{"id":24840,"date":"2021-09-28T03:04:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-28T08:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/?p=24840"},"modified":"2021-09-28T10:29:51","modified_gmt":"2021-09-28T15:29:51","slug":"real-effects-of-playing-fifa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/real-effects-of-playing-fifa\/","title":{"rendered":"Revealed: What Really Happens To Your Body And Brain When You Play FIFA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Research by Dr Andrea Utley, Reader in Motor Control and Development, University of Leeds<\/a>, commissioned by Casino.org<\/a><\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The wait for FIFA 22 is almost over. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On October 1, or earlier if you\u2019re an EA Play member, FIFA fans will be able to get their hands on the latest release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This brings a whole load of excitement – and whole a lot of “FIFA rage”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no doubt that anyone who\u2019s\nplayed FIFA will have at some point experienced \u201cFIFA rage\u201d, succumbing to the\nfrustration and supposed injustice of the game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the game made its debut in 1993, there\u2019s been significant interest in its impact on players by way of promoting aggression, reducing pro-social behaviour, and increasing sexist attitudes. Other studies have looked at the impact on sleep quality and perceptual, attentional and cognitive functions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here at Casino.org, we wanted to dive deeper into the physical and psychological impact of the game on its players, so we partnered with researchers at the <\/strong>University of Leeds school of biomedical sciences<\/strong><\/a> who ran a series of scientific experiments to find out. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From spikes in heart rate to fluctuating anxiety levels, we investigated what really<\/em> goes on inside the mind and body when playing FIFA\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Methodology<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A total of 10 participants were recruited for the project, with a\nminimum of 10 games analysed for each of the participants, and three playing\nconditions taken into account:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A<\/strong> = Playing against the computer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

B<\/strong> = Playing against a player who is known to them<\/p>\n\n\n\n

C<\/strong> = Playing against a random player online<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All participants were playing the 2020 version of the game, and\neach game tended to last between 10 to 12 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heart rate and blood pressure measurements were taken both pre and\npost the session. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, participants were asked to complete the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory<\/a> pre and post the game. The STAI measures two types of anxiety<\/a> \u2013 state anxiety (anxiety about an event), and trait anxiety (anxiety level as a personal characteristic). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We only measured the State aspect of the inventory, to determine\nplayers anxiety directly related to the game.  \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key Findings\nOf The Experiment<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This particular study was interested in the physiological\nand psychological responses of participants who play FIFA20 on a regular basis.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The game has a reputation of causing high levels of\nplayer rage, therefore, by monitoring participants whilst they were playing FIFA20,\nwe aimed to examine how engagement in the game actually impacted them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what we found:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Key<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Playing against an unknown player who actually exists clearly\ncaused a higher level of arousal, and goals scored against participants in\nthose games had a marked impact on heart rate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, there was an increase in emotional responses during\nthose games that was more pronounced than other games in which players knew\neach other. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It should also be noted that during these games 70% of\nparticipants had an elevated heart rate for the duration of the game once the\nopposition had scored.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite this, in line with the findings of Aliyari et al. (2015)<\/a> and Bediou et al. (2018), players reported a reduction in stress after playing in all three conditions.  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It should\nalso be noted that players did report that the game<\/strong> made them angry\nat times. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main\ncauses cited for this were aspects of play that they felt were unfair, and\nthe opposition scoring. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Messages from other players also cause surges of emotion, but despite this all, players felt the game was a good way of relaxing.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Quote<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Full Results<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Heart Rate:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The three players shown in each\ncondition below were selected as the most indicative of the wider results.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s worth noting that the age and fitness of the participants,\nand the fact that the heart rate was taken a few minutes after completion of\nthe game (allowing it time to reduce back to normal levels) is likely to have\nhad an impact on the results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The monitoring of participants heart rates during the game has\nrevealed some interesting patterns which can be seen in the tables below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we look at the impact of heart rate over time in all three conditions, we can see clear fluctuations throughout the game, and in all conditions, we see a spike in heart rate whenever a goal is scored (home or away). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Heart<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

When playing against an unknown\nopponent, participant\u2019s heart rates were elevated even before they started playing,\nand elevated even higher post-game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The heart rate spikes from\nscoring were also much greater \u2013 approaching up to 140 beats per minute<\/strong>,\nindicating a real surge in emotional activity when a goal is scored.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This kind of escalation in heart rate is comparative to what individuals within our participant age range would see when engaging in a moderate cardio work-out such as a brisk walk<\/a> (around 135 BPM).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s also interesting that in\nthis condition, following a goal from the unknown opposition and the\nconsequential surge in heart rate, the heart rate would remain elevated<\/strong>\nfor the rest of the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, these results show that there\nwas clearly a greater level of arousal, rage, and anxiety when playing against\na random stranger.<\/strong>  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other spikes which occurred across all three conditions were indicative of near misses, tackles made in the game, or a decision going against the player.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blood Pressure: <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Blood<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Systolic<\/strong> blood pressure<\/strong>: The highest pressure when your heart\nbeats and pushes the blood round your body.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diastolic<\/strong> blood pressure:<\/strong> The lowest pressure when your heart relaxes\nbetween beats. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As can be seen above, there was only a slight elevation in blood\npressure pre and post-game when playing against a known opponent or the\ncomputer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, we can see that when playing against an unknown player\nthere was a more significant rise in blood pressure after playing the game<\/strong>.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This highlights a greater level of anxiety and frustration when\nplaying against an unknown player.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stress and Anxiety Results:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Stress<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The state anxiety questionnaire\ntells you about someone\u2019s absolute perception of how anxious they are at any\ngiven time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite blood pressure and heart\nrate results both indicating a surge in emotional activity and rage when playing\nthe game, participants across the board pre and post all indicated a decline in\nanxiety. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This shows that, despite the\ncommonality of experiencing \u201cFIFA Rage\u201d, playing the game can actually reduce the\nplayers\u2019 perception of stress and anxiety. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, there you have it: FIFA, one\nof the most rage-inducing games out there, actually reduces stress and anxiety,\nand\nit could even help contribute to your weekly cardiovascular workout if you\u2019re\nplaying against an unknown opponent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related Articles:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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