Esports gamers test mental trick to beat fatigue
NCT ID NCT06729060
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study looked at whether mental fatigue hurts reaction time and game performance in esports players, and if a technique called motor imagery (mentally practicing movements) can help. Forty-five male players aged 18-30 completed tasks measuring reaction time and accuracy after a mentally tiring activity. The goal is to understand if simple mental exercises can offset fatigue and improve gaming performance.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Motor imagery combined with physical performance
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward simple mental techniques to help esports players maintain performance when mentally tired.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, completed study with only 45 male participants, so results may not apply to all players. The intervention is brief and may not translate to real competition.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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45 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Sep 2024
- Finished
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Jun 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 30 years
- Sex
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Male participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Being between the ages of 18-30: This age range was chosen because it is the age group with the highest number of e-sports players. After the age of 30, both the number of e-sports players decreases and reaction times decrease with age, so researchers accepted the age of 30 as a cut-off value. * Male gender: E-sportsmen are generally composed of men. In addition to the difficulty of reaching female e-sportsmen, female e-sportsmen will not be included since it is known that performance parameters evaluated in heterogeneous groups will lead to differences. * Doing e-sports for at least 6 hours or more per week for at least 6 months. Exclusion Criteria: Without Study * Having any neurological, visual or auditory impairment, * Having undergone any upper extremity surgery, * Those who meet the recruitment criteria but are unable to come to the laboratory Those who used any medication or performance-enhancing dietary supplement in the month before the study Exclusion from the Evaluation Day in the Study: Participants will be questioned verbally before the evaluation and participants who do not meet the criteria will not be evaluated that day. After 1 day, they will be re-evaluated. * Taking medication known to have stimulant or sedative effects * Consumption of alcohol at least 24 hours before * Consuming caffeine at least 8 hours before Exclusion from Intervention Groups: Participants who violate these criteria during the intervention will be excluded from the study. * Those who take part in the intervention groups and are absent 20% or more * Changes in initial physical activity categories according to the results of the International Physical Activity Scale Short Form
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Bandırma Onyedi Eylül University Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation
Bandırma, Balıkesir, 10200, Turkey (Türkiye)
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