Cognitive characterization of expertise in action video games

NeuroTracker learning rates and neuropsychological assessments reveal that professional action video gamers possess superior attentional capacities.

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Esports

June 2022

in

Papyrus

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Aim

To assess the extent to which action video game players perform better than non-gamers on cognitive functions measured by NeuroTracker and neuropsychological assessments.

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Method

14 professional and 16 amateur action video game players completed a battery of 7 standardized neuropsychological assessments, a manual dexterity test, and 14 NeuroTracker sessions. Statistical analysis techniques were used to compare cognitive differences.

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Result

Analysis revealed that high performance in professional action video games players is associated with enhanced abilities in visual spatial attention, visual and auditory short-term memory, and selective and sustained attention. No significant differences between professionals and amateurs were evident on tasks evaluating executive functions, perceptual manipulation, or manual dexterity. Although both groups displayed a similar learning capacity to improve at NeuroTracker over 90-mins of training, professionals exhibited a distinct performance advantage throughout the intervention. The results overall suggest that elite action video gamers have superior attentional control.

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