Baseball may be America’s Pastime, but gaming is a growing global phenomenon. The global video game market generated nearly $200 billion in revenue in 2021, according to Statista.

Competitive or professional gaming, known as “esports,” has also accelerated. The National Association of Collegiate eSports (NACE), the largest member association of varsity esports programs at colleges and universities across the U.S., now includes more than 240 member schools and over 5,000 student-athletes.

Gaming is typically a sedentary activity that involves prolonged screen time. Not much research has been conducted on the health effects of gaming, however, physical concerns typically include sleep disturbances, vision issues, overuse injuries like carpal tunnel, and even metabolic concerns from poor diet and sedentary lifestyles.

Esports.net, which provides news and guides to its esports community offers health tips for users while gaming, saying, “The average pro gamer practices for a minimum of 50 hours per week. This means that their body will be forced to undergo a lot of repetitive activity that could cause stress, pain or even injury.”

Alongside hand and wrist exercises and good posture, the guide noted: “Too much screen time will cause your eyes to strain and this can lead to headaches, dry eyes or even double vision. Be sure to check that your monitor isn’t too bright, and try to close your eyes for a couple of minutes each hour to give your eye muscles a chance to relax.”

---

Read more about modern health needs of gamers and young professionals in our Ebook “A Modern Vision for Supporting Eye Health”

---

To assess gaming and lifestyle habits, as well as musculoskeletal complaints due to esport competition, researchers from the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYIT-COM) sent anonymous electronic surveys to 65 collegiate esport players from nine universities across the U.S. and Canada.¹

According to the results—published in BMJ Open Sport & Exercise in 2019—players practiced between 3 and 10 hours per day. The most frequently reported complaint was eye fatigue (56%), followed by neck and back pain (42%), wrist pain (36%), and hand pain (32%). Additionally, 40% reported that they do not participate in any form of physical exercise. Among the players surveyed, only 2% had sought medical attention.¹

In their paper, researchers also noted that esports gaming requires quick thinking and fast reaction time. “Whereas novice players average approximately 50 action moves per minute, higher level athletes make 10 moves per second or 500-600 action moves per minute.”

Gaming requires players to have their eyes fixed on a computer screen with excessive exposure to light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

Some researcher have expressed concern about the long-term effects this excessive exposure to blue light may have on the retina and photoreceptors.^2,3 Excessive exposure can also impact the natural circadian rhythm.^2,3

Melatonin is a hormone synthesized in the human body that is an important marker of the natural circadian clock. Typically, melatonin is lowest during waking hours and then rises at night before sleep. Excessive exposure to LED lights, though, can alter melatonin levels.⁴

The injuries and health concerns seen in esports are similar to conditions seen in those with sedentary desk jobs that require prolonged screen time and repetitive hand movement.

The survey from NYIT-COM researchers showed that more than 40% of players averaged less than 1 hour of activity per day.

References

1. DiFrancisco, D. et al. (2019). Managing the health of the eSport athlete: an integrated health management model. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine. 2019;5:e000467. doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2018-000467.

2. Tosini, G. et al. (2016). Effects of blue light on the circadian system and eye physiology. Molecular Vision. 2016; 22; 61–72. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4734149/.

3. van der Lely, S. et al. (2015). Blue blocker glasses as a countermeasure for alerting effects of evening light-emitting diode screen exposure in male teenagers. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2015; 56; 113–9. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.08.002.

4. Burgess, H. et al. (2008). Individual differences in the amount and timing of salivary melatonin secretion. PLoS One. 2008; 3:e3055. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0003055.