Physical exercise is beneficial on many levels. Even to become a better video game player. But not the kind like the RingFit Adventure on the Nintendo Switch, where you really have to stand up and move in front of the screen. Rather of the screen, control or keyboard and chair. This is the conclusion reached in 2020 by a team of scientists from two Canadian research centers.
This job is interesting., since often the fact of playing video games is related to a greater sedentary lifestyle. This is not always the case, but many of the people who have this hobby spend so many hours in front of the console or the computer that they forget about physical exercise.
Therefore, it is interesting to show them that if they do some exercise before playing video games it will not only be beneficial for their health. Possibly, it will also help them to perform better with them. They are all advantages.
A little exercise before playing video games
For this study on exercise and performance when playing video games, 20 volunteers were chosen. All of them were regular League of Legends players. This multiplayer game, also known as LoL, is one of those known as battle arena games. In other words, the participants are grouped into teams, with different specialties, and must progress towards an objective, while defeating the players of the opposing team.
The 20 players selected for the study were divided into two groups. In the first they spent the 15 minutes prior to the game reading sitting down. However, the players in the second group spent that time doing high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
Afterwards, they were allowed to play as normal, while their performance was analyzed. This one was better the more opponents they eliminated, in the fewest number of attempts possible.
Thus, it was seen that those who had exercised before playing performed much better in both aspects. That is, they eliminated more opponents and, furthermore, they did it with fewer attempts.
Photo: Ella Don
But it’s not that simple
It would be very daring to confirm with this study alone that physical exercise is beneficial for playing video games. It must be taken into account that only 20 people participated in it and that, in addition, their performance was analyzed in a single game.
Because, as pointed out in IFLScienceAt the time, the authors pointed out the need to carry out more research, with more people and other different games. At the moment they have not published said continuation. However, with only these first results, it is worth advising people with this hobby to exercise before playing video games. Even if it’s just a little while.
More research is needed to see how it will affect your performance, but what is clear is that it is highly beneficial in mitigating the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle. There is more than enough research on that.