Ergonomic Protocol for Competitive E-Sport Athletes

The Effectiveness of an Ergonomic Protocol in Reducing Ergonomic Risk and Improving Performance for Competitive E-Sport Athletes

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if this ergonomic protocol can improve performance and reduce ergonomic risk in esports athletes. It will also learn about the insight of esports athletes and their experience in implementing this new protocol. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does this ergonomic protocol improve performance? Does this ergonomic protocol reduce ergonomic risk?

Researchers will assign the protocol to esports athletes who meet inclusion criteria and express interest in participating in the study. A pre-post design will be conducted to note any differences.

Participants will:

• Participate in a 6-week study with 4 in-person visits
• Volunteers will be requested to participate in a focus group during Week 6.
• Implement the strengthening protocol 3x a week and a warm up/cool down protocol before and after each gaming session.
• Attend one educational session about gaming ergonomics during Week 1
• Complete the Rapid Entire Body Assessment, Kovaaks Asessment, and a Questionnaire during Week Zero, Week 3, and Week 6.

1. Recruitment will occur via snowballing, word-of-mouth, flyers, emails, and social media posts
2. Potential participants will complete a general Demographic questionnaire via Qualtrics as part of the inclusion criteria, collecting information such as age, race, type of gaming input they use (mouse and keyboard or controller), gaming experience, and any self-reported symptoms of musculoskeletal issues from prolonged gaming if any.
3. Potential participants will be contacted within 48 hours of completing the demographic survey informing them of whether or not they are eligible.
4. Eligible participants will complete informed consent via Zoom after 3 days of being informed of eligibility for the study by the student researcher 1 week prior to beginning the study. Potential participants will have 48 hours to make a decision on whether or not they would like to participate in the study.
5. Week Zero of the study will commence and baseline assessments will be performed in person at either Black Fire Innovation or the Tonopah Lounge based on participate convenience, using REBA to assess ergonomic risks and Kovaaks to assess current gaming performance. A questionnaire exploring their current knowledge via Qualtrics in ergonomics will also be provided during this first visit. Participants will be given a scheduled time to show up for this part of data collection.
6. During week one, the student researcher will deliver the supplemental educational component and the ergonomic protocol in person at the Tonapah Lounge. The educational module and ergonomic protocol will be attached. This session will approximately take about 45 minutes to an hour to deliver all information. All information will be found on a website created by the student researcher as a hub for all information taught and implemented during this visit. Handouts of the protocol will also be provided.
7. During week three, the student researcher will conduct an in-person follow-up at the Tonapah Lounge or Black Fire Innovation depending on participant convenience assessing any changes in ergonomic risk and performance using REBA and Kovaaks which will approximately take about 60-90 minutes. Participants will be given a scheduled time to show up for this part of data collection.
8. A second in-person follow-up will be conducted during week six using REBA and Kovaaks, and the focus group will be conducted at this time to explore their progress in the implementation of the protocol after gathering all objective data. This focus group will comprise of 5-7 volunteer participants who will be provided with an incentive of an additional $10 gift card to Steam, a gaming platform. This focus group will be conducted in a secure room at the Tonapah Lounge, separate from the shared space area. An audio recording of the session will be done for the duration of the session for the purpose of transcription. Participants will be assigned unique identifiers to uphold privacy and confidentiality. An audio recording of the session will be done on a password-protected device.
9. A post-survey will also be distributed to all participants via Qualtrics at Week 6. This will take a total of 2-3 hours for the visit.
10. A long-term follow-up will be conducted at Week 12. Participants will receive a questionnaire created on Qualtrics via email to explore adherence to the protocol.

Inclusion Criteria:

• 18+ years old
• Primarily participates in PC games(s) using mouse and keyboard for at least a year
• Plays at least 10 hours a week
• Must be affiliated with an established Esports team or organization
• Must have transportation

Exclusion Criteria:

• Individuals currently receiving treatment for self-reported pain related to prolonged gaming
• Those with a history of surgical procedures in the upper extremities
• Individuals with cognitive impairments
• Individuals with a history of a neck, shoulder, wrist, and/or back injury