Physiological Stress Responses in Esports: Heart Rate and Blood Pressure During Fortnite

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Abstract
Objective : Blood pressure changes during gaming are minimally studied. This study assessed cardiac stress reactivity in college-aged males who self-identified as gamers versus nongamers during 60 min of esports-style video game (Fortnite) play in two conditions: competitive (vs. humans) and noncompetitive (vs. computer avatars). Methods : Eight gamers and eight nongamers participated in a two-group by two-condition design, with gaming conditions as within-subjects variables. Heart rate and blood pressure (systolic and diastolic) were continuously recorded at baseline, during gameplay, and during recovery. Results : Average heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure increased significantly ( p < .05) during gameplay relative to rest. Increases were greater in the competitive condition than the noncompetitive condition, and gamers exhibited larger stress responses than nongamers. Notably, compared with resting baseline, mean systolic blood pressure was +19.3 mmHg over the entire duration of 60-min competitive gameplay in gamers versus +4.9 mmHg in nongamers. Conclusions : Gaming induces significant increases in blood pressure and heart rate, especially under competitive conditions and in gamers. These stress responses may negatively impact performance and health in individuals who engage in prolonged gameplay. Further investigation is warranted in this growing gamer population.

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