The Science of Esports draws from contemporary research and coach expertise to examine esports athlete health and performance from a range of disciplinary perspectives, including physiology, psychology, sociology, and nutrition. The rapid expansion of the esports industry has elevated competitive video gaming into the realm of high performance, requiring players, coaches, and practitioners to implement interdisciplinary approaches to performance support.
The book covers key topic areas such as:
What esports is and similarities and differences to sport
Game-specific training
Physiological and psychological consideration for esports athletes
Social aspects of player performance and the social environment of esports
Esports coaching and structure of esports performance environments
Technology and its use in esports
Safeguarding, cheating, and gambling
This book includes worked examples and case studies to allow immediate implementation into practice for esports athletes and coaches. It summarises the current state of research to inform researchers and identify gaps in knowledge. This book is critical reading for students of esports and related courses. It serves as the first scientific resource designed to provide athletes, coaches, and practitioners with interdisciplinary insights into esports health and performance.
Craig McNulty, PhD, is a lecturer and researcher at Queensland University of Technology, Australia. His research areas include athlete and e'athlete exercise physiology, oxygen uptake kinetics, and physiological measures in esports. He supervises several doctoral students across topics, including energy expenditure in esports, women's esports athlete health and performance, and sleep and sleep-behaviours in esports. Craig was a founding board member of the Esports Research Network, which was founded in 2019.
Remco Polman, PhD, is the executive dean of the Institute of Health and Wellbeing at Federation University, Australia. Although a sport and exercise psychologist by training, his research is multi- and inter-disciplinary in nature. He is particularly interested in the psychological determinants of performance and well-being in athletes with particular expertise in stress, coping, and emotions. Remco is a chartered psychologist by the British Psychological Society and an accredited sport and exercise psychologist with the Health Care and Professions Council in the United Kingdom.
Matthew Watson is the director of Learning & Development at the International Federation of Esports Coaches (IFoEC). Matt is responsible for designing and delivering esports coaching and performance programmes in a range of academic and applied settings. Matt has published a number of peer-reviewed scientific articles as part of his ongoing PhD in coaching at the German Sport University in Cologne, and lectures in esports at the University of Northampton.
Kabir Bubna is a research assistant with The International Federation of Esports Coaches. Kabir has achieved a BSc (Hons) and Masters by Research in Sports, Coaching, and Physical Education. His masters' thesis focused on understanding coaches' perceptions of the development of collective behaviour. With his educational background, Kabir has also developed a critical understanding of talent identification and development, skill acquisition, and effective coaching practice in traditional sporting contexts. Since then, he has taken his knowledge and applied it towards esports academia and coaching practice in this novel industry.
