In September 2023, Valorant esports champion severiNe, shocked the global esports community when he announced his retirement at the age of 30. He was one of Indonesia’s best Valorant players.
What was even more shocking was that he only began his career in 2020. That’s a career length of only three years!
This isn’t the first time an esports player has seemingly thrown the towel early. Each time it happens, there’s always a big question: why do esports gamers have short careers? We examined the careers of retired pros and found the answer.
Esports gamers have short careers for many reasons. These are: medical complications, stress from overtraining, financial problems, a lack of a personal life, and others.
Contents
List of esports gamers with short careers and why they retired
For better context as to why esports careers are so short, take a look at the list of examples we compiled:
| Esports Player | Games | Career Length | Reason for Retirement |
| Seagull (Brandon Larned) | Overwatch | 2 years (2016-2018) | Medical condition (obesity and sleep apnea) |
| Ori (Zeng Jiaoyang) | Dota 2 | 6 years(2016-2022) | Financial problems (forced to start a new job by parents) |
| HeatoN (Emil Christensen) | Counter-Strike (CS) | 6 years (2001-1007) | Career change (coaching) |
| YellOwStaR (Bora Kim) | League of Legends | 6 years (2010-2016) | Stress from overtraining |
| Zhou (Chen Yao) | Dota 2 | 5 years (2009-2014) | Stress from overtraining |
| Ogre 1 (Dan Ryan) | Halo | 5 years (2004-2009) | Lack of personal life(Away from partner) |
| Faith_bian (Zhang Ruida) | Dota 2 | 8 years(2014-2022) | Career change(Analyst) |
| Nikobaby (Nikolay Nikolov) | Dota 2 | 6 years(2016-2022) | Stress and lack of personal life |
How long is the career of an esports player?
The average career of an esports player lasts for five to ten years. In that time, they may only be able to actively compete in one or two game franchises. Most esports players will end their careers after five years.
We understand if you think this average career length is short, especially when you compare it with that of other sports. In fact, we did just that and showed it in the chart below:
What some might find shocking about the stats above is that the sport with the least physical exertion has the shortest career length. One would think esports pros could go on playing for 20 to 30 years.
In truth, many understate how much of a toll competitive gaming can have on the minds and bodies of the players.
Esports involves a lot more than just showing up for competitive games. Pro players put in insane hours to train for these matches.
How long do professional gamers practice?
Professional gamers practice for eight to ten hours a day. They play solo or practice together as a team. The practice may involve drills, scrims, and playing ranked matches.
These long hours take a toll on players, leading to many of the reasons we mentioned for their early retirement. As they grow older, it becomes harder to keep up with the rigors that come with pro gaming.
What is the average age of esports players?
ESPN once published a story that looked into the average age of esports vs major sports players. Of the 329 total esports players used in the study, we calculated their average ages to roughly determine the average age.
The average age of a professional esports player is 22 years. Many of the current players started their careers between the ages of 16 and 18.
At what age do esports players retire?
On average, esports players retire at the age of 25. For most sports, this is a very young age to quit a sport.
Once again, we compare the average retirement of esports players with other major sports.
What do pro gamers do after they retire?
Many esports players don’t completely abandon the industry after retirement. Some stick around in one capacity or another. Most of them do the following:
- Become a coach
- Become full or part-time streamers
- Create a course
- Start esports game commentary
- Pursue other careers
Bottom Line
The fact that esports careers are so short doesn’t have to be a bad thing. It only makes every moment much more special.
If you’re looking to establish yourself as a professional esports player, time is of the essence. You have to make every day count.
Why not fast-track your development with Stratplays? Find the best courses for you today.
We’ve got the very best active and retired esports players giving their winning secrets!
