The youngest esports player to ever win $1million has now revealed the huge toll gaming has taken on his physical and mental health.
Jaden Ashman, 20, has admitted that he was left ‘frail’, ‘unhealthy’ and suffering from ‘a bit of a depression’ after having become obsessed with Fortnite.
Ashman, known in the esports world as Wolfiez, earned a silver medal at the Fortnite World Cup in 2019 and, at the time, applauded his successes.
He went one to become Britain’s highest-earning gamer after winning $1.4million from tournaments and even bought his mother a house.
But after having to take a few days off from gaming because of pain in his hands, Ashman, from Essex, recognised the negative impacts of gaming on his health.
In a video posted to TikTok, he disclosed how his ‘whole life revolved around Fortnite’ and although he was a legend in the the esports community, ‘I was very unhappy with who I was’.
‘Fortnite millionaire’ Jaden Ashman, 20, (pictured) has admitted that he was left ‘frail’, ‘unhealthy’ and suffering from ‘a bit of a depression ‘ after having become obsessed with the shooting game. Ashman, known in the esports world as Wolfiez, earned a silver medal at the Fortnite World Cup in 2019 and, at the time, applauded his successes
But after having to take a few days off from gaming because of pain in his hands, Ashman, (pictured) from Essex, recognised the negative impacts of gaming on his health. He revealed in a TikTok video how his ‘whole life revolved around Fortnite’ and although he was a legend in the the esports community, ‘I was very unhappy with who I was’
He then shared a montage of himself weight lifting and hitting a punching bag, before offering his followers some inspirational advice: ‘Feeling sorry for yourself gets you nowhere. You must take action and that is what I did to change my life. This is where I started my fitness journey, to change my life for ever’
‘When I was playing, I was on top of the world, but every night when I lay down on my bed and I looked at myself, I wasn’t happy with where I was,’ Ashman told his followers.
‘Mental and physical health is completely overlooked in gaming and years of neglect left my body in a complete state as well as my mind.’
He admitted that gaming took a physical toll on his body, claiming he became so frail he could not even go for short walks, and that he neglected relationships with his family and friends.
‘This is my body at the time,’ he said, showing an image of himself flexing the bicep of his apparently undernourished body.
‘I was frail, unhealthy. I couldn’t even walk to the shop and back – that’s how unfit I was. And my relationships with my friends and family had also suffered. I felt alone and I fell into a bit of a depression.’
He explained that his ‘whole life’ revolved around the game and claims he would ‘get up, not even eat or shower and hop straight on my PC to grind’.
‘Not being able to play for that short amount of time completely altered my perception on things. I had to sit there and look at my life not as Wolfiez but as Jaden, and I was very unhappy with who I was,’ Ashman shared.
He then shared a montage of himself weight lifting and hitting a punching bag, before offering his followers some inspirational advice: ‘Feeling sorry for yourself gets you nowhere. You must take action and that is what I did to change my life.
‘This is where I started my fitness journey, to change my life for ever.’
Jaden Ashman, 15, from Essex, and his mother Lisa Dallman after he placed in the championships in July 2019
Ashman, at age 15, was the youngest esports player to ever win $1million. He is pictured alongside his teammate in the Fortnite World Cup finals in 2019
His latest revelation is a stark contrast of what he said in July 2019 when he won the first Fortnite World Cup at just 15 years old.
Ashman, at the time, told the BBC: ‘Me and my mum, we clash quite a lot. Like, she didn’t understand how it worked, so she thought that I was spending eight hours a day in my room just wasting my time.
‘So now that I’ve proved to her that I can do stuff, I’m really happy.’
His mother, Lisa Dallman, told the corporation in 2019: ‘If I’m honest with you I’ve been quite against him gaming. I’ve been more pushing him to his schoolwork.
‘I’ve actually thrown an XBox out, snapped a headset, we’ve had a nightmare.’