Esports Pressure, Risk-Taking & Mental Models Explained | Christian "TrAiDoS" Staedter
🎙️ Season 6, Episode 8 – Christian "TrAiDoS" Staedtter
This week on Mindclickers, I’m joined by Christian Staedtter - lecturer, and high-performance researcher with experience across 70+ LAN events since 2011, Christian brings a rare mix of academic insight and practical understanding of elite gaming environments.
We unpack psychological and environmental factors that influence performance, including team culture, sound, risk-taking, huddles, leadership, and even how things like air quality might affect gameplay.
🧠 Timestamps
• 00:00 – Intro
• 01:10 – Christian’s journey
• 04:50 – PhD insight and driving motivator
• 07:10 – Individualisation in esports
• 07:50 – Team culture, environment, and managing expectations
• 11:30 – Social media impact on players
• 14:00 – Streamers and pros during COVID
• 15:10 – Playing in personal environments
• 17:10 – Crowd pressure and Christian’s LAN insights
• 20:00 – Old-school LANs and playing in booths
• 22:00 – Playing with sound vs no sound
• 25:00 – Sound desensitisation
• 26:00 – Impact of music on performance
• 28:40 – Placebos in esports
• 31:20 – Team huddles
• 33:10 – Real-life huddle example
• 36:00 – Ego in esports
• 41:30 – Using personality tests in recruitment
• 44:00 – Leadership in teams
• 46:00 – Cultural and gender differences in risk-taking
• 51:00 – Expanding on risk-taking
• 54:00 – Using data in esports
• 56:00 – VOD review accessibility
• 58:30 – Christian’s current research
• 1:06:00 – Upcoming research projects
• 1:10:00 – Analytical thinking styles
• 1:15:00 – Visualisation and mental rehearsal
• 1:18:00 – Communication strategies
• 1:20:00 – Environmental factors like air pollution
• 1:25:00 – Encouraging contribution to esports research
• 1:25:00 – Final thoughts and socials
📲 Connect with Christian
Website: https://www.christian-staedter.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianstaedter
X (Twitter): https://x.com/TrAiDoS
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