A study on psychological training of eSports using digital games: Focusing on rhythm game

Abstract

Incidentally, several studies have mentioned that digital games or video games have a positive impact on psychological skills (Green, et al., 2003; Pessoa, 2009; Anguera, et al., 2013). Thus, this study aimed to examine the psychological skills focusing on selective attention by comparing the power change in the beta wave band of the EEG during game play and the results of the trail making test (TMT) conducted before and after. Participants were ten male college students who usually play game for at least one hour per day, five days per week (age: M = 21.90 ± 1.96). This study adopted “Osu!” that is a free online rhythm game as an experimental task, because several articles mentioned that professional gamers usually use "Osu!" as a warming up or practice before gaming (Webb, 2019; Carpenter, 2019). Thus, “Osu!” is assumed to have the effect of enhancing the players’ psychological skills. In addition, the TMT part B is adopted to measure attention to speed, motor speed, visual screening, mental flexibility, perseverance, interference affinity and reaction inhibition. As a result of comparing change in biological attention extracted from the EEG during game play or baseline measurement, there is a significant difference in selective attentional state between baseline and while game play. In comparison of TMT indicated that processing speed in after rhythm game was tended to be faster than before play. Thus, this study might be indicated that rhythm game would be the one of the psychological or cognitive training tool for eSports.