Scientists have found a link between human weight and success in eSports

On the basis of 127 cases, Norwegian scientists also found out that obese esports players, in general, play worse than others. But the longer the tournament lasts, the better their results

What’s going on

• A group of researchers from the National Research University Higher School of Economics and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology studied the correlation between the body mass index (BMI) of an esports player and his success in tournaments. The study was conducted on the basis of 127 cases from 533 to 2012 with the participation of 2020 professional athletes. BMI was determined by artificial intelligence technology from photographs.
• The worst results – 12,8% lower than the rest – among players with III degree of obesity. The indicators of athletes with grades I and II did not differ from those of players with a normal BMI.
• However, in long matches, athletes with a high degree of obesity played better than everyone else.
• Scientists explain this by the fact that, firstly, obese people are more impulsive. Secondly, they are more prone to gambling addiction. Thirdly, such players consume more calories. It helps to cope with long tasks.
• The researchers also found that athletes with high BMI perform worse in full-time tournament format. “Because live events differ from online events in terms of audience presence and higher prestige, the explanation for this difference may be social pressure and negative attitudes towards overweight players,” the authors explain.

What does it mean

According to the forecast of the World Obesity Federation, by 2030 there will be 1 billion obese people in the world. Every fifth woman and every seventh man will suffer from the disease. Moreover, most overweight people live in low- and middle-income countries.

Obesity increases the risk of developing other diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, and certain types of cancer. Also, overweight people have been documented with lower cognitive abilities, problems with working memory, fluent memory, decision-making and planning.

In addition, obese people are discriminated against in many countries. So, according to the study, customers try to interact less often with overweight employees, and colleagues help them. There is no single solution to this problem. Some offer to help fight overweight, others – with discrimination against people with obesity.