Five years ago, the idea of a professional esports team employing a licensed sports psychologist would have drawn skepticism from players, coaches, and fans alike. Today, the presence of performance coaches and mental health professionals in esports organizations is rapidly becoming standard practice — driven by a growing recognition that the psychological demands of competitive gaming are as real, and as consequential, as those in any traditional sport.
According to Luka Škrinjarić, founder of Mentalni Trening (mentalnitrening.com) and Performance Coach for G2 Esports, the shift began when organizations noticed a pattern that could not be explained by skill or strategy alone.
"Teams with superior mechanical skill and tactical preparation were losing tournaments because of mental breakdowns — tilt spirals, communication collapse under pressure, burnout during long seasons. Organizations started asking: if we are optimizing everything else, why are we leaving the mental game to chance?" explains Škrinjarić, a licensed sports psychologist who has worked with professional athletes for over 15 years.
While the psychological principles underlying performance coaching in esports draw heavily from traditional sports psychology, the delivery must be adapted to the unique realities of competitive gaming:
Training volume. Professional esports players commonly practice 10-12 hours per day, far exceeding training volumes in most traditional sports. The risk of psychological burnout is proportionally higher.
Age profile. The average age of a professional esports player is 20-24, with many beginning their careers as teenagers. These athletes are navigating high-pressure competition during a developmental period when emotional regulation skills are still maturing.
Digital-first lifestyle. Esports athletes live and work in digital environments. Social interaction, competition, content creation, and entertainment all occur on screens, creating a homogeneity of experience that traditional athletes rarely face. The psychological impact of this digital immersion is still being understood.
Career brevity. Competitive esports careers average 5-7 years. The window for peak performance is narrow, making the consequences of burnout or psychological struggles disproportionately severe.
Škrinjarić's work with G2 Esports and previously with organizations including NAVI, FPX, Cr4zy, and EXTREMUM covers multiple domains:
"In five years, every Tier 1 esports organization will have a performance coach or sports psychologist on staff. It will not be a differentiator — it will be a baseline," predicts Škrinjarić. "The organizations that adopt this early are building a compound advantage: not just better performance in individual tournaments, but a culture that attracts and retains top talent because players know their well-being is taken seriously."
Luka Škrinjarić is the founder of Mentalni Trening (mentalnitrening.com), a licensed sports psychologist, and Performance Coach for G2 Esports. He has over 15 years of experience working with professional athletes across esports, football, basketball, and boxing.