Monitoring and Promoting Physical Exercise and Physical Performance in Esports Players

The increase in popularity and professionalization of e-sports highlights the health of e-sports players as a significant growing concern for public health. Playing e-sports for prolonged periods increases the risk of health issues such as obesity, musculoskeletal problems, or chronic diseases due to e-sports players’ sedentary behavior and irregular sleep patterns. Other health concerns include eye strain or mental health issues, including gaming disorder - which has now been recognized by the WHO as an official condition.

Therefore, there is a great need for interventions to raise awareness and educate gamers about the importance of balanced lifestyle habits, regular physical activity, and mental health support.

E-sports players report long periods of sedentary behavior in front of various screens such as mobiles, computers, or consoles ranging from five and a half to 11 hours of daily inactivity. Mounting research indicates that physical exercise is associated with health benefits and physical performance in e-sports players. Furthermore, sedentary behavior is associated with adverse health outcomes.

This Research Topic offers an opportunity to publish high-quality research on monitoring and promoting physical exercise and physical performance in the e-sports population. Many studies suggest that exercise might be an effective intervention strategy to improve esports player performance related to broad physiological benefits, as well as cognitive improvements. We are mainly interested in novel intervention research in school-based, community-based, or competitive-based settings to promote esports players' physical exercise and performance levels. We also welcome papers investigating physical exercise's effects on esports players' physical performance. Correlational and survey studies examining these relationships and new study protocols are welcome.

We welcome all types of manuscripts regarding, but not limited to, topics such as:
• Continuous monitoring systems of e-sports players’ physical exercise and physical performance;
• School-based interventions to promote e-sports players’ physical exercise and physical performance;
• Community-based interventions to promote e-sports players’ physical exercise and physical performance;
• The importance of schools in monitoring e-sports players’ physical exercise and physical performance;
• Effects of e-sports in the community on health-related outcomes among working and among the old age population.

Keywords: Physical Exercise, Physical performance, e-sports, monitoring, promoting

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.