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Performance psychology practitioners use a wide range of theories and interventions to improve performance and well-being. Often, however, practitioners do not integrate these theories into a model of practice underpinned by a theory of behavior. Without this foundation, performance programs become patchwork approaches where it is often unclear whether different interventions within a performance program work together or contradict each other. To address this issue, we present a model of behavior based on functional contextualism and relational frame theory. We then use this model as a framework to integrate mainstream performance psychology and psychophysiology theory in line with acceptance-based third-wave cognitive behavioral approaches to improve performance alongside well-being, not at the expense of well-being. Specifically, this includes interventions which promote experiential acceptance, and excludes interventions which promote experiential avoidance. With this framework, we hope to support practitioners, students, and educators by illustrating how different theories can and cannot be integrated in their own practice. Examples are predominantly taken from esports literature. However, the model and philosophy presented is applicable to all high-performance domains. We end this article by proposing questions to develop performance psychology philosophy inside and outside of esports.

In time-pressure action esports games, a player’s mechanical skill refers to the ability to quickly and accurately control input devices such as a keyboard or mouse. In this study, we present a novel methodology to quantify and operationalize mechanical skills commonly required in game titles played with the same set of input devices (i.e., general mechanical skill). From this, differences in mechanical skills between players can be compared on a standard basis, regardless of game title, which offers new possibilities for esports talent development. As a result of partial least squares path modeling based on data from 292 players of four different game titles played with keyboard and mouse, we show that general mechanical skill is a valid construct and that it accounts for approximately 21% of the variance in players’ in-game achievement (or rank). To maximize impact, our software is released to the public, enabling anyone to operationalize general mechanical skills in time-pressure action esports games played with keyboard and mouse.

Research in traditional sport has demonstrated that development of a strong team identity can have positive benefits for performance and well-being. However, to date, there is limited research on team identity and whether it can be developed in esports. The aim of this study, therefore, was to explore the effect of an online-delivered 5R program with one esports team. The complimentary descriptive, visual, and statistical analyses provided some tentative support for effects of the intervention on players’ social identification, collective efficacy, and resilience. Additional qualitative social validation responses suggested the intervention affected intrateam communication, improved players’ belonging, and increased commitment. These initial exploratory findings provide initial support for the potential of 5R programs. Future research directions, strengths and limitations, and suggestions for practitioners are discussed.

Background: Esports is a growing industry, and understanding the underlying professional esports athletes’ experiences can have an impact on their performance and coaching approaches. The present study investigated the mediating role of types of motivations in the relationship between psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) and performance (shooting accuracy and time trial). Method: A total of 113 esports athletes (13 females and 100 males) with an average age of 21.42 (SD = 2.893) participated in the study. The participants first answered a questionnaire to measure their needs and motivations and then completed an esports task in Counter-Strike. The collected data were analyzed using a causal-step method for mediation analysis. Results: The study found that competence needs significantly correlated with performance measures. Intrinsic and introjected motivations significantly mediated the relationship between competence and performance outcomes. Conclusion: The present study suggests that satisfying the need for mastery has a direct impact on esports athletes’ motivation, which in turn affects their performance positively due to their passion and perceived self-esteem. When interpreting the results, it is important to consider the study’s limitations, which are further discussed in the discussion section.

Introduction: Esports demand peak cognitive performance from esports athletes (e-athletes), yet their sedentary lifestyle raises concerns. This pilot study explores the effects of aerobic exercise on executive function, cerebral hemodynamics, and heart rate variability (HRV) during gameplay. Methods: Six high-ranking male e-athletes (20.8 ± 2.1 years old), ranking in the top 10% of their game, were recruited. Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy measured cerebral hemodynamics, cognitive tests assessed executive function, and electrocardiography measured HRV. Individualized exercise intensities were set through graded exercise testing, followed by a 10-week treadmill-based cardiovascular training program. Results: Postintervention, weight, and body mass index remained unchanged (p > .05), but the graded exercise test and heart rate deflection point significantly improved (p < .05). Executive function displayed faster reaction times in the Color Word Stroop Task, and notably more accurate responses in the Parametric Go/No-Go tasks (p < .05), with large effect sizes. Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy revealed decreased oxygenated hemoglobin levels during rest, with moderate to large effect sizes, while HRV variables showed significant increases with large effect sizes.  Conclusions: This pilot study introduces a 10-week exercise regimen for e-athletes, suggesting positive impacts on cerebral hemodynamics, executive functions, and HRV, warranting further research.

The focus of the article is the user motivation and satisfaction from playing video games. It covers the basic information on the video game player types and the video game market. The aim of this work is to assess the factors influencing the motivation and satisfaction from playing video games. The purpose of this study is to examine what elements influence motivation and satisfaction in the video game players and what aspects of playing video games are influenced by the gamers’ motivation. The study tested and applied a theoretical model in the context of video game players. To test the suggested research model, a structural equation modeling’s partial least squares approach was used. Data from the 1,400 video game players were gathered through an online survey. SmartPLS 4 was used to analyze the data set. The results indicated that the most accurate predictor of the players’ motivation is satisfaction, followed by openness of the world. Motivation predicted the users’ achievements, competitiveness, and long-term goals. The video game producers are especially interested in this research because the findings help better understand the motivation and satisfaction of video game players.

Online game microcelebrities (streamers) attract a large audience of emerging adult gamers (age 18–25 years) and have become a target for food industry advertising. Extant research has identified links between gaming and negative impacts on diet. However, little is known about the influence of game-streaming communities on food consumption. This study aims to understand the type and context of discussions about food and drink in streaming communities that may be influencing the consumption behavior of emerging adults. Data were collected through observation of food and drink-related conversations within streaming communities for Fortnite, which is popular with emerging adult gamers. The study found that the sharing of food is commonplace in organic discussions within streaming communities, driven by both streamers and their followers. The sharing of energy-dense nutrient-poor foods is commonplace in these organic discussions. The study suggests that game-streaming channels have expanded beyond the scope of only a gaming channel and, for emerging adults, are potentially influencing their healthful behavior.

The present study provides a unique contribution to the literature by offering the first study to examine the prevalence of mental ill health and mental well-being of professional Counter-Strike athletes. The sample consisted of 51 current Counter-Strike professionals (M _age = 23.22, SD = 4.7 years; male = 48, female = 3) representing 17.1% of all registered Counter-Strike professionals. An online questionnaire was administered via Qualtrics. We found that one quarter of our sample reported moderately severe (15.7%) and severe (9.8%) symptoms of depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, over three quarters (82.4%) reported symptoms of anxiety/depression using the General Health Questionnaire—short form-12, over half (54.9%) reported psychological distress using the distress screener, and nearly three quarters (72.5%) reported low mental well-being using the Short Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale. Our findings suggest that greater importance should be placed on screening and intervention support by both performance and clinical practitioners to facilitate mental health within the esports ecosystem.

This study aimed to gain insights into the prevalence and self-perceived severity of musculoskeletal pain when playing esports among competitive and recreational players in the Philippines and Japan. Additionally, it aimed to determine the association between pain/discomfort experienced and the number of playing years, playing frequency, and playing hours. We used online descriptive questionnaires to collect data from 14- to 26-year-old esports players. The participants were 159 Filipino and 120 Japanese esports players, including 77% and 89% male participants, respectively. The Filipino participants had a significantly higher prevalence of pain in the back (p < .001), hands (p < .001), neck (p < .05), and wrists (p < .001) than the Japanese participants. Based on the Japanese participants’ data, the number of playing years correlated positively with the presence of neck pain (r _s = .229, p = .012), shoulder pain (r _s = .183, p = .045), and wrist pain (r _s = .350, p < .001). Moreover, the number of playing hours correlated positively with hand pain (r _s = .194, p = .034).

Associations with player performance in traditional field-based sports and video games have been observed with specific cognitive abilities and personality traits. The present study investigated whether such connections can be used to predict performance in hybrid genre video games that include game mechanics from multiple traditional games. The focus of the present was on the hybrid genre car-soccer game, Rocket League. The gameplay shares some aspects of traditional soccer and video games along with unique mechanics. Psychological traits that have been observed to correlate with performance in these traditional games were hypothesized to be associated with better Rocket League performance. In the present study, participants greater in mental rotation ability and number processing tended to have higher performance. Evidence from detailed match metrics indicated that they more effectively navigated and maneuvered around the car-soccer arena. Connections with personality traits suggested that player openness and neuroticism affected offensive–defensive metrics, likely via team dynamics. Variations in associations with match metrics indicated that different car-soccer gameplay actions relied upon different psychological abilities. This research suggests that psychological predictors of performance in traditional sports may predict performance in hybrid video games that share game mechanics.