This paper presents a study protocol for a 12-week three-arm randomized controlled trial comparing the effects of HIIT and MICT on esports performance in FPS gamers, with a 4-week follow-up, to address the critical lack of evidence-based esports training guidelines.
Key Findings
Methods
The study is designed to compare long-term effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) versus moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) on esports performance in first-person shooter (FPS) gamers.
This is a three-arm randomized controlled trial with HIIT, MICT, and control groups.
195 FPS gamers aged 18-29 will be randomly assigned across the three groups.
The intervention duration is 12 weeks with three weekly sessions per group.
HIIT protocol consists of 10 × 1-minute high-intensity bouts interspersed with 1-minute active recovery periods.
MICT protocol consists of 20-minute continuous moderate-intensity exercise sessions.
Methods
The primary outcome measure is flicking capacity, described as a core metric of esports performance.
Flicking capacity is identified as the primary outcome for measuring esports performance.
Secondary outcomes include other gaming operational metrics, esports-related psychological skills, body composition, and physical competence.
All outcomes will be assessed at three time points: baseline, post-intervention (12 weeks), and follow-up (16 weeks).
The follow-up assessment at 16 weeks is designed to examine the sustainability of intervention effects.
Methods
The study aims to explore potential associations between physical competence, psychological skills, and gaming performance.
Esports-related psychological skills are included as a secondary outcome alongside operational gaming metrics.
The authors describe this exploration as offering 'insights into the behavioral pathways of performance enhancement.'
This component addresses a gap identified in existing literature, where comparisons between exercise modalities and their mechanisms remain 'largely unexplored.'
The study protocol was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT07150312) on August 29, 2025.
Background
The authors identified that most existing studies on exercise and esports performance focus on acute or short-term effects and are limited by small sample sizes and lack of follow-up assessments.
Growing evidence indicates a positive association between physical exercise and both cognitive functions and gaming performance in esports players.
The authors note that 'comparisons between different exercise modalities remain largely unexplored.'
The study describes itself as addressing a 'critical lack of evidence-based esports training guidelines.'
The authors state that 'longitudinal studies comparing optimal exercise protocols and their sustained effects on esports performance are critically needed.'
Conclusions
The anticipated findings are expected to provide empirical evidence for integrating optimal exercise modalities into esports training regimens.
The protocol is described as 'a standardized longitudinal framework to address the critical lack of evidence-based esports training guidelines.'
The authors anticipate findings will 'further validate the benefits of physical exercise on esports performance.'
The study targets FPS gamers specifically, aged 18-29 years.
The trial design includes a control group to allow comparison against no structured exercise intervention.
What This Means
This research describes the design of a clinical trial that will test whether structured physical exercise programs can improve the gaming performance of competitive first-person shooter (FPS) video game players. The study will assign 195 young adult gamers (ages 18-29) to one of three groups: a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) group, a moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) group, or a control group that does not follow a structured exercise program. Both exercise programs run for 12 weeks with three sessions per week, and participants will be tested on their gaming skills, fitness, and mental skills related to gaming before the program, after 12 weeks, and again 4 weeks later to see if any benefits last over time.
The main skill being measured is 'flicking capacity,' which refers to a player's ability to quickly and accurately aim at targets — a critical skill in FPS games. The researchers are also interested in how physical fitness and psychological skills (like focus and mental resilience) might be connected to actual gaming performance. The study was motivated by the observation that while some research suggests exercise benefits cognition and gaming, most prior studies have only looked at very short-term effects, used small groups of participants, and have not compared different types of exercise programs against each other.
This research suggests that different intensities and types of exercise may have different effects on esports performance, and that understanding these differences could help develop science-backed training guidelines for competitive gamers. Because this paper describes a study protocol rather than completed results, no outcomes have been measured yet — the findings reported here are anticipated and not yet confirmed. If the trial finds that exercise improves gaming performance, it could support the inclusion of structured physical training as a standard part of esports athlete preparation.
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Tang D, Ye Z, Ma R, Liu J, Ho W, Sum R. (2026). Can different exercise modalities improve esports performance? Study protocol for a 12-week three-arm randomized controlled trial.. PloS one. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357119