“Gaming can make you so physically and mentally exhausted but when I started incorporating physical training, my streaming and gaming capability was dramatically increased.”
Esports and fitness are rarely used in the same sentence. There are various reasons but lack of fitness is something that is quite often associated with esports players. It is a stigma that has kept its hold on society for quite some time now. This idea is an exact correlation to esports slander and a cause for misinformation and people misunderstanding the gaming community. Former NFL player, Kenny Vaccaro, is out to prove that notion false.
The retired NFL safety for the New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans sets the stage for fitness within the esports realm.
Vaccaro has been sculpting an enhanced way for esports athletes to take care of their health and their bodies while still dominating in-game.
The former Football star knows gaming and he knows fitness. And here's how he's combining the two - breaking pre-conceived societal notions about the esports landscape.
Kenny Vaccaro: Co-founder of an esports organization centered around gaming and health
Vaccaro, who played eight seasons in the NFL, now has his eyes set on a new adventure.
In 2021 the football star became the co-founder of the gaming organization "Gamers First". With esports taking center-stage in mainstream media, Vaccaro wanted his org to stand out. He brings his experience with an emphasis on excercise and fitness to gaming.
"Exercise is beneficial for your physical and mental health. The endorphins released during a workout prime your body for a long gaming session," said Vaccaro. "You can go into the game with a clear head after getting those endorphins from the workout."
Vaccaro has been extremely adamant about mental health and physical health being at the forefront of his competitors' careers.
Gamers First even has a licensed physical therapist on staff at the G1 facility highlighting their focus on mental health. Their protocol directly revolves around physical and mental health well-being of their players.
"Working out increases your body’s endurance when gaming for long hours."
"Working out increases your body’s endurance when gaming for long hours," said Vaccaro. "Gaming can make you so physically and mentally exhausted but when I started incorporating physical training, my streaming and gaming capability was dramatically increased."
"There’s a depiction that gaming is lazy but it’s actually super strenuous and mind stimulating so you have to do things to use that energy elsewhere, to clear your mind, and to increase that cognitive performance."
Vaccaro has turned his athletic ambition into his passion for gaming, highlighting many of the lessons he had learned in his football days.
Future competitions for Gamers First
Gamers First currently has a roster making up both a Halo team and a Destiny team. Both groups compete at the highest level amongst other popular organizations such as team OpTic Gaming and more.
Gamers First will next compete on is on September 24, 2022, at the HCS Orlando Major with a prize pool of $250,000. The team will have to face off against nationally ranked esports teams in hopes to qualify for the HCS World Championship in Seattle this October.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest gaming news and updates.