Donk’s struggles and the specifics of working as a psychologist in esports—highlights from the podcast with nokeepeesh
Daria Ushakova
Former Team Spirit psychologist Alexander “nokeepeesh” Kuznetsov gave an interview that was published on the club’s YouTube channel. Here’s a summary of the key points in our article.
On his decision to become a psychologist, the esports industry, and his first conversation with Cheshir
nokeepeesh said that he originally studied engineering and even worked in the U.S., but then decided to pursue what interested him and became a psychologist.
According to Alexander, working as a psychologist in esports is a promising field. Players often face the same challenges as famous musicians or athletes.
Kuznetsov joined Team Spirit seven years ago. When nokeepeesh first spoke with the organization’s CEO, Nikita “Cheshir” Chukalin, he made a positive impression as a clear and thoughtful conversationalist.
On Cheshir, working with esports athletes, and the specifics of the field
The former Team Spirit psychologist noted that Cheshir is someone who is willing to take responsibility for everything, even minor issues and details such as merchandise or the players’ meals.
When working with players, nokeepeesh strives not only to provide them with resources but also to ensure that these resources actually work and, ideally, lead to victories.
In addition, Alexander mentioned the main difference between this field and traditional sports. Here, players train separately, communicating online, so there isn’t the same sense of cohesion and unity. Kuznetsov has to explain that certain behaviors are unacceptable within the team, such as slamming the table or swearing.
On the team’s first impression of the psychologist, his ethical approach, and “donk”
The Team Spirit players responded positively to the psychologist, since at that time the team was ranked in the top 30 in CS, and everyone was seizing every opportunity to improve their performance. nokeepeesh is still in touch with Dmitry “S0tF1k” Forostyanko, but in a different capacity.
Alexander stated that during his time with the team, he spoke with the players about various topics. For example, he might have addressed issues of dissatisfaction with teammates.
nokeepeesh is convinced that Danil “donk” Kryshkovets’ shouting during matches is a way to cope with stress. According to the psychologist, the rifler has a very high level of motivation, but also feels a great sense of responsibility toward himself and others. The desire to live up to others’ expectations creates internal tension.
Read also:
- nokeepeesh on Cheshir: “He’s quite clear-headed, thoughtful, and a pleasant person to talk to” (first part of the podcast).
- nokeepeesh on Cheshir: “Nikita is the kind of person who is aware of his responsibilities and ready to take them on” (second part of the podcast).
- nokeepeesh on donk: “For him, those shouts were actually a way to channel that stress” (third part of the podcast).
Alexander “nokeepeesh” Kuznetsov has worked as an esports psychologist for Team Spirit since 2018. He later moved to BetBoom Team in the same role.
Photo: Team Spirit.
Daria Ushakova
