Armed Forces Esports stars put fitness first as they battle lazy gamer tag
The finest Call of Duty gamers from the UK, US and Canadian armed forces are going head-to-head in this year's Code Bowl Esports tournament.
Members of the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force and US military are aiming to beat defending champions the Royal Canadian Air Force.
The players have been spending hours in a bespoke gaming lounge training in Washington DC after months of strategy and preparation.
The hi-tech suite offers gamers and streamers alike the opportunity to sharpen their skills with the latest software, providing battlefield scenarios in which to train together and prepare for the teamwork that is so critically important in the competition.
Despite a perceived historic stigma of gamers being unfit or lazy, nutrition and sleep are key to top performance, especially for the British personnel who are having to cope with jet lag.
RAF Code Bowl captain AS1 Jamie Griffith told BFBS: "Nutrition’s massive. I'm big on nutrition and fitness just in general, so I've been trying to pass it onto the guys, particularly this trip whilst we've been in America. The food's not the best.
"It goes for any sport - you need to be focused, you need to be concentrated. It all stems from that nutrition and training, making sure you’re living somewhat of a healthy lifestyle."
Roxanne Ibrahim, who won as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Canadian Air Force last year, said fitness plays a central role to the team’s conditioning.
"For the Canadian military especially, we definitely promoted health, so to be on the team alone, you do have to have a workout regiment of approximately four or five times a week," she said.
One of the British Army's most experienced Code Bowl performers, Corporal Andrew Gibson, says personnel have to be fit in the first place.
"It's the stigma that comes with it, if you get what I mean, so it's not just play the game and that’s it.
"Obviously, with the role itself, we have to stay fit, physically and mentally as well, and personally a lot of it for me comes on the mental side of it. Take your mind away from work."
All the competitors will be hoping those months of toil will come to fruition on the big stage.
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