Life After Esports: A Grand Field Challenge

Smithies, Tim D.; Toth, Adam J.; Conroy, Eoin; Ramsbottom, Niall; Kowal, Magdalena; Campbell, Mark J.

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00883

Cited by 25 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Accumulating evidence suggests that the restricted sleep of adolescents, as well as prolonged wakefulness in bed, is predictive of depressive symptoms and anxiety [ 14 ], a particularly pertinent finding given the young age of many esports athletes [ 15 ]. These findings are important given the proposed effect of mood on athletic performance [ 16 ] and reports of high burn out rates in esports [ 17 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Sleep Characteristics and Mood of Professional Esports Athletes: A Multi-National Study

Lee

Bonnar

Roane

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Esports is becoming increasingly professionalized, yet research on performance management is remarkably lacking. The present study aimed to investigate the sleep and mood of professional esports athletes. Participants were 17 professional esports athletes from South Korea (N = 8), Australia (N = 4), and the United States (N = 5) who played first person shooter games (mean age 20 ± 3.5 years, 100% male). All participants wore a wrist-activity monitor for 7–14 days and completed subjective sleep and mood questionnaires. Participants had a median total sleep time of 6.8 h and a sleep efficiency of 86.4% per night. All participants had significantly delayed sleep patterns (median sleep onset 3:43 a.m. and wake time 11:24 a.m.). Participants had a median sleep onset latency of 20.4 min and prolonged wake after sleep onset of 47.9 min. Korean players had significantly higher depression scores compared to the other groups (p < 0.01) and trained longer per day than the Australian or United States teams (13.4 vs. 4.8 vs. 6.1 h, respectively). Depression scores were strongly correlated with number of awakenings, wake after sleep onset, and daily training time (p < 0.05). As the first pilot sleep study in the esports field, this study indicates that esports athletes show delayed sleep patterns and have prolonged wake after sleep onset. These sleep patterns may be associated with mood (depression) and training time. Sleep interventions designed specifically for esports athletes appear warranted.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Sleep Characteristics and Mood of Professional Esports Athletes: A Multi-National Study

Lee

Bonnar

Roane

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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“…The number of studies investigating the role of exercise training for enhancing cognitive ability is steadily growing, as exercise is easily accessible, cost-effective and promises additional well established physical and mood benefits (e.g., [ 181 ]). Typically, professional esport careers are short lived with only one-in-five careers lasting two years or longer [ 7 , 182 ]). Furthermore, the average retirement age of esport athletes is 25 [ 183 ] meaning that years of intense practice and training occur during a time when the brains of these individuals are still developing [ 184 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This rise in video game popularity can be traced to the advent of improved and readily available broadband as well as organised competitive video game play, otherwise known as esports [ 5 ]. This growing interest in esports has led to new research seeking to understand both the performance, as well as the health benefits and pitfalls associated with competitive video gaming (e.g., [ 6 , 7 ]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Converging Evidence Supporting the Cognitive Link between Exercise and Esport Performance: A Dual Systematic Review

et al. 2020

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(1) Background: Research into action video games (AVG) has surged with the popularity of esports over the past three decades. Specifically, evidence is mounting regarding the importance of enhanced cognitive abilities for successful esports performance. However, due to the sedentary nature in which AVGs are played, concerns are growing with the increased engagement young adults have with AVGs. While evidence exists supporting the benefits of exercise for cognition generally in older adult, children and clinical populations, little to no work has synthesized the existing knowledge regarding the effect of exercise specifically on the cognitive abilities required for optimal esports performance in young adults. (2) Method: We conducted a dual-systematic review to identify the cognitive abilities integral to esports performance (Phase 1) and the efficacy of exercise to enhance said cognitive abilities (Phase 2). (3) Results: We demonstrate the importance of four specific cognitive abilities for AVG play (attention, task-switching, information processing, and memory abilities) and the effect that different types and durations of physical exercise has on each. (4) Conclusion: Together, these results highlight the role that exercise can have on not only combating the sedentary nature of gaming, but also its potential role in facilitating the cognitive aspects of gaming performance.

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“…Additionally, esports careers are associated with a short career length (Ward & Harmon, 2019), decreased ability to rapidly and accurately respond to complex stimuli from the age of 24 (e.g., Thompson, Blair, & Henrey, 2014), and negative effects such as burnout (e.g., Salo, 2017). Early career paths are also associated with lack of education, which might make subsequent entry into the work force difficult following an esports career (e.g., Smithies et al, 2020). Therefore, it is important to understand what constitutes a career in esports, what influences career pathways, and how players can be supported before, during, and after a career in esports.…”

Section: How Sport and Exercise Psychology Could Research Esportsmentioning

confidence: 99%

To be or not to be (e)sports? That is not the question! Why and how sport and exercise psychology could research esports

Leis

Raue

Dreiskämper

et al. 2021

Ger J Exerc Sport Res

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Whether esports can be considered a sport is highly debated. The German Olympic Sport Federation (DOSB) and the German Society for Sport Sciences (DVS) recently stated that esports should not be integrated into the canon of sport. Our aim is not to further fuel this debate but rather to argue that to be or not to be sport is not the most important question from a scientific perspective. After summarizing the current discussion on whether esports constitute a sport, this paper discusses why and how sport and exercise psychology (SEP), in particular, could research esports. To exploit research opportunities in esports, such as adapting validated methods and testing existing models, scholars in SEP could examine the aspects arising from its positional stance. We argue that the potential of SEP approaches, models, and methods, positions it well to play an important role in research on esports. The present perspective provides a starting point for a constructive discourse on the development of SEP and the potential for its role in esports research.

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Life After Esports: A Grand Field Challenge

Cited by 25 publications

References 41 publications

Sleep Characteristics and Mood of Professional Esports Athletes: A Multi-National Study

Sleep Characteristics and Mood of Professional Esports Athletes: A Multi-National Study

Converging Evidence Supporting the Cognitive Link between Exercise and Esport Performance: A Dual Systematic Review

To be or not to be (e)sports? That is not the question! Why and how sport and exercise psychology could research esports

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