Abstract
We investigated the association between obesity, self-reported physical activity, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, and perceived health in esports players, and the influence of player in-game rank. Data was collected with an online survey with an international participant sample of esports players representing five esports and all skill levels (n = 1772). Esports players were more likely to be categorized as normal weight, or obesity class 2 and 3 and as non-smokers (92%) and non-drinkers (65.1%) compared to international reference data. Esports players met international physical activity guidelines less than global general population. Esports players ranked in the top 10% were more physically active compared to the remaining esports players. As esports player in-game rank increased, so did the amount of time spent playing esports. Although esports players appear generally healthy, a small group was significantly obese and most esports players did not meet physical activity guidelines, indicating potential future health risks.
Highlights
Esports has been defined as “an organized and competitive approach to playing computer games” [1]
This study reduced the total minutes per day to 30 min to determine how many esports players were meeting the minimum levels of physical activity (PA) set by the World Health Organization (WHO) PA guidelines [10]
Esports frequency was associated with higher levels of perceived PA level, and general health (SF-1)
Summary
Esports has been defined as “an organized and competitive approach to playing computer games” [1]. The scale of esports competitions can range from small competitions organized between friends to international events with millions of dollars in prize money at stake [2]. In 2020, the esports industry has reached a value of more than $1 billion USD and been projected to grow at a rate of over. 15.7% per year [3]. All esports are video games, but not all video games are esports. The defining feature of esports is the competitive nature of the video game. Esports are video games designed with competition in mind. On the other hand, are a leisure activity designed to entertain [4]
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