Comparing the play of sport and action-adventure game genres on heart rate and heart rate variability

The ability to cope with stress is imperative for performance in competitive gaming, yet there is a lack of research examining the impact of gaming and esports participation on physiological stress. One way to measure physiological stress is via heart rate variability (HRV). The current literature examining HRV during competitive gaming is limited, with most studies focusing on multiplayer online battle arena games. To better understand the physiological demands of gaming, investigation into the stress imposed on players during gameplay of various game genres is required. In this study, we compared the physiological stress incurred on players who played either a competitive (sports) or a non-competitive (action-adventure) video game. Forty participants played either a sports or action-adventure game, whilst having their heart rate and heart rate variability monitored. Results showed that, compared to a pre-gaming baseline, playing either game increased heart rate, lowered RR intervals, and reduced both vagally mediated time and frequency domain vmHRV. Playing the sport game for 10 min induced higher heart rate and lower RR intervals compared to playing the action-adventure game. However, 10 min of game play was not enough to identify meaningful differences in vmHRV based on game genre played. These findings advance our understanding of the impact of video gaming on heart rate and heart rate variability, providing a useful method for coaches and players to index player stress and recovery. • Playing either game increased heart rate, lowered RR intervals, and reduced time and frequency domain vmHRV. • Playing the sport game induced higher heart rate and lower RR intervals compared to playing the action-adventure game. • The findings provide useful information for coaches and players in monitoring player stress and recovery.