Esports x Healthcare (2022)
Research showing esports helping concentration
Kumamoto University graduate school advanced research results show that the heart rate variability (HRV) index, which monitors changes in autonomic nerves, may be used as a method for individually measuring changes in cognitive function and concentration due to e-sports in real time. The presentation was made by a team of Associate Professor Toshitaka Yamakawa of the Faculty of Science. If a wearable measuring device that can be worn can individually detect the timing of cognitive function and concentration, it may be applied to various fields such as tools to improve concentration and prevention of game addiction. Research papers are published in the electronic journal “Journal of Digital Life,” which publishes academic papers in the digital domain.
Effects of e-sports that change depending on how you use
e-sports are now not only enjoyed as entertainment, but also have positive effects in the medical field such as treatment of psychiatric disorders such as PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and schizophrenia and ADHD (attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder). There is. On the other hand, it has been pointed out that there are negative aspects that induce sleep deprivation and depression due to game addiction, and individual usage greatly affects the effects.
Regarding the positive impact of e-sports, research using Nintendo’s popular game “Mario Kart” by Associate Professor Goichi Hagiwara of the Faculty of Human Sciences, Kyushu Sangyo University may improve cognitive skills and concentration. I am reporting that. From the perspective of optimizing the positive effects for individuals, Associate Professor Yamakawa and his colleagues examined a method for individually monitoring the effects of e-sports on a player’s mental state in real time. By using a wearable measuring device to understand when e-sports improves cognitive function, it may be possible to derive personalized usage of e-sports.
Possibility of using HRV for individual measurement
The heart rate variability (HRV) index, which can measure changes in the autonomic nervous system without burdening the body, was used as a monitoring method. It is also used for diagnosing cardiovascular diseases and measuring mental states such as stress, dozing and emotions, and recent studies have reported a relationship with cognitive function. In the experiment, we investigated the relationship between the HRV index and the improvement of cognitive function by e-sports using a wearable measuring instrument developed independently.
Twenty subjects were classified into “training group” and “non-training group” by 10 each. Before conducting the “Stroop Test” to measure cognitive function for each, the training group continued the racing e-sports task “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” for 1 hour or more a day, 5 days or more a week, for 6 weeks. I went there.
As a result, the index (reaction time) measured by the last STapp (Stroop test of the app version) was significantly improved in the training group, and like the research report by Associate Professor Goichi Hagiwara and others, the cognitive function was temporary. Results suggesting a significant improvement were obtained.
In particular, when the HRV indicators of the top 10 people with the highest degree of improvement and the other 10 people were compared between the groups, the two parasympathetic nervous system indicators of “SDNN” and “RMSSD” were significantly higher in the top 10 people. It turned out.
Associate Professor Yamakawa et al. Pointed out that “the changes in these indicators can be inferred to be due to the activation of the frontal lobe of the brain by e-sports and the enhancement of inhibitory function.” “If further research progresses, we can expect the development of a wearable system that detects and predicts when the cognitive function of e-sports will improve, which may contribute to the prevention of game addiction and the expansion of e-sports application fields.” It is supposed to be.
In addition to Associate Professor Yamakawa, the research will be carried out in collaboration with Professor Hirohisa Isogai, Department of Sport and Health Science, Faculty of Human Sciences, Kyushu Sangyo University, Associate Professor Goichi Hagiwara, Faculty of Human Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kazuki Kutsune, and Toshihide Otsuki. Was done.
