Evaluation of focus and stress in e-sports players for different physical activity-based scenarios

E-sports is a common type of sport today and the number of users is increasing. In e-sports tournaments, players often experience body fatigue, loss of focus, and a significant rise in stress due to the motivation to sit on the couch for long hours, concentrate on the screen, and strive to win the tournament. Exergames are a type of game in which the body and mind are used together. It is thought that the exergames will have positive effects on the focus and stress control of e-sports players. Games such as e-sports and exergame can cause electrophysiological changes in individuals. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the effects of exergame (EG) game type, duration and whether it can be played or not on individuals who play e-sports games with objective measurements taken from volunteers by comparisons made through physiological signals. Within the scope of the study, there were groups playing two different exergame games that exercise the lower and upper extremities, a group playing both exergames, and a fourth group of volunteers who did not play any EG. Galvanic skin response (GSR) and eye tracking data collected during e-sports and acceleration data collected during exergames were analyzed. The study aimed to determine the effects of different types and durations of exergame exercises of e-sports players in a virtual reality environment on GSR, which is used to determine focus and emotional processes and emotional arousal in individuals. The study also used classification models on GSR exergame, GSR e-sports and eye tracking data to determine which attributes are the distinguishing attributes for two different exergame games. As a result of the study, it was concluded that playing an exergame that exercises the upper extremity and reflexes such as Beat Saber before e-sports decreases GSR values and reduces focus shift.