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Player Health & Safety

The official Esports Academy health and safety guidance for every tournament and session we run — online, at home, or in a packed venue. Event organisers and schools are welcome to link directly to this page.

Seizure warning Before you play Venue events Remote sessions Game-by-game Other health notices Emergency For organisers
Important — read before playing or spectating

Photosensitive Seizure Warning

A very small percentage of people may experience a seizure or blackout when exposed to certain kinds of flashing lights, rapidly changing images or geometric patterns. This can happen while playing video games or while watching them — on a monitor, a console, a projector or a cinema-sized screen.

Even people who have never had a seizure may have an undiagnosed condition that can cause photosensitive epileptic seizures. The first sign is often at a screen.

Stop playing or watching immediately and seek medical advice if you or anyone near you experiences any of the following:

  • Lightheadedness or dizziness
  • Altered, blurred or double vision
  • Eye or facial twitching
  • Jerking or shaking of arms or legs
  • Disorientation or confusion
  • Momentary loss of awareness
  • Nausea or headache during play
  • Any convulsion or loss of consciousness

Parents and guardians: watch your children while they play, and ask them about the symptoms above — children and teenagers are more likely than adults to experience these seizures. If you or any relative has a history of seizures or epilepsy, consult a doctor before playing.

Reduce the risk

Before you play — every player, every time

These rules apply to every ESA tournament and session and are read out at the start of every event.

Light the room

Play in a well-lit area. Never game in a fully dark room — screen flashes are far more intense against darkness. At venues, we keep house lighting on at all times.

Sit back from the screen

Stay at least an arm's length from a monitor, 2 metres from a TV and further again from projector and cinema screens. Smaller screen, greater distance, lower risk.

Break every 45–60 minutes

Take a 10–15 minute break away from all screens every 45–60 minutes of play — even if you don't feel you need it. Our moderators enforce break rotations at every event.

Hydrate — and eat

Drink water regularly and don't compete on an empty stomach. Dehydration and low blood sugar both lower your seizure threshold and your reaction time.

Never play exhausted

Do not play when you are drowsy, fatigued or unwell. Tiredness significantly increases seizure risk — sleep beats scrims, every time.

Tell us your history

If you've ever had a seizure, epilepsy diagnosis or photosensitivity, tell us at registration (it stays confidential). We'll seat you appropriately and brief our floor staff.

Large venue events

Hundreds of players, one room, zero shortcuts

Our arena events can put hundreds of people on consoles in a single hall, cinema or gymnasium — dozens of screens, one giant broadcast. At that scale, health and safety is engineered into the event, not bolted on:

  • Safety briefing & PA announcements — the photosensitive seizure warning is read at opening and repeated at every break rotation.
  • Printed signage at entry and at every console bay — download the A4 signage poster (PDF).
  • House lights stay on — no blackout play, no strobe or laser stage lighting, ever.
  • Spacing by design — arm's length minimum from monitors, 2 m+ from TVs, and generous setback from any projector or cinema screen for spectators.
  • WWC-certified floor staff briefed in seizure first aid, with a designated first-aid point and incident reporting at every event.
  • Quiet recovery area — a low-stimulation space away from screens and noise, staffed during play.
  • Enforced break rotations and hydration reminders every 45–60 minutes, worked into the fixture schedule.
Arena Protocol ESA tournament in a cinema — house lighting on, players spaced from the big screen
Remote & At-Home Student playing a moderated ESA match from home
Playing from home

Remote sessions have rules too

When tournaments run online — including for schools in regional and remote areas — the same protections travel with them:

  • This warning is included in the registration and parental-consent flow — every parent sees it before their child plays.
  • Moderators call scheduled breaks in Discord and match lobbies, just like on a venue floor.
  • Players must set up in a shared or open room where a parent or guardian can see the screen — well lit, seated back from the display.
  • Any player reporting symptoms is immediately withdrawn from the fixture — no match is ever worth it.
Tournament titles

Game-by-game guidance

Every title we commonly run at tournaments and sessions, with its Australian classification and what to know about its visual effects. This applies whether the event is online, in a classroom, or hundreds-strong in a hall.

Game AU Classification Flash / visual intensity ESA event notes
EA Sports FC / FIFA G Low–moderate — stadium floodlights, camera flashes, replay transitions All ages. Our most-run school title. Standard break rotations apply.
Rocket League G Moderate — boost trails, goal explosions, arena light shows All ages. Goal-explosion and camera-shake effects are reduced in settings on ESA rigs where available.
Minecraft PG Low–moderate — lightning storms, TNT blasts, portal shimmer Younger brackets. Session length is the main risk — enforced breaks and moderated servers only.
Fortnite M Moderate–high — storm flashes, weapon fire, bright emote and event effects Private, moderated lobbies only. 13+ with parental consent per platform account rules; ESA age brackets apply.
Valorant M High — rapid ability flashes (flash grenades), high-contrast ability effects Senior brackets (15+ at ESA events). Highest photosensitivity caution of our titles — extra distance and mandatory breaks enforced.

Classifications shown per the Australian Classification Board at the time of review and may change — verify any title at classification.gov.au. Titles not listed here are risk-assessed before being added to any ESA event, and game-specific warnings are included in that event's registration pack.

Beyond photosensitivity

Other health notices

Repetitive strain & musculoskeletal injury

Playing with controllers, keyboards and mice for extended periods can cause discomfort or injury to hands, wrists, arms, neck and shoulders.

  • Stop and rest if hands, wrists or arms become tired, tingly, numb or sore — don't play through pain.
  • Keep a neutral wrist position and relaxed grip; don't white-knuckle the controller.
  • Stretch hands, wrists and shoulders during every break rotation.
  • Persistent or recurring symptoms need a doctor, not a rematch.
Eye strain & fatigue

Long screen sessions can cause dry eyes, blurred vision and headaches.

  • Follow 20/20/20: every 20 minutes, look at something 6 metres (20 ft) away for 20 seconds.
  • Blink deliberately — concentration drops your blink rate dramatically.
  • Match screen brightness to the room; avoid maximum brightness in dim rooms.
  • Blurred vision that persists after a break means the session is over.
Hearing — headsets & venue volume

Tournament comms and venue PAs are loud environments.

  • Keep headset volume at or below 60% — if the player next to you can hear your audio, it's too loud.
  • Give your ears a rest during break rotations; remove headsets entirely.
  • Ringing ears (tinnitus) after play means the volume was too high — lower it next session.
Motion sickness & 3D gameplay

Fast camera movement in 3D titles can cause dizziness or nausea in some players — more common on very large screens where the image fills your field of view.

  • Stop playing at the first sign of nausea, sweating or dizziness — it does not improve by pushing through.
  • Sit further back from big screens; at cinema events, spectator seating is set well back for this reason.
  • Where a game offers a field-of-view or motion-blur setting, ESA rigs use comfort-first defaults.
Posture & circulation
  • Sit upright with feet on the floor; adjust chairs at venue events before the first match.
  • Stand up and move during every break — long seated sessions restrict circulation.
  • Don't game in positions that put weight on bent wrists or elbows.
Wellbeing, balance & time limits

Esports should add to school, sport and family life — not replace them. ESA fixtures are scheduled with hard start and end times, and our moderators close lobbies when the session ends. Parents can view fixture schedules at registration, and we support any family's screen-time limits without penalty to the player.

If a seizure happens

Seizure first aid

Our venue staff are briefed on this procedure. If it happens at home or in your venue:

  1. Stay calm and note the time — timing the seizure matters.
  2. Move hazards away — chairs, cables, hard objects. Don't try to move the person unless they're in danger.
  3. Cushion their head and loosen anything tight around the neck (headset straps included).
  4. Never restrain them and never put anything in their mouth.
  5. Roll them onto their side (recovery position) once the jerking stops.
  6. Stay with them until they are fully alert; reassure them — confusion afterwards is normal.

Call 000 if: it's their first seizure · it lasts more than 5 minutes · a second seizure follows · they're injured · breathing doesn't return to normal · it happens in water.

Afterwards: the player sits out the rest of the session (no exceptions), parents/guardians are contacted immediately for minors, and an incident report is completed. Medical clearance is required before returning to ESA play.

For event organisers, schools & clients

Running an event with us?

Libraries, councils, schools and venues co-hosting an ESA event: this page is your official health-and-safety reference. Link to it from your event listing, ticketing page or program — it covers the photosensitivity warning and all player health guidance for the titles being played.

Venue signage poster (PDF)
  • We bring the safety kit: briefing script, PA announcements, bay signage, first-aid coordination and trained floor staff come with every ESA event.
  • Capacity planning: ticket numbers are set from station count and rotation schedule so every attendee gets safe, supervised play time — we'll confirm numbers for your equipment plan.
  • Need a venue-specific risk assessment or wording for your program? Contact us — we'll tailor it.

Official platform & health resources

PlayStation (AU) — Health WarningSony's official console health & photosensitivity warning Epilepsy Action AustraliaPhotosensitive epilepsy information & seizure first aid Australian Classification BoardCheck the current classification of any game title eSafety CommissionerAustralia's online safety regulator — gaming guidance for parents

This page provides general guidance and is not medical advice. Players with any medical condition should consult their doctor before competing. This notice is reviewed regularly — last reviewed July 2026.