Electronic sports (e-sports) gained popularity in the early 2000s within the computer
gaming community and reached an audience of approximately 395 million people worldwide by
2018 (Bányai et al., 2019; Nagorsky and Wiemeyer, 2020). The exponential growth of
e-sports globally has led to its recognition as a sport, creating employment
opportunities for players who master and showcase game-related skills, turning e-sports
players into professional athletes supported by well-known companies, and providing the
chance to win large cash prizes (Seo, 2013; Giakoni-Ramírez et al., 2022). As a result of
this progress, it is estimated that the number of global players could reach 3.38 million
in 2023, with revenues reaching $184.0 billion (Report, 2023). E-sports refers to
competitive video games where teams or individuals compete against each other, and it is
recognized as a sport activity that helps players develop and train their mental skills
and hand-eye coordination (Adamus, 2012). Although it requires less physical activity and
contact compared to most sports, e-sports shares some common aspects with traditional
athletic sports. For instance, in games divided into tournaments and matches, players
either individually or as a team face off against opponents. Other commonalities include
players often practicing for hours every day, working professionally, and being able to
secure sponsorships from companies (Jacobs, 2015). There are various computer games with
different mechanics and competition rules that players must master. To reach and maintain
peak performance, players need to continually exercise and improve their skills and
abilities (Nagorsky and Wiemeyer, 2020). E-sports players must adapt their hand-eye
coordination, respond quickly to changing conditions, and continuously adjust their
reaction speeds (Steenbergen et al., 2015; Stewart et al., 2020; Urbaniak et al., 2020).
Key components of e-sports performance include hitting accuracy for moving targets that
quickly appear on the screen (hit accuracy) and rapid response to stimuli (reduced
reaction time). In the literature, it has been observed that reaction time and hit
accuracy are commonly evaluated to measure an e-sports player's performance (Koposov et
al., 2020; Sainz et al., 2020; Luu et al., 2021; Ersin et al., 2022). Nagorsky and
colleagues have stated that reaction time is the most important performance indicator in
all e-sports disciplines (Nagorsky and Wiemeyer, 2020). Since reduced reaction time is
crucial for the quick execution of decisions, it can be a factor that makes a difference
in e-sports (Brandmeyer et al., 2021). According to recent literature, the Aim Lab
software is one program that can measure and improve e-sports player performance (Roldan
and Prasetyo, 2021). Researchers plan to use reaction time, hit accuracy, and the Aim Lab
training application to evaluate e-sports players' performance. Mental fatigue is a
psychobiological state that arises from prolonged cognitive activities (Marcora et al.,
2009). It has been shown in the literature that mental fatigue induced by a protocol
(e.g., the commonly used Stroop Test) reduces performance parameters such as running and
total distance in various team sports (Smith et al., 2015), impairs running, passing, and
shooting performance specific to soccer (Smith et al., 2016), and similarly negatively
affects physical performance in cricket (Veness et al., 2017) and Australian football
players (Weerakkody et al., 2021). Additionally, it has been reported that mental fatigue
induced by the Stroop test affects passing decisions in professional soccer players
(Gantois et al., 2020) and decreases decision-making performance in sub-elite soccer
players (Trecroci et al., 2020).
Furthermore, it has been shown that playing sports-based video games or using social
media also causes mental fatigue, negatively affecting decision-making and visuomotor
skills (Fortes et al., 2020; Fortes et al., 2022; Fortes et al., 2023). Although the
literature generally indicates that playing video games or using social media leads to
mental fatigue, there are also studies suggesting otherwise. Ciocca and colleagues found
that a 30-minute video-based tactical task did not cause mental fatigue and did not
negatively affect physical or technical performance (Ciocca et al., 2022). For all these
reasons, it is important to apply a structured fatigue protocol to ensure that the
individual is genuinely mentally fatigued. Therefore, in our study, the 30-minute Stroop
test will be used to induce mental fatigue, focusing on this gap in the literature.