Abstract
Changes in concentration performance after short-term virtual reality training in e-athletes Abstract. E-sports, or electronic sports, have emerged as a popular form of competition in the digital age. With growing involvement from well-known and established enterprises, e-sports has grown into a thriving industry. Being a professional e-athlete has become a dream for many young people. A crucial aspect of e-athletic performance is the level of cognitive functions, including concentration performance and reaction time. Both conventional and virtual reality trainings have been shown to improve these skills. In this study, 66 amateur e-athletes (45 males, 21 females, mean age 22.7 ± 0.66) who confirmed in a pre- study questionnaire that they were active amateur athletes (with no participation in professional e-sports competitions) were selected to evaluate the effectiveness of training in virtual reality (VR) on concentration performance. Participants were randomly divided into E - experimental group (n = 32) and C - control group (n = 34), with a similar number of men and women in both groups (E = 9 females and 23 males, C = 12 females and 22 males). Differences in daily gaming time and e-sports experience between groups E and C were not statistically significant. The study group underwent 15-min training sessions in the VR game, Beat Saber, for eight consecutive weekdays. The study found that training in VR improved concentration performance, demonstrating the potential of VR as a valuable tool for e-athletes to enhance their cognitive functions.
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Lachowicz, M., Serweta-Pawlik, A., Jamro, D., Żurek, G. (2023). Changes in Concentration Performance After Short-Term Virtual Reality Training in E-Athletes. In: Zachmann, G., et al. Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality. EuroXR 2023. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 14410. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48495-7_12
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