Abstract
To examine the cognitive and physical changes associated with consuming an energy drink concurrent to video gaming, we examined a convenience sample of nine elite League of Legends (LoL) e-sport players (21 ± 2 y, BMI 25.6 ± 3.4 kg/m2) consuming an energy drink (ReloadTM) or placebo (Placebo) in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over trial. Participants completed the same test battery prior to treatment consumption and after playing each of three competitive LoL games. Primary outcomes included measures of attention (Erikson Flanker Test), reaction time (Go/No-Go test) and working memory (n-back test). Secondary outcomes examined fatigue (hand grip strength and finger tap speed). Statistical analysis was performed by repeated-measures analysis of variance (RM-ANOVA) and reported as the mean (standard deviation [SD]) or mean change (95% confidence interval [CI]). Participants reported sleeping 8.1 (1.2) h/night, playing LoL 10.3 (2.1) h/d, playing other video games 1.8 (2.8) h/d, and exercising 4.2 (1.7) times per week. Overall, we observed no significant time, group, or group-by-time interactions for any measured performance index with the exception of a significant improvement for the n-back test, where the Reload group demonstrated a significant within-group improvement: Reload [−171 ms (95% CI, −327.91, −14.09), p < 0.004], Placebo [−92 ms (95% CI, −213.63, 29.63)]. However, no between-group differences were noted (38.50 ms, 95% CI, −141.89, 64.89, p = 0.803). Our findings suggest that elite eSport athletes do not demonstrate a mental or physical improvement in performance relative to the treatment supplement or indices measured in this study.
Highlights
Electronic sports have become increasingly popular throughout the world and have grown into a multi-billion-dollar industry that can act as both entertainment and a form of serious competition
We hypothesized that mental fatigue accumulated through three consecutive video games would result in a decline in performance across a battery of cognitive and physical tests, and that the use of an energy drink could reduce any observed decreases
We hypothesized that mental fatigue accumulated through three consecutive video games would result in a decline in performance across a battery of cognitive and physical tests, and that the use of an energy drink would attenuate this decline
Summary
Electronic sports (video games or eSports) have become increasingly popular throughout the world and have grown into a multi-billion-dollar industry that can act as both entertainment and a form of serious competition. In 2014, more people watched the League of Legends (LoL) World. LoL is one of the most popular video games, with over 100 million monthly active players [3]. League of Legends is an action strategy game that places two teams of five individuals against one another, with the objective of destroying the opponent’s base. Unlike other sports in which physical traits are key to success, success in eSports is primarily related to mental functioning and ability relative to individual fluid intelligence, coupled with the group’s collective intelligence [4,5]. Mental fatigue has been defined as a change in a person’s psychophysiological state that occurs during or following sustained periods of cognitive activity [6]
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