Physical Activity and Health Promotion in Esports and Gaming–Discussing Unique Opportunities for an Unprecedented Cultural Phenomenon

Ketelhut, Sascha; Martin-Niedecken, Anna Lisa; Zimmermann, Patrick; Nigg, Claudio R. (2021). Physical Activity and Health Promotion in Esports and Gaming–Discussing Unique Opportunities for an Unprecedented Cultural Phenomenon. Frontiers in sports and active living, 3 Frontiers 10.3389/fspor.2021.693700

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Due to long periods of sedentary behavior, and unhealthy diets gamers and esports
players are at risk for numerous chronic diseases and all-cause mortality. Health research
has started addressing the public health implications of the esports phenomenon,
drawing a bleak picture of this megatrend. However, instead of just highlighting adverse
public health implications of this trend, it is recommended to become involved in this
phenomenon and positively influence it. Esports has an enormous potential for physical
activity and health-promoting efforts, provides a context for broadly disseminating
interventions, and offers new ways of gaining access to an often-neglected population.
This paper presents: the potential of the esports phenomenon to promote physical
activity, health, and well-being in gamers and esports players; the strategic and preventive
solutions to ameliorate esports possible adverse health impacts; and the utilization
of esports technology (streams, media platforms, exergames, etc.) as an innovative
health promotion tool, especially reaching gamers and esports players with attractive
and interactive interventions. This is to encourage systematic scientific research so that
evidence-based guidelines and intervention strategies involving regular physical activity,
healthy diet, and sleep hygiene for esports will be developed. The goal is to promote
public health approaches that move toward a better integration of esports and gaming.

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