Quantifying Physical Activity and Self-Determination towards Exercise among Esports Players

, , , Poulus, Dylan, , , & (2023) Quantifying Physical Activity and Self-Determination towards Exercise among Esports Players. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 26(Supplement 2), s133-s134.

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Description

Introduction: Esports is a rapidly growing industry, attracting millions of viewers worldwide and generating billions of dollars in revenue. Esports involves competitive video gaming, typically performed in teams or individually, across a range of genres, with large cash prizes at stake. While e-athletes require high levels of cognitive skill for successful performance, they spend extended periods in a sedentary state. This poses a challenge for maintaining physical activity and promoting exercise motivation within the industry, given the potential impact on general health and the burden on global healthcare. This study aims to validate the self-reported physical activity of e-athletes through objective activity monitoring, to better understand global physical activity behaviours in this population.
Methods:
The study used a web-based survey distributed via Qualtrics recruiting 796 participants from various social media platforms. These participants were from 62 different countries and played a range of popular esports games. The survey included demographic details, esports experience, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Long Form (IPAQ-LF), and the Behavioural Regulations towards Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ-3). The researchers recruited 19 intervarsity e-athletes through a convenience sample to wear a wrist-worn accelerometer for seven days to collect activity data. They then compared these data with survey results to validate physical activity reporting among e-athletes.
Results:
Survey results revealed that 89.2% of the sample met the international physical activity guidelines. The median physical activity time reported through the IPAQ-LF was 2916 (4400) MET.mins/week, comprising 120 (161) minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and 60 (90) minutes of light intensity activity (LIA) per day. Median sedentary time was 600 (418) minutes of sitting time per day. In contrast, activity tracker results showed that players performed 18.2 (11.9) minutes of MVPA and 62.6 (70.5) minutes of LIA, with 573.4 (200.3) minutes of sedentary time a day. This suggests that e-athletes significantly over-report physical activity time when using self-report measures like the IPAQ-LF. The BREQ-3 results revealed that e-athletes who are highly physically active displayed significantly higher levels of intrinsic motivation, when compared to those who were only moderately or minimally active. Additionally, players with higher internal motivations towards exercise were more physically active than those with external motivations.
Discussion:
The study highlights the need for greater education on the importance of physical activity and exercise among e-athletes. Identifying motivations towards physical activity and exercise can inform future interventions that promote internal regulations for greater habitual activity performance. In conclusion, e-athletes over-report levels of physical activity, which could underrepresent the actual physical activity behaviours in this population. Identifying factors associated with physical activity and motivation towards exercise can provide opportunities to promote regular physical activity and improve public health in the Esports industry.
Impact/Application to the field:
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Esports players significantly over-report physical activity time, which could underrepresent the current global physical activity behaviours within the global population of esports players.
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Identifying motivations towards physical activity and exercise can assist in promoting internal regulations for greater habitual physical activity performance.

Impact and interest:

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ID Code: 245495
Item Type: Contribution to Journal (Meeting Abstract)
Refereed: No
ORCID iD:
McNulty, Craigorcid.org/0000-0002-8805-5801
Pavey, Tobyorcid.org/0000-0002-4946-6683
Thompson, Courtneyorcid.org/0000-0001-9515-5985
Robergs, Roborcid.org/0000-0002-7741-8136
Kelly, Vinceorcid.org/0000-0002-0342-6416
Measurements or Duration: 2 pages
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsams.2023.08.008
ISSN: 1440-2440
Pure ID: 155196734
Divisions: Current > QUT Faculties and Divisions > Faculty of Health
Current > Schools > School of Exercise & Nutrition Sciences
Copyright Owner: Consult author(s) regarding copyright matters
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Deposited On: 12 Jan 2024 02:15
Last Modified: 29 Feb 2024 14:11