The impact of Esports on the health of individual players and teams is becoming a frequently debated topic in the gaming and eSports industries. This is a lucrative market as professional game companies receive investments totaling hundreds of millions of dollars and player wages and bonuses increase. However, a question arises How does esports affect your health? In this article, we will discuss this together.
How Does Esports Affect Your Health?
Negative Effects
Hand problems
Gamers often suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome. Your range of motion may be limited due to a narrowed carpal tunnel, which is a tube where the nerves connecting your arm and hand join. You may also experience hand pain. The hand will eventually become weaker if your condition continues to worsen.
Playing video games has the potential to cause tendonitis in the hands. Tendonitis develops from overuse when the connective tissue between bones and muscles becomes inflamed. Your hand may become tender or painful and may enlarge.
How does esports affect your health? When playing video games, the thumb joint is especially vulnerable. The thumb buttons on the controller, which are often small, force the right hand to move at an unnatural angle. The worse your hand, the smaller the controller.
Forearm pain
Can tennis elbow when playing video games is an issue in How does esports affect your health? So you don’t even have to play tennis to get it. The tendons that help your fingers stretch can be damaged by repetitive motion while playing games. The forearm and elbow will be sore, and it may extend down your arm.
Shoulder pain
The so-called “mouse shoulder” is especially popular among gamers who use PCs to play games. Biceps tendonitis is the official term for this condition, which arises from overuse. Muscles that contract when you use a computer mouse will be sore. You risk injury if you don’t stretch your biceps to compensate for your shortness. Many gamers have bad posture, which can aggravate the condition.
Headache and back pain
Neck strain can be caused by looking up or down at the TV or computer console, and the strain will get worse if you do it regularly. The following have been linked to neck and back pain caused by gaming:
- Bad posture
- Long periods of inactivity and prolonged sitting.
Stretching and taking breaks from gaming more often will help reduce neck and back pain. The best way to prevent the pain from getting worse is to cut down on your playtime.
Too much sitting
How does esports affect your health? Studies have shown that two weeks of non-stop sitting for six hours a day can raise harmful cholesterol levels. Muscles begin to deteriorate, reducing blood flow to the heart and increasing the risk of weight gain and heart disease. The risk of type 2 diabetes increases after 24 hours of continuous sitting because insulin’s ability to absorb glucose is reduced by nearly 40%.
Even after a period of inactivity, exercise cannot reverse the damage caused by sitting too much. These findings are supported by Froböse’s research, and he fervently urges gamers to “actively take breaks in between and take a break from their screens.”
Surprisingly, in his research, he found that some gamers play up to 100 hours per week. Excessive gaming can lead to serious physical, social, and psychological issues including gaming disorder or burnout.
Stress both mentally and physically
1200 eSports players examined by Froböse’s research team examined their internal organs. How does esports affect your health? Their preliminary findings suggest that e-sports participants experience constant physiological stress and that the activity is so physically demanding that it qualifies as a sport.
E-sports players can coordinate up to 400 movements per minute on average, exhibiting extremely fast hand-eye movements. How does esports affect your health? Their heart rate can rise to 120 to 180 beats per minute when they are playing, which is almost as stressful as a racer. Additionally, according to Froböse, gamers exhibit extreme levels of fatigue after 2 to 3 hours of gaming to the point where it’s not worth continuing, according to Froböse, and As much as when a player kicks a penalty in the Champions League final, the stress hormone cortisol increases in the body.
The high levels of concentration, quick coordination, and quick reactions that the game requires is the main cause of this physical stress. To handle this stress, the bodies of these athletes must be properly and specifically trained.
Possitive Effects
How does esports affect your health? According to research by cognitive neuroscientist Daphne Bavelier, action video games have an impact on the brain.
Playing video games for 5 to 10 hours per week activates brain regions involved in vision, memory, attention, motor control, and strategic planning. Video games can really aid learning, concentration, and multitasking.
Froböse agrees that virtual gaming has a lot of potential. “Many Bundesliga teams can take advantage of these favorable effects of e-sports to get players ready for the real game mentally, tactically as well as making quick decisions and reactions. It’s just a balance between game time and halftime, having a proper workout regimen, eating right, and the rest of the time.”
He emphasized that e-sports competitors should sleep at least 8 hours a night to fully recover from the stress of the game and that they should consume energy-rich healthy foods to improve their performance.
MoAuba also offers the following advice to aspiring eSports athletes: “You should practice every day to improve as an eFootball player, but you also need to maintain a healthy balance. in life and complete your studies. Along with that, fun and relaxation will help your friend with the pressure of sports.”
Conclusion
The health of eSports players is significantly affected when they participate and compete in these games. The creation and evaluation of preventive measures to address the risks that video games associated with eSports may face has not been sufficiently focused. Likewise, there are gaps in our understanding of how to encourage safe and healthy digital gaming in the ever-expanding community of young Esports athletes.
These disadvantages must be limited by methods to generate evidence-based recommendations and intervention techniques that incorporate a balanced diet, regular exercise, and good sleep hygiene. It’s a public health strategy that works to better integrate fitness and Esports gaming.