CSPPA partners with two English universities to perform survey of mental health in CS:GO

The Counter-Strike Professional Players' Association has partnered with members of the University of Chichester and the University of Winchester to perform a survey of CS:GO players' mental health.

Conducted by Dr. Phil Birch, Ben Sharpe, and Dr. Matt Smith with the help of the CSPPA and former players and coaches, the research project aims to identify and examine factors influencing mental health in professional CS:GO players and advance the understanding of those issues.

In its continued effort to "develop a sustainable working environment for professional players," the association hopes to be in a better position to support players with issues concerning mental health with the findings of the survey.

Movement in Astralis, FaZe, and Vitality brought issues of burnout and mental health back into the limelight this year

Mental health and burnout have been recurring topics in the saturated CS:GO scene. Recently, the discussion was reignited after several players decided to step down from their teams or take an extended break, citing burnout as one of the main causes.

Alex "⁠ALEX⁠" McMeekin was among the first this year to take a stance against the busy schedule, having stepped down from Vitality in March after the French side had spent 36 weeks on the road in 2019. In May, Astralis made headlines as Lukas "⁠gla1ve⁠" Rossander and Andreas "⁠Xyp9x⁠" Højsleth took leave to deal with symptoms of stress and burnout, while Olof "⁠olofmeister⁠" Kajbjer left FaZe's active roster to recuperate from fatigue.