The youngest esports player to win $1 million has now revealed the enormous toll gaming has taken on his physical and mental health.
Jaden Ashman, 20, has admitted he was left “frail”, “sickly” and suffering from “a bit of depression” after becoming 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 on to become Britain’s highest-earning player after winning $1.4 million in tournaments and even bought his mother a house.
But after having to miss a few days of the games due to pain in his hands, Essex’s Ashman acknowledged the negative impacts of the games on his health.
In a video posted to TikTok, he revealed how his “whole life revolved around Fortnite” and although he was a legend in the esports community, “he was very unhappy with who he was.”
‘Fortnite millionaire’ Jaden Ashman, 20 (pictured), has admitted he was left ‘frail’, ‘in poor health’ and suffering ‘a bit of depression’ after becoming obsessed with the shooter. Ashman, known in the world of electronic sports as Wolfiez, won a silver medal at the Fortnite World Cup in 2019 and, at the time, applauded his success.
But after having to take a few days off due to pain in his hands, Ashman (pictured) from Essex, acknowledged the negative impacts of the games on his health. He revealed in a TikTok video how “his whole life revolved around Fortnite” and, although he was a legend in the esports community, “he was very unhappy with who he was.”
He then shared a montage of himself lifting weights and hitting a punching bag, before offering his followers some inspiring 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 forever’
“When I played, I was on top of the world, but every night when I lay in my bed and looked at myself, I wasn’t happy with where I was,” Ashman told his fans.
“Physical and mental health are completely overlooked in games and years of neglect left my body in a complete state as well as my mind.”
He admitted that the games took a physical toll on his body, claiming that he became so frail that he couldn’t even take short walks and that he neglected his relationships with his family and friends.
‘This is my body at that moment,’ he said, showing an image of himself flexing the biceps of his seemingly malnourished body.
“He was frail and unhealthy. She couldn’t even walk to and from the store, that’s how disabled she was. And my relationships with my friends and family had also been affected. I felt alone and fell into a little depression.’
He explained that his “whole life” revolved around gaming, stating that he would “get up, not even eat or shower, and jump straight to my PC to work.”
‘Not being able to play for that short period of time completely altered my perception of 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 lifting weights and hitting a punching bag, before offering his followers some inspiring 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 journey into fitness, to change my life forever.”
Jaden Ashman, 15, from Essex, and his mother Lisa Dallman after his qualification at the championships in July 2019.
Ashman, at 15, was the youngest esports player to win a million dollars. He is pictured alongside his teammate at the Fortnite World Cup Final in 2019.
His latest revelation is in stark contrast to 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: “My mother and I clashed a lot.” She didn’t understand how it worked, so she thought I spent eight hours a day in my room just wasting time.
“So now that I’ve shown him that I can do things, I’m very happy.”
His mother, Lisa Dallman, told the corporation in 2019: “If I’m honest, I’ve been pretty against him playing.” I’ve been putting more pressure on him to do his schoolwork.
“I actually dropped an XBox, broke some headphones, and we had a nightmare.”