The Engagement of University Students Towards Healthy E-Sports Activities

Electronic sports, popularly known as esports, have grown in popularity among the general public, especially university students. It is expected that excessive participation in esports activities has negative impacts not only on students' health but also on their quality of life. Despite increasing research interest in esports, there is a knowledge gap in addressing the health problems of the esports lifestyle. This research investigates the relationship between physical condition, physiological factors, social relations, environment, spirituality, and healthy esports engagement. This article proposes a framework for a holistic model to assess the features of a balanced quality of life, such as a healthy lifestyle for esports players. The framework includes two techniques from health and sports literature. A survey questionnaire to esports players consisting of 150 university students was established. Pearson Correlation Coefficient and Regression Analysis were conducted to examine the independent variables. The findings showed that two of the variables (physical condition and social relations) were significant, while the others (physiological, environment and spiritual) were not significant with healthy esports engagement. This study concludes that the framework can assist esports athletes, particularly university and college students, to maintain a balanced quality of life while engaging in esports activities.