Online gaming is known to have a bad reputation. It mainly causes addiction, a serious mental health condition that requires medical attention. It can also lead to sleep disorders, obesity, and eye and head pain that can result in cloudy vision and brain tissue damage.
Besides addiction, studies have also shown other negative influences of gaming on one’s mental health. This includes poor emotional regulation, lack of motivation, social anxiety, depression, interpersonal conflict, and even suicidal tendencies.
On a positive note, recent studies have discovered many health benefits of gaming online. Not only can it improve cognitive skills, such as problem-solving and visual-spatial abilities, but it also burns calories, consequently promoting fitness. Let’s discuss it here.
Online Gaming = 1000 Sit-Ups
Stakester, a mobile-first skill-based competition platform similar to the renowned FanDuel Casino but mainly focusing on esports, discovered that male gamers burn around 420 calories while female gamers can burn 472 calories within two hours of gaming sessions.
Specifically, Stakester analyzed the heart rate and calorie burn of 50 male online gamers while they played Warzone and FIFA for two hours. They found that the participants burned 210 calories per hour on average during an intense gaming session.
Stakester emphasized that burning 210 calories per hour is equivalent to 1000 sit-ups. Additionally, according to Harvard Medical School’s report, a person who’s 155 lbs (70 kgs) can burn 216 calories per hour weightlifting.
The Stakester researchers weren’t surprised by the possibility of gaming to burn calories but by the number of calories burned. In fact, Tom Fairey, Stakester’s founder and current CEO, commented that a two-hour gaming session could be better than 1000 sit-ups.
He then claimed that burning 210 calories per hour during online gaming happens because of increased heart rate and gaming sweat that many gamers commonly experience while playing.
Increased Heart Rate and Gaming Sweat while Gaming Explained
According to one medical expert, our heart rate increases when a game is exciting or nerve-racking due to our inherent fight-or-flight response. When this happens, our adrenal glands naturally release hormones that can increase our heart rate and blood pressure. This is supposed to give us energy and keep us alert so we can handle the situation.
On the surface, online gaming may not require a fight-or-flight response, but our bodies don’t know that. What they only know is that we’re being stressed (e.g., a tight spot in Warzone or a last-minute goal in FIFA), and they need to give us the best chance of responding appropriately.
Moreover, the increased heart rate during a thrilling game can result in sweating while playing games. This is because our core body temperature also increases when our heart rate elevates. In response, our sweat glands are stimulated and start producing sweat to cool our body down.
Another reason many online gamers sweat is their emotional response to the games. Due to their competitive nature, they sweat when they feel scared, stressed, or angry. This is unrelated to heart rate but rather a purely primal instinct in humans. Many just tend to sweat as part of their fight-or-flight response during uncomfortable or intense situations.
Online Gaming Results in Healthier Body Weights
Another study by the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) researcher reported that 21% of esports players have less body fat and are even fitter than the average population. This mainly challenged the stereotype that many online gamers are “fat” and “morbidly obese.”
One reason esports players have healthier body weights is their training regime. Many exercise for more than an hour daily as a strategy to manage stress and enhance gameplay. This is more than the minimum 150 minutes of weekly physical activity recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
However, the study highlighted that those who met WHO’s guidelines were only those top-level or elite esports athletes, not all online gamers. Still, 4.03% of esports players are more susceptible to obesity than the global population.
The study also found that esports players smoked and drank less than the general population. The survey showed that only 3.7% smoke daily, which is way lower than the global data of 18.7%.
Several studies showed how smoking can result in obesity. First, it was reported to induce body fat distribution and can be linked with central obesity. Second, it impacts lung functions, which can decrease an individual’s capacity to exercise and, in turn, lose weight.
However, note that smoking has different effects on obesity. For example, it may cause someone to gain weight, while others may lose weight because nicotine can reduce appetite and calorie intake.
Furthermore, the study also showed that 7.8% of esports players tend to abstain from drinking daily, while 0.5% reported drinking daily. According to a peer-reviewed journal published in The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), this is simply because gaming takes up time, leaving gamers less time to drink.
Another reason mentioned in the journal is that online gaming can provide positive experiences, such as good self-esteem, achievement, and social support that may protect against excessive alcohol use.
3-Step Easy Fitness Plan for Online Gamers
While online gaming does burn calories, it doesn’t guarantee good health. It’s still highly recommended to have yourself checked at the hospital and consult a doctor regularly. More importantly, have a healthier lifestyle.
Here are beginner ways to start managing your weight as an online gamer:
- Have a nutritious, balanced diet. Avoid junk and processed foods that we often binge eat while gaming. Instead, load up on vegetables and fruits. They’re not always boring. There are many fun and delicious ways to have them. The key is research. If unsure, ask a dietitian.
- Consider playing active video games. With the advent of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) games, many games are now sneaky workouts that get you moving and breaking a sweat. Consider spending 30-45 minutes on such games daily. Not only you’re burning calories, but also feel better due to increased dopamine or “feel-good” hormone from having fun.
- Go for a walk, preferably outside during the daytime. This is a good way to not only break your sedentary lifestyle but also to improve your vision and bone health. Research has shown that basking in the sun for at least three hours a day can help lower the risk of nearsightedness, and 30 minutes of sunlight can make your bones healthier, stronger, and infection-free.
Final Thoughts
There is evidence that online games can burn calories. However, more studies are needed to support this claim. It’s also important to note that online games don’t guarantee better health. Each person has a different body composition and situation, so medical advice is highly recommended.
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