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- Gamer's counter: Russia creates an anthropometric "portrait" of an esports player
Gamer's counter: Russia creates an anthropometric "portrait" of an esports player
Russian doctors have launched a large-scale study on the health characteristics of esports athletes. The first stage was aimed at assessing the state of their higher nervous activity. In the future, doctors will also describe anthropometric indicators such as average height, weight, body composition and metabolic rate of the players. Experts will assess the quality of life and health risks associated with prolonged computer use, as well as develop recommendations for improving physical activity and injury prevention. Why such a "portrait" of a professional gamer is needed is in the Izvestia article.
Esports Research
Despite the growing interest in esports, many aspects of the functional state and physiological characteristics of such athletes remain poorly understood. The staff of the Department of Sports Medicine and Medical Rehabilitation at Sechenov University has developed and launched a study on the specific features of high-level esports athletes. The project is being implemented under the leadership of Evgeny Achkasov, Head of the department.
— The study is aimed at assessing cognitive qualities, anthropometric indicators, body composition and metabolism. The work will assess the quality of life and health risks associated with prolonged computer use, as well as develop recommendations for improving physical activity and preventing injuries and occupational diseases in esports athletes," Alexey Repetyuk, head of the research group, Associate professor of the Department of Sports Medicine and Medical Rehabilitation, told Izvestia.
The first stage of the study was completed at the end of February, it included an assessment of the functional state of higher nervous activity: the speed of sensorimotor reaction and decision-making, attention, as well as cognitive abilities. It was attended by more than 60 people (both esports athletes and students without such experience).
As Alexey Repetyuk told Izvestia, it was possible to see that the former have a better cognitive ability such as reaction speed, but at the same time, the quality of sleep is of great importance to them. But the thesis that they have visual abnormalities more often than people who spend less time at the computer was not confirmed in the study. However, they are significantly more likely to have tunnel syndrome, an inflammation of the tendons in the wrist area.
At the next stages of the work, it is planned to carry out anthropometric measurements, assess the body composition and quality of life of an esports athlete. Based on the results of the work, personalized recommendations will be developed aimed at improving the results of training and competitive activities, functional status, as well as the prevention of injuries and diseases.
"This study will be the first step towards creating a safer and healthier environment for professional players. We hope this will allow our athletes to achieve even better results on the world stage," Alexey Repetyuk emphasized.
Esports Medicine
In research in sports, depending on its type, great attention has always been paid to anthropometric indicators — body composition, length, height, body weight, the development of a muscular corset and other features of the physical structure. Such an analysis is of great importance not only in game sports, but the role of an athlete often depends on it, said Oksana Gural, director of the scientific department of the all—Russian public organization Russian Computer Sports Federation.
— Anthropometric research is aimed at studying physical characteristics and their impact on gaming performance, health and ergonomics. Although esports is traditionally considered a mental activity, anthropometry plays an important role in optimizing the training process, preventing injuries, and creating comfortable conditions for training and competitive processes," the specialist emphasized.
The study will help to understand which innate features help an esports player, and which ones will prevent him from achieving high places in the ratings, said Vladimir Prokuranov, director of the Association of the Gaming Industry (AII).
— For example, it is possible that color blindness will be recognized as a disqualifying sign for an esports player due to the inability to perceive information on the screen adequately, - he suggested.
Esports is becoming more and more popular and, naturally, attracts the attention of researchers. This is a completely different kind, affecting more mental activity than physical activity. Hence the specific ailments that competitors may encounter, such as wrist pain, blurred vision, and osteoarthritis, Alexey Komyagin, director of the NTI Bionic Engineering in Medicine Competence Center at SamSMU, told Izvestia.
— If esports takes up most of your life, then a sedentary lifestyle can also be detrimental to your health. Equally interesting is the work of the psyche, the susceptibility to anxiety disorders, for example, or the ability to maintain increased concentration. There are quite a few serious large—scale scientific studies in this area, but the situation, as we can see, is changing," the specialist said.
The practical benefits of the study and the representativeness of the sample at this stage raise questions, said Maxim Zalilov, head of the Department for the Development of high-tech and digital Sports at the Moscow Center for Educational Practices. The fact is that it does not involve high-class professional teams, he added.
Professional esports players can only be considered those who have signed contracts with the relevant clubs. High—level players are those who participate in international Tier1 tournaments (major league teams), said Elena Skarzhinskaya, Head of the Department of Esports at the Faculty of Gaming Industry and Esports at Synergy University. In general, any attempts at scientific understanding of digital sports can only be welcomed, she concluded.
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