Mental Toughness As A Moderator Of The Physical Exercise - Esports Performance Relationship: A Pilot Study.

Abstract

eSports popularity has been growing faster than any sport in history (global audience, money prizes, NCAA scholarships, part of 2022 Asian Games). Preliminary data show a positive relationship between physical exercise (PEx) and eSports performance (eSP). To date, there has been no effort to explore the effect of the player’s level of mental toughness (MT) on eSports key performance indicators (KPI), such as placement in a contest. PURPOSE: (a) To explore the perceptions of players concerning the relationship between PEx and eSP; (b) To confirm the positive aforementioned relationship; (c) to investigate the moderation effect of MT in that relationship; and (d) provide evidence for larger-scale efforts. METHODS: Data were collected on 23 male recreational eSport competitors (>6hours per week) (Mage =20.7, SD=2.1). The eight-item Mental Toughness Index (MTI) was used to measure MT, one question with five scales (0=significantly negatively, 5=significantly positively) was used to collect information on their perceptions, number of days of exercise per week was used as an indicator of PEx, and average place on Fortnite: Solo matches over 3 hours was used as KPI. We investigated the moderating role of MT using regression analysis in R. Predictors were mean-centered. The interaction was probed looking at simple slopes. RESULTS: The majority of players tended to perceive PEx as having no significant or negative effect on eSP (65%). The estimated regression model without an interaction is KPI = 27.6 + 3.13(PEx) + 1.07(MT), where R2 = .296. The estimated regression model with an interaction is KPI = 26.7 + 3.36(PEx) + 0.85(MT) + 0.4(PEx x MT), where R2 = .310. Simple slopes of PEx conditional on MT scores +1SD, Mean, and -1SD are: 4.72, 3.29, and 1.86, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to the players’ belief, PEx was found to be positively correlated with eSP. Furthermore, we identified a potentially enhancing moderating effect of MT on the relationship between frequency of exercise and eSP. Therefore, not only PEx but also psychological skill training (PST), such as MT training, may be beneficial for the players on their effort to place higher and win larger prizes. This pilot study offers preliminary evidence for the need for larger-scale similar projects. Future studies should recruit professional eSports players, as well.