better time than ever to sport larger rosters , invest in better player support infrastructure and insure that as regions we develop talent , and not fizzle it .