نوع مقاله : مطالعه پژوهشی اصیل
نویسندگان
1 دانشجوی دکتری مدیریت ورزشی، دانشکده علوم ورزشی، دانشگاه شهید چمران
2 گروه مدیریت ورزشی، دانشکده علوم ورزشی، دانشگاه شهید چمران اهواز
3 دانشیار گروه رفتار حرکتی و روانشناسی ورزشی، دانشکده علوم ورزشی، دانشگاه شهید چمران اهواز
چکیده
کلیدواژه‌ها
موضوعات
عنوان مقاله [English]
نویسندگان [English]
Background and Purpose
The engagement of people in esports has gained momentum during and after the COVID-19 pandemic (Zhang et al., 2025). While traditional sports rely on complex motor skills for success, esports players seem to rely more on cognitive skills (Himmelstein et al., 2017). Several studies have shown that experience in video games can influence cognitive skills (Bailey & West, 2017; Kim et al., 2022). Researchers working on esports have largely neglected the potential advantages of esports activities and primarily focused on the undesirable aspects of this type of sport (Richard et al., 2022). However, the present study uses computer software to measure cognitive functions, which provides a lower error probability, and addresses whether individuals engaged in the FIFA video game are different from those not involved in this e-sport in terms of cognitive skills such as problem-solving and decision-making.
Materials and Methods
The statistical population covered by this study consisted of male students in physical education with no background in esports. Forty college students (mean age=20.20±0.75 years, all male) were asked to participate in the study. These individuals were randomly assigned to the Game Group (GG) (n=20) and the Non-Game Group (NGG) (n=20). Familiarity with conventional soccer rules was ensured for all participants. The Tower of London (TOL) test was used to assess planning and problem-solving skills, and the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) was used to evaluate decision-making skills. Both groups initially completed the TOL test and IGT in the pretest stage. Next, only the GG participants were directed to the gaming room to play the FIFA video game for three one-hour sessions per week over eight weeks. The NGG participants did not play any games during this period. At the end of the eight weeks, TOL and IGT scores for both groups were recorded again in the laboratory. Planning time, movement time, and solution time were used to assess problem-solving abilities, and the IGT net score (the difference between gains and losses) was used to assess decision-making abilities. Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was used to compare the effects of esports on the variable of "planning," while two-way ANCOVA was used to assess potential variations in the variable of "decision-making." The covariate used consisted of the participants’ TOL and IGT pre-test scores.
Results
The problem-solving skills in TOL for the GG participants were compared with the NGG participants before and after playing the game. The results indicated significant differences between the two groups in terms of problem-solving ability in TOL (F(3,33) = 21.368, p < 0.0005, Wilks' λ = 0.340, η2 = 0.66). Additionally, the GG and NGG participants were compared in terms of their average pre- and post-test IGT net scores. The results indicated a significant difference between the two groups in terms of decision-making ability (F(1,37)=6.325, p=0.016, η2=0.146).
Conclusion
Given the popularity of esports, particularly the FIFA video game, this study aimed to examine whether playing FIFA could influence the cognitive skills of decision-making and planning. As indicated by the findings, the two groups were significantly different in terms of decision-making and problem-solving skills. The GG participants received higher decision-making and problem-solving skill scores than the NGG participants. Previous studies have also confirmed these results. Based on the results of this study, esports can improve the cognitive skills of decision-making and planning or problem-solving. Higher education institutions are increasingly incorporating game-based learning into their programs because teachers have realized that video games represent a more powerful tool than pragmatic plays to enhance learning, particularly when played under a teacher’s direction.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and publication of this article.
Authors' contributions
All authors contributed equally to the writing and revision of the article.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declared no conflict of interest.
Acknowledgement
We would like to thank all of the participants that took part in this study.
Compliance with ethical guidelines
The research plan was prepared based on the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the Shahid Chamran University’s Ethics Committee and the Human Research Review Board.
کلیدواژه‌ها [English]
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