Esports, Esports Players
Conditions
Keywords
esports, professional gamers, neuromuscular training, fatigue, stress, biomarkers
Brief summary
Professional esports players engage in prolonged training sessions and experience high physical and mental stress due to intensive competition schedules. These demands can lead to increased fatigue, decreased performance, and health problems. This randomized controlled trial aims to investigate whether adding a structured neuromuscular exercise program to routine esports training reduces fatigue and stress biomarkers and improves performance-related outcomes in professional esports players.
Detailed description
Esports players often perform long hours of training that require sustained physical and cognitive effort, which may result in musculoskeletal problems, mental fatigue, and elevated stress levels. Most studies in the esports field rely on subjective evaluations and include non-professional populations. Objective assessment of fatigue and stress biomarkers in professional esports athletes is still lacking. This prospective randomized controlled trial will include 24 professional esports players aged 18-35 who train at least 35 hours per week with their teams. Participants will be randomly assigned to either a neuromuscular training group or a control group. The intervention group will complete an 8-week neuromuscular exercise program three times per week in addition to their regular esports training routine. The control group will receive structured physical activity counseling based on ACSM 5A principles. Primary outcomes include serum levels of cortisol, testosterone, testosterone/cortisol ratio, C-reactive protein (CRP), creatine kinase (CK), vitamin B12, and ferritin measured under standardized fasting conditions. Secondary outcomes include muscle strength (myometry), sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), physical activity level (IPAQ-SF), quality of life (SF-12), visual and auditory reaction time tests, lactate measures (Lactate Scout), and mood states (POMS). Outcomes will be assessed at baseline and after the 8-week intervention period. The findings of this study are expected to provide evidence-based recommendations for integrating neuromuscular conditioning into professional esports training to enhance physical health, reduce fatigue and stress, and improve overall performance.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALNeuromuscular Training
A progressive neuromuscular exercise program including dynamic warm-up, aerobic exercises, functional strengthening of lower and upper extremity muscles, core stabilization training, and reaction drills performed 3 times per week for 8 weeks. Duration and repetitions increase biweekly according to a structured progression protocol.
BEHAVIORALPhysical Activity Counseling
Structured physical activity counseling based on ACSM 5A principles (Assess, Advise, Agree, Assist, Arrange) delivered weekly for 8 weeks to promote sustainable physical activity behaviors and reduce sedentary time during esports training routines.
Sponsors
Yeditepe University
Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
MALE
Age
18 Years to 35 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Age between 18-35 years * Currently competing as a contracted professional esports player * Playing one of the following games at a professional level: League of Legends, Counter Strike 2, Overwatch, Valorant, Apex Legends, DOTA2, Rocket League, PUBG * Participating in ≥35 hours/week of training with their team * Voluntary agreement to participate and sign informed consent
Exclusion criteria
* History or presence of medical conditions affecting safety or performance: metabolic, cardiovascular, renal, neurological, or respiratory disorders * Playing esports only at amateur or beginner level * Answering "Yes" to any item in the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q) Removal Criteria: * Participating in \<35 hours/week esports training during the study * Missing ≥2 neuromuscular training sessions (intervention group) * Leaving their professional esports organization (roster removal, retirement, etc.) * Any illness or injury preventing continuation of esports participation
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Serum cortisol level - Stress Biomarkers | Baseline and 8 weeks | Serum cortisol level will be analyzed under fasting conditions using standardized laboratory protocols. |
| Testosterone level - Stress Biomarkers | Baseline and 8 weeks | Testosterone level will be analyzed under fasting conditions using standardized laboratory protocols. |
| C-Reactive Protein Level (CRP) - Fatigue Biomarkers | Baseline and 8 weeks | Serum CRP levels will be analyzed under fasting conditions using standardized laboratory protocols. |
| Creatine Kinase (CK) Level - Fatigue Biomarkers | Baseline and 8 weeks. | Creatine kinase levels will be analyzed under fasting conditions using standardized laboratory protocols. |
| Vitamin B12 Level - Fatigue Biomarkers | Baseline and 8 weeks. | Serum vitamin B12 levels will be analyzed under fasting conditions using standardized laboratory protocols. |
| Ferritin Level - Fatigue Biomarkers | Baseline and 8 weeks. | Serum ferritin levels will be analyzed under fasting conditions using standardized laboratory protocols. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Muscle Strength | Baseline and 8 weeks | Hand, forearm, shoulder, and back muscle strength will be assessed using a handheld myometer; mean of three trials recorded in kilograms. |
| Sleep Quality | Baseline and 8 weeks | Assessment of subjective sleep quality, sleep duration, sleep disturbances, and overall sleep efficiency with Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) consists of 19 items that generate seven component scores, each ranging from 0 to 3, yielding a global score between 0 and 21, with higher scores indicating poorer sleep quality; a total score greater than 5 reflects clinically significant sleep disturbance. |
| Physical Activity Level | Baseline and 8 weeks | Self-reported physical activity levels converted to MET-minutes per week. (IPAQ-Short Form). The International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF) provides total physical activity expressed in Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET)-minutes/week, and scores are categorized as follows: \<600 MET-minutes/week indicates low activity, 600-3000 MET-minutes/week indicates moderate activity, and \>3000 MET-minutes/week indicates high physical activity level. |
| Reaction Time | Baseline and 8 weeks | Average visual reaction time over 5 trials recorded in milliseconds. Average response latency to an auditory stimulus over 5 trials. |
| Blood Lactate Concentration | Baseline, 4 weeks and 8 weeks | Capillary blood lactate measured to assess metabolic response to neuromuscular training. |
| Mood State | Baseline and 8 weeks | Assessment of tension, depression, anger, fatigue, and vigor subscales with Profile of Mood States (POMS). The Profile of Mood States (POMS) assesses mood across multiple dimensions and yields a Total Mood Disturbance (TMD) score by summing negative mood subscales and subtracting the vigor score; higher TMD scores indicate greater mood disturbance, whereas lower scores reflect better overall mood. |
Countries
Turkey (Türkiye)
Contacts
CONTACTDoğukan Tongar, Master of Science
CONTACTEla TARAKCI
Outcome results
None listed