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Testing e-sport athletes: A study on competitive gaming
Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, GIH, Department of Sport and Health Sciences.
Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, GIH, Department of Sport and Health Sciences.
2014 (English)Independent thesis Basic level (degree of Bachelor), 10 credits / 15 HE creditsStudent thesis
Abstract [en]

Aim

The main purpose of this study was to compose and test the validity of a cognitive test battery to determine e-sport athletes’ strengths and weaknesses. The second purpose was to investigate their physical fitness. Hypothesis 1: The elite players will perform better in a number of cognitive and fine motor tasks compared to recreational gamers. Hypothesis 2: The elite players’ aerobic capacity cannot be very low (<2,5 VO2 L/min for 20-29 year olds) according to Andersson since that would affect their e-sport performance negatively. Hypothesis 3: A great number of the elite players will not be able to match the demands (>198 seconds) for a healthy back in the Biering-Sørensen test.

Method

25 male test subjects were divided into three groups, elite players (E) [10], recreational players (R) [10] and non-players (N) [5]. The elite group consisted of two professional e-sport teams á five persons, one Counter Strike: Global Offensive-team (CS) and one League of Legends-team (LOL), ranging between 17 and 25 years of age (mean age 21,5). R ranged between 21 and 29 years of age (mean 24,9) had all played fighting games, MOBA, online-FPS, online-3PS or RTS games minimum once a week in a 6 month period or more but never competed in them. N ranged between 25 and 32 (mean 28, 4) years of age and had at a maximum tried these kinds of games but never used them for recreational purposes. E, R and N performed a test battery for reaction speed, strategy, perception, situation awareness, keyboard stamina, hand-eye coordination, spatial orientation and anticipatory skill. E was also tested for physical fitness through Ekblom-Bak submaximal cycle ergometer test and back strength with Biering-Sørensens (BS) test.

Results

E estimated VO2max was 3,83 L/min (SD = 0,38) and E’s mean result from BS back test was 133 s (SD = 54). The elite players did not perform significantly better in any of the cognitive or fine motor task than the recreational players.

Conclusion

The elite player’s results from the BS test confirms hypothesis 3 and indicates unhealthy backs. The only significant difference within the cognitive tests between E and R is to the E groups disadvantage; surprisingly they showed inferior results in the anticipatory skill test. Their aerobic capacity confirms hypothesis 2, the elite players VO2max was not very low, placing the E group in the upper half of the average in their age group. Furthermore, the test battery cannot be used for talent scouting but could possibly be used to determine cognitive weaknesses.

Abstract [sv]

Syfte

Huvudsyftet med denna studie var att sammansätta och testa validiteten i ett kognitivt testbatteri för att bestämma e-sportatleters styrkor och svagheter. Det andra syftet var att undersöka deras fysiska status. Hypotes1: Elitspelarna kommer att prestera bättre i en rad kognitiva och finmotoriska uppgifter jämfört med rekreationsspelare. Hypotes 2: Elitspelarnas aeroba kapacitet kan inte vara mycket låg (<2,5 VO2 L/min för 20-29åringar) eftersom det skulle påverka deras e–sportprestation negativt. Hypotes 3: Ett stort antal av elitspelarna kommer inte att kunna matcha kraven för en frisk rygg (>193 sekunder) i Biering-Sørensentestet.

Metod

25 män delades in i tre grupper, elitspelare (E) [10], rekreationsspelare (R) [10] och icke-spelare (N) [5]. Elitgruppen bestod av två professionella e-sportslag á fem personer och ett Counter Strike: Global Offensivelag (CS) och ett League of Legends-lag (LOL), ålder mellan 17 och 25 år (medelålder 21,5 ). R-gruppen varierade mellan 21 och 29 år (medelvärde 24,9 ) hade alla spelat fightingspel, MOBA, online-FPS, online-3PS eller RTS-spel minst en gång i veckan under en 6 månaders period eller mer men aldrig tävlat i dem. Grupp N varierade mellan 25 och 32 år (medel 28,4) och hade som högst provat dessa typer av spel, men aldrig använt dem i rekreationssyfte. Grupp E, R och N utförde ett testbatteri för reaktionshastighet, strategi, perception, situationsmedvetenhet , tangentbord uthållighet, öga-handkoordination, spatial förmåga och antecipatorisk skicklighet. Grupp E också testades fysiskt genom Ekblom-Bak submaximala cycle ergometertest och ryggstyrka genom Biering-Sørensens (BS) test.

Resultat

Grupp E:s beräknade VO2max var 3,83 l/min (SD = 0,38) och elitgruppens medelresultat av BS ryggtest var 133 s (SD=54). E presterade inte signifikant bättre i någon av de kognitiva eller finmotoriska uppgifterna än R.

Slutsats

Elitspelarnas resultat från BS-testet bekräftar hypotes 3 och påvisar ohälsosamma ryggar. Den enda signifikanta skillnaden inom de kognitiva testerna mellan E och R är till E-gruppens nackdel, överraskande visade de sämre resultat i det antecipatoriska skicklighetstestet . Deras aeroba kapacitet bekräftar hypotes 2, elitspelarnas VO2max var inte mycket låg, E-gruppen placerade sig i den övre hälften av genomsnittet för sin åldersgrupp. Testbatteriet kan inte användas för talangscouting men eventuellt för att upptäcka kognitiva svagheter.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2014. , p. 35
Series
Examensarbete ; 2013:157
Keywords [en]
E-sport, e sport, competetive, gaming, video, game
Keywords [sv]
E sport, E-sport, datorspel, tv, spel, tv-spel, tränarlänkdiverse
National Category
Natural Sciences Medical and Health Sciences
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:gih:diva-3332OAI: oai:DiVA.org:gih-3332DiVA, id: diva2:721155
Subject / course
Tränare
Educational program
Sports Science and Coaching
Supervisors
Examiners
Available from: 2014-06-04 Created: 2014-06-03 Last updated: 2014-06-04Bibliographically approved

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