Competitive video gaming has a global audience of more than 320 million and has grown exponentially in the past few years with a 30% increase each year. The average age of pro esport players falls between 21-25 years with an average retirement age of 25 years. This time span is perceived as a point when reflexes begin to decline and also when chronic overuse musculoskeletal injuries begin to adversely affect performance and playing ability.

Colleges and Universities are beginning to foster esports on their campuses and some are creating degrees in the field of esports that emanate from business degrees, to technological and computer coding aspects of gaming. However, there is a gap in knowledge for many who are not gamers, coaches, administrators or those in the industry to know how to manage the health of these players or understand the academic role esports has to create degrees directed at an industry with exponential career opportunities.

Despite the ever-growing popularity of esports, research is evolving at a slower pace than is needed to answer many questions about esport player’s physical and mental well-being. There is a paucity of scientific evidence related to the health, training, and nutritional aspects of esport athletes. The few studies that have been conducted have failed to recognize the multitude of games that fall under the category of esports that vary greatly in speed, skill, and executive function demands. Evidence is lacking on the health of these athletes, the psychological aspects of gaming, the physiological demands, and the various ways esports can have an impact on education and society.

The goal of this Research Topic is to collect manuscripts that directly investigate many facets of esports. In particular, we encourage submissions with an emphasis on intervention research that focuses on the physical and/or mental health and performance, in that this is an area where evidence is lacking. In addition, manuscripts that attempt to investigate any of the different factors that esports may influence from the academic culture and the economic influence in sports are of great interest.

Potential topics of interest include:
• Physiological responses to acute/chronic stress in esport athletes
• Health management of all esport athletes, from the amateurs to the professionals
• Biomechanics of esport athletes – ergonomics to decrease injury, common mistakes
• Psychological interventions/strategies to reduce burnout and enhance performance
• Fostering esports in academia
• Managing strategies used by esport coaches and teams
• Nutritional support for esport athletes
• Fatigue and recovery from exercise and esports
• Sleep behaviors associated with attention to task and mindfulness
• Executive function (self-awareness, inhibition, memory, self-regulation, motivation, problem solving)
• Cathexis and body image in esport players

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Frontiers in Sports and Active Living

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