Electronic sports (esports) are a rapidly expanding social, economic and cultural phenomenon. With them, the number of esports players (gamers) has skyrocketed and diversified according to the level of dedication and competitiveness in this type of hobby.
Today we know that the majority age range of gamers is between 18 and 25 years old, which is why the student population constitutes an important population niche for the esports industry.
In this sense, although the number of hours that young gamers spend playing varies significantly depending on their profile, whether they are “casual” (occasional) “hardcore” (also known as pro gamers) or “professional” (involved in official competitive leagues), in all cases we must consider that these hours of play will be parallel and cumulative to those dedicated to studying (also of a sedentary nature).
This detail is not insignificant when trying to assess the possible negative effects on the metabolic, physical and psychosocial health of the gamer.
Sports nutritionists have found an interesting health paradox in the gamer phenomenon, which is an atypical prevalent combination of:
- Nutritional, metabolic and functional disorders characteristic of a sedentary lifestyle (not observed in classic sports);
- The risk of musculoskeletal injuries typical of performing systematic body gestures over a long period of time, whether in preparation, practice or competition (common in conventional sports), and
- The risk of degenerative damage to bone and joint structures is caused by the persistence of aberrant body postures (more typical of sedentary work activities than in conventional movements and sports).
The fact is that adapted nutrition can have a significant modulating effect on each of the three vertices of this risk triangle in esports. That is, it can have a positive effect both in preventing and improving the health of the gamer.
However, it is also true that, given the relatively new inclusion of esports in the population reality, there are still few specific nutritional recommendations to provide professional advice to these players. Therefore, sports nutritionists must adapt the knowledge related to other disciplines or work activities with similar characteristics and wait for the next scientific advances in this field.
Nutritional monitoring is therefore highly recommended, especially when we know from epidemiological reports that gamers express an increase in appetite, along with unhealthy nutritional behaviour patterns, such as increased consumption of sugary and caffeine-rich beverages.
It is important to clarify that these behavioural patterns seem to be associated with the esports environment, i.e. not necessarily caused by it. Finally, if we consider that the energy expenditure of one hour of gaming would represent on average just over 60 calories/hour, a figure very similar to that observed in highly sedentary activities; it is easy to deduce the significant risk of developing overweight, obesity and a wide range of metabolic disorders with early cardiovascular risk for these young people if their eating pattern is not adapted.
In another sense, a new way of acting and supporting sports nutritionists with gamers is emerging. It is related to sports performance in esports. The improvement or maintenance of the health of gamers is in itself a factor that favours sports performance, especially sought by pro gamers or professional players. But in addition to this, we must consider the physical and, above all, cognitive demands of these young people.
We must remember that some high-intensity games require the performance of up to 500 actions per minute (2) that can be performed in bursts and can be repeated even for hours, while the ability to react, make decisions, strategy and mental concentration can determine performance, success or failure in the game.
In addition, with the increase in competitiveness in esports, an increase has also been observed in the participation of many semi-professional and professional players in systematic physical and postural training programs that have already proven to be effective in secondarily improving performance in electronic gaming.
Once again, the ability to modify nutrition according to current knowledge and pending further evidence will not only improve cognitive performance during game time and competitions but also favour the optimization of the physical adaptation sought through physical exercises especially focused on cardiovascular improvement, flexibility and preventive osteoarticular stability.
Finally, ergogenic strategies such as the use of specific supplements for the activation or maintenance of the activation of central nervous system, to improve precision and/or rapid decision-making, can be used successfully, always under professional supervision.