Psychophysiological stress in esports
Final Report Abstract
Electronic sports (esports) has experienced exponential growth in recent years, however, research on psychophysiological stress within this domain remains limited. Despite its similarities to traditional sports, investigations into stress responses during competitive esports scenarios are notably lacking. A systematic review in 2020 identified a mere five studies on stress in e-sports, primarily hindered by the absence of real-time measurements during competitive events, limited inclusion of professional players, and insufficient consideration of psychological variables. Leis et al. (2023) argue that stressors pertinent to performance in esports warrant closer examination, necessitating nuanced analyses of performance dynamics. To expand understanding in this field, it is necessary to explore the relationship between stress and performance in esports. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between engagement in esports competitions and psychological as well as physiological stress among professional League of Legends players. Diverging from previous research that predominantly focused on non-competitive gameplay and physiological stress responses, our study focused on professional esports players during both training and competition, assessing perceived stress, affective states, emotions, cortisol levels, heart rate, and heart rate variability. We recruited 15% of professional esports players from top-tier leagues, namely the League of Legends European Championship and La Ligue Française (N = 15). Due to the dynamic nature of esports, characterized by frequent player rotations, rigorous competitive schedules, and league regulations prohibiting data collection during official matches, only seven players (Mage = 21.14; SD = 1.77) were included in our study. Data were collected before, during, and after competitions, with performance metrics including Kill-Death-Assist ratio, gold accumulation, and self-assessed performance. Our findings revealed significantly heightened motivation and perceived game relevance during competitive events compared to training sessions. Notably, perceived stress levels were significantly elevated approximately 53 minutes before competition, as opposed to training sessions. Furthermore, players demonstrated heightened arousal during competition, and overall valence was notably higher during competitive engagements. However, no significant differences in emotional states were observed between pre-training and pre-competition phases. Despite efforts to measure cortisol levels, methodological challenges, including player dietary intake and logistical constraints related to transportation to the laboratory, precluded successful assessment. Conversely, heart rate exhibited a significant increase during competition relative to training, with heart rate variability demonstrating elevated levels during and immediately post-competition. In training, anxiety correlated with kills and assists, while kills were associated with pre-game motivation and valence. Assists also correlated with pre-game valence. Similarly, in competition, anxiety correlated with kills and assists, while kills were associated with pre-game motivation and valence. Assists also correlated with pre-game valence.
Publications
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Stress im eSport. In Studium Universale. Was macht uns stark, was macht uns schwach? Universität Leipzig
Leis, O.
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Psychophysiological stress in esports settings: Training vs. competition. In O. Leis (Chair). Applications of Sport Psychology to esports: Insights into health and performance research. 16th European Congress of Sport and Exercise Psychology, Padua, Italien
Leis, O., Pedraza-Ramirez, I., Demirsöz, G., Watson, M., Laborde, S., Elbe, A.-M. & Lautenbach, F.
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Psychophysiological Stress in Esports. From the Relevance of Research to Intervention Strategies. Sport and Exercise Psychology, Lanchester University, England (online) [Diss.]
Leis, O.
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Psychophysiologischer Stress im E-Sport. Training vs. Wettkampf. In D. Jekauc & Fritsch, J. (Chairs). Affektive Prozesse im Leistungssport. 54. Jahrestagung der Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Sportpsychologie, Münster, Deutschland
Leis, O., Pedraza-Ramirez, I., Demirsöz, G., Watson, M., Laborde, S., Elbe, A.-M. & Lautenbach, F.
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Stress responses associated with training and competition in League of Legends. In M. Trotter (Chair). Performing esports. Esports Research Network Conference, Jönköping, Schweden
Leis, O., Demirsöz, G., Pedraza-Ramirez, I., Watson, M., Laborde, S., Elbe, A.-M. & Lautenbach, F.
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Stress and Coping in Esports. Stress och stress hantering inom e-sport. Department of Psychology, Umeå Universitet, Umeå, Sweden (online).
Leis, O.
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Stress and Coping in Esports. Department of Health, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
Leis, O.
