A select few of our favourite pro-athletes spend their free time the same way we do: playing video games. When they are off the field and finally get the chance to catch their breath, they might wind down with a computer game or even play an exciting slot game at an online casino.
In this day and age, there is no shame in admitting that you enjoy video games. The years when having an interest in gaming would label you as a nerd, unprofessional, or lazy are well and truly over. Let’s look at some big names that love to game!
Neymar Jr.
The great Brazilian footballer Neymar Jr., currently playing Paris Saint-Germain F.C., is one of the best players in the world, and is also a big fan of gaming. He specifically likes eSports, having joined the Facebook Gaming platform, and for this reason Neymar Jr. can often be found streaming games on Facebook live to his millions of fans. In a press release, he confirmed that gaming was his second biggest passion after football, something he can’t wait to do in between matches. His teammates play together with him in the online world as well. He is serious about gaming, to the point that he also revealed he considered entering an international eSports tournament.
Demetrious Johnson
The American mixed martial artist, currently competing in the ONE Championship, revealed that when he isn’t training, he loves to play video games. Along with being an amazing fighter, he is also a Twitch streamer, under the channel “MightGaming”. His favourite games include: “Grand Theft Auto V”, “Resident Evil Village”, “Diablo II: Resurrected” and PUBG (“Player Unknown’s: Battlegrounds”). Along with streaming his games, Demetrious loves to interact with his fans on Twitch, answering questions and cracking jokes. A man of many talents, it’s no surprise that fans want to watch him play while streaming.
Gordon Hayward
Gordon Hayward is an American basketball player who plays for the Charlotte Hornets of the NBA and is also an avid League of Legends player. After unfortunately contracting COVID-19, Gordon spent a lot of time in quarantine at home, away from both family and teammates. The silver lining in that situation, however, was that he rediscovered his love for video games. Through League of Legends, he was able to keep in touch with his loved ones and pass the time with his teammates and colleagues. Gordon also took to live-streaming his gaming sessions to his fans and has also gotten into eSports.
Conclusion
For many people, online gaming is still considered a superficial passion. Some go as far as to call it a waste of time. However, as we have shown in this article, this is dated generalization no longer holds. This is especially true when you consider these sportsmen of great talent who put countless hours of work into their sports who also enjoy gaming. Apart from being a hobby, these games are also a way to bring them closer to their fans, a chance to interact with the public.