Computer gamers (traders?) 'have reactions of pilots but bodies of chain smokers'

  • Thread starter Black Swan
  • Start date
  • Watchers 4
B

Black Swan

Saw this article yesterday, my thoughts (naturally) turned to trading....

Computer gamers 'have reactions of pilots but bodies of chain smokers'

Professional computer gamers have the reactions of fighters pilots but the bodies of 60-year-old chain smokers, according to tests comparing them with international athletes.

A university academic conducted a series of physical and psychological tests to determine whether playing on computers could be defined as a sport.

Top gamers can earn tens of thousands of pounds a year in prize money and sponsorship but academics have warned the cost to their health could be devastating.


Dr Dominic Micklewright, from the University of Essex, put several ''elite cyber-sportsmen'' through their paces to see how they compared to professional athletes.

The head of Sport, Performance, and Fatigue Research Unit also wanted to determine whether video gaming should be classed as a sport.

The cyber-sportsmen had mental sharpness and psychological traits comparable to 'real' athletes, and reacted to visual stimuli almost as fast as fighter jet pilots.

But their fitness levels were shockingly low and comparable to people either much younger or much older than their actual age.

One leading gamer in his twenties appeared to be slim and healthy with a physique similar to an endurance athlete.

But tests revealed he in fact had the lung function and aerobic fitness of a heavy smoker in his sixties.

Dr Micklewright blamed the gaming lifestyle of spending 10 hours a day in front a computer screen and warned youngsters against such a sedentary lifestyle.

He said: ''Someone of this age should be much fitter, but perhaps this is the occupational hazard of the professional gamer who can spend around 10 hours a day in front of a screen.

''It is always difficult to say how these things will develop, but it could have long term health implications such as an increased risk of heart disease.

''Screen time with children has a very strong correlation with childhood obesity and risk factors with heart disease later in life.''

But Dr Micklewright was equally surprised by the number of characteristics gamers did share with top athletes.

He said: ''Their reaction time, motor skill, competitiveness and emotions were pretty close.

''Elite athletes have unusually high levels of positive feelings and low levels of negative feelings such as depression and fatigue.

''We saw similar characteristics in gamers, albeit not quite as pronounced.''


Dr Micklewright said video gamers would benefit from balancing playing video games with getting fitter but their sedentary lifestyle meant they should not be classed as athletes.

He said: ''There is an inextricable link between the function of the mind and the body.

''Gaming shares some characteristics with sport because both are competitive, skill-based and governed by structured rules.

''But the main distinction which precludes gaming from being a sport is the lack of physical exertion.

''However, in the end sport is socially defined and there are sports, such as snooker and darts, which you might argue are on the boundary.

''Like video games these require very high levels of skill, but are relatively sedentary and not physically demanding.''

Dr Micklewright conducted the research for The eSportsman, a Radio Four programme set to be broadcast on Friday.

He ran a series of physiological and psychological tests on gamers at the Gadget Show Live in April at the NEC Arena in Birmingham.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technolo...ns-of-pilots-but-bodies-of-chain-smokers.html
 
Unsurprising. However, I'm pretty nifty at online games (when not suffering from lag) but also participate regularly in sports, so I'm awesome.








:D
 
I hadn't realised there were such things as professional gamers (other than poker players and the like). You learn something every day.
 
I hadn't realised there were such things as professional gamers (other than poker players and the like). You learn something every day.

Not like you to pass up the opportunity to mix up pro and game and not come up with a witty one liner Mike...;)

IMHO if we can or (when we can) remove the 'money subject' from our trading and simply see it as a game we're *there*...The elite athlete mindest mentioned in the article is something I often mention, very, very useful skill to have (or develop) in order to become a professional trader...
 
If we took money out of the equation, I expect trading would feel like the electronic version of fishing. Actually, I was playing Port Royale 2 last night (think the Pirates of the Caribbean world as a game) and decided to try to build a business on an island. I spent an hour repeatedly waiting for a price to drop then buying a commodity and waiting for said commodity to become scarce (overbought?) so I could sell it. Not fun, to be honest.
 
Not like you to pass up the opportunity to mix up pro and game and not come up with a witty one liner Mike...;)
*chuckle*

Thanks Black Swan (...I think :) ).

IMHO if we can or (when we can) remove the 'money subject' from our trading and simply see it as a game we're *there*...The elite athlete mindest mentioned in the article is something I often mention, very, very useful skill to have (or develop) in order to become a professional trader...

Interesting idea, and it sounds right. However, there is also a bit of a paradox isn't there?
We are told we must be professional, and regard it as a business.
How can something be both a business and a game?


Basically, I think it presupposes a certain (high) level of expertise.
Pretty hard for a neophyte to get their head around, since it is going to take a long time (either actual time, or trading/studying/training time) to get anywhere near it).
 
IMHO if we can or (when we can) remove the 'money subject' from our trading and simply see it as a game we're *there*...

I believe that's one of the truest things I've read in some time !

Take it seriously enough, but play it lightly and all that.
 
dont think this is a surprise result? how many did he test?
I assume the same result would be found testing the physical fitness of most office workers or other sedentary jobs
 
dont think this is a surprise result? how many did he test?
I assume the same result would be found testing the physical fitness of most office workers or other sedentary jobs

Just wonder how they'd fair if they had the body of a pilot and the reactions of a chain smoker..maybe that'd work...:D
 
Top