Acute Effects of Esports on the Cardiovascular System and Energy Expenditure in Amateur Esports Players

Abstract

IntroductionEsports is practiced by millions of people worldwide every day. On a professional level, esports has been proven to have a high stress potential and is sometimes considered equivalent to traditional sporting activities. While traditional sports have health-promoting effects through muscle activity and increased energy expenditure, amateur esports could represent a purely sedentary activity, which would carry potentially harmful effects when practiced regularly. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the acute effects of esports on the cardiovascular system and energy expenditure in amateur esports players to show whether esports can be considered as physical strain or mental stress or whether amateur esports has to be seen as purely sedentary behavior.MethodsThirty male subjects participated in a 30-min gaming session, playing the soccer simulation game FIFA 20 or the tactical, first-person multiplayer shooter Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Respiratory and cardiovascular parameters, as well as energy expenditure, blood glucose, lactate, and cortisol, were determined pre-, during, and post-gaming.ResultsThere were no significant changes in oxygen uptake, carbon dioxide output, energy expenditure, stroke volume, or lactate levels. Heart rate, blood glucose and cortisol decreased through the intervention until reaching their minimum levels 10 min post-gaming (Cortisolpre: 3.1 ± 2.9 ng/ml, Cortisolpost: 2.2 ± 2.3 ng/ml, p < 0.01; HRmin0.5: 82 ± 11 bpm, HRpost: 74 ± 13 bpm, p < 0.01).ConclusionA 30-min esports intervention does not positively affect energy expenditure or metabolism in amateur esports players. Therefore, it cannot provide the same health-promoting effects as traditional sports participation, but could in the long-term rather cause the same potentially health-damaging effects as purely sedentary behavior. However, it does not trigger a negative stress response in the players. Deliberate physical activity and exercise routines adapted to these demands should therefore be part of the daily life of amateur esports players.

Heartbeats and high scores: esports triggers cardiovascular and autonomic stress response

“…On the other hand, Mansoubi et al ( 54 ) found that playing video games resulted in 1.4 METs. While Chaput et al ( 39 ), reported a significant increase in EE during video gaming compared to resting condition, Zimmer et al ( 37 ), did not observe significant changes in EE and VO 2 in participants playing FIFA or the first-person multiplayer shooter Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Similarly, Haupt et al ( 55 ) did not detect an increase in EE, though it's worth noting that both studies did not employ a competitive setting.…”

How Much Energy Do E’Athletes Use during Gameplay? Quantifying Energy Expenditure and Heart Rate Variability Within E’Athletes

“…Only three studies have investigated the energy expenditure of esports within amateur e’athletes, yielding conflicting results [ 18 – 20 ]. A case report by Haupt et al [ 18 ] and findings from Zimmer et al [ 19 ] showed that esports gameplay did not significantly increase V̇O 2 , V̇CO 2 , RER, or energy expenditure when compared to rest, and even suggested that gameplay did not result in a stress response when analysing blood lactate, cortisol, and glucose responses [ 19 ]. Whereas, Kocak [ 20 ] showed that amateur level League of Legends e’athletes expend 40% more energy or 1.9 METs during gameplay when compared to rest, which could be classified as light physical activity.…”

“…Compher et al [ 21 ] have identified the importance of control variables when measuring metabolic rate, which should be followed within future esports research for accurate interpretation and to enable comparisons across findings. The gameplay conditions presented in Haupt et al [ 18 ] and Zimmer et al [ 19 ] were limited by non-competitive environments, and research needs to investigate the metabolic demands of expert e’athletes within competitive environments. Currently, there is a lack of physiological research in esports, and the limitations described highlight that the current research lacks methodological consideration.…”

Esports for Seniors: Acute Effects of Esports Gaming in the Community on the Emotional State and Heart Rate among Japanese Older Adults

“…Studies on the physiological effects of esports are limited. In comparison with traditional sports, esports are considered to be a sedentary task, showing a similar energy expenditure to that of a resting state [ 7 ]. Despite its sedentary nature, previous studies have shown that a single esports session could have positive effects on physiological parameters.…”

“…Previous experimental studies that analyzed young individuals reported that a single esports session was associated with faster response times [ 8 ], physiological arousal (moderate increase in stress hormones (e.g., cortisol)) [ 12 ], as well as the activation of sympathetic activity [ 9 ]. Moreover, Zimmer et al (2022), as described above, reported that HR and blood cortisol levels reached their nadir 10 min after an esports session [ 7 ]. These physiological findings suggest that esports cannot provide the same metabolic reactions as traditional sports, but they could not trigger a negative stress response.…”