NIU just announced this year’s Fierce Gamer Scholarship winners. Since 2022, a total of seven students have received the scholarship, created by Dr. Levi Harrison. The $1,000 scholarship rewards NIU students who promote physical, mental and emotional health among video gamers, as well as a welcoming and inclusive video gaming community.
This seemed like a great opportunity to reconnect with Dr. Levi, find out what he’s been up to, and get his advice for finding a healthy balance in challenging times.
About Dr. Levi Harrison
Dr. Levi – as he’s known in the esports community – is an orthopedic surgeon who focuses on treating hand, wrist and arm injuries. Known as “the gamers and esports doctor,” Dr. Levi has treated many of the world’s top esports athletes. He’s also an avid video gamer and advocate for the esports community. NIU Esports and Dr. Levi have built a relationship over the past five years based on a shared dedication to healthy gaming and creating a welcoming, supportive esports community. It was a pleasure to catch up with Dr. Levi for a conversation!
Thanks for speaking with us today! To start out, what have you been up to this past year? Do you have any updates on Fierce Gamer or the Try-Angle to share with us?
The Try-Angle (my device for hand, wrist and forearm strengthening exercises) is continuing to sell really well, and I’m grateful that so many people are finding it helpful to relieve pain and improve their gaming.
The Fierce Gamer website and app is moving more slowly. As you know, we’re out here in Los Angeles, so my focus this year is on doing all the volunteer work I need to for the communities that were impacted by the fires in Altadena and the Palisades. I’ve never seen such devastation so close before. So right now, it’s really not about me. It’s about how I can give back to my community to help rebuild it in a way that is fundamentally better.
Here at NIU Esports, we love your focus on community and service. Which leads me to my next question – what stood out to you about this year’s scholarship winners, Frida Peralta, Jillian Thomason and Ethan Gamble?
I thought their essays were great, and it was a pleasure to get to know more about them. It showed me that these students are really dedicated, not only to their education, but also dedicated to supporting and helping the esports gaming community. I think it’s so important that esports athletes continue to engage their communities, to grow and learn from their life experiences, but most importantly to give back.
For me, this scholarship and my focus on healthy gaming is all about being mindful of living an optimal life. An optimal life is one of service, gratitude, giving, teaching and forgiveness. To live an optimal life is not all about you, but rather about what you give back to your communities.
You’ve started to answer this question already, I think! But I was curious what advice you have for high school and college students right now, especially gamers?
My number one piece of advice at this time is that maintaining community is more important than ever. It’s so important to maintain the gaming communities that you have – both those that are in close proximity and those that are virtual. We really have to increase the connectivity of people. This helps to decrease anxiety, decrease stress, and it reminds people that they’re not alone no matter how they’re feeling.
What I love about gaming is that I feel like I have all these other family members over the world whom I can reach out to and talk to and game with and decrease my own stress and hopefully minimize their anxiety and their stressors!
What advice do you have for the parents of these young people?
I think it’s important that parents really appreciate and understand that gaming increases our social connectivity and that it’s not a bad thing! Yes, everything should be in balance and moderation – that I absolutely agree with. However, I think it’s really important that parents and teachers don’t have their students or children isolate themselves from gaming communities.
And my number one piece of advice is to respect your children and have open communication with them, especially about gaming/screen time and finding that healthy balance. Every family is unique, and how much screen time is acceptable for your family can vary. So it’s important to have open communication and remind young people that gaming is important, but you don’t want to negatively impact your academic and scholastic accomplishments. Help them understand that academic achievements are so very important because this will impact their quality of life for a generation or more.
I love looking at your YouTube videos, and I know you’re a mentor to many gamers. What kinds of resources and advice have people been seeking out these days?
The number one thing that that I get asked – I can’t tell you how many phone calls I get from people from around the world asking this question – is how they can feel a sense of connection. People right now really want to feel a sense of connection, that they’re not isolated and alone. So many people are facing depression right now, partly because of the economic environment and the high price of basic goods, which makes daily life feel like a struggle.
When I get this question, I remind people that gaming is a way to leave your stresses and stressors behind and just feel like you’re OK for a little while. Playing with others can be a way to feel connected, decrease depression, worry and social anxiety. It’s really interesting because people from all over the world have asked me about this, from Australia and New Zealand to Canada, France and Germany.
I’m also curious – what is your advice to help people tell when they’ve crossed over from healthy gaming, where gaming is a relief from stress, and into excessive gaming where it’s causing more problems?
I think there are several factors you have to assess – and this assessment is something I do for myself regularly! Number one, ask yourself: am I enjoying my gaming? When I sit down to play, am I having a good time? Number two: how is gaming impacting my life? And – this is important – that includes how it’s impacting my family, my friends, my social structure, my finances, and my work or academics. If you’re not performing well at work or not prioritizing schoolwork, that’s a problem. If you’re not spending quality time with your family and friends, or if you’re feeling depressed, that’s a sign of a problem. You have to be sure you’re connecting with people in real life as well as virtual communities.
When I give talks to gamers, I always emphasize two main things: balance and moderation. You have to check in with yourself on a daily basis to make sure you’re maintaining balance and moderation.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
I don’t want to forget to mention that it’s important to exercise every day! Not just exercise our fingers at the keyboard, but to get out, enjoy the sun and be active. One thing I recommend is exercising with friends and having an accountability partner, someone who will remind you to exercise even on those days when you don’t feel like it. Because exercise helps you minimize issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure and different forms of cancer, as well as depression and anxiety. And, of course, be mindful of your diet. As I say in nearly every interview: You are what you eat, drink, think and smoke. So be mindful of all those things.
Learn more about Dr. Levi at drleviharrison.com/.
