Biofeedback training helps esports players react significantly faster

New research published in Computers in Human Behavior provides evidence that biofeedback training can improve the reaction speeds of esports players. By using real-time data from brain activity and eye movements, researchers developed a training regimen that reduced the time it took for players to shoot targets in a video game environment. The findings suggest that specialized technology could help competitive gamers break through performance plateaus that traditional practice methods might not address.

Competitive gaming, or esports, has evolved into a professional industry where the difference between victory and defeat is often measured in milliseconds. Professional players require exceptional reflexes, strategic thinking, and the ability to maintain intense focus for long periods. To reach this level, players typically rely on traditional training methods. These usually involve repetitive gameplay, analyzing past matches, and general physical exercise.

While these methods are effective to a point, they often lack a scientific basis tailored to the specific cognitive demands of high-level play. Previous studies indicate that elite gamers possess distinct biological characteristics compared to amateurs.

They tend to exhibit better sustained attention and more efficient information processing. They also display unique gaze control strategies. High-level players often rely on peripheral vision to detect targets rather than moving their eyes directly to every object. Researchers at the Nakazawa Sports and Neurorehabilitation Lab sought to develop training protocols that directly target these physiological mechanisms.

“The motivation of this study stems from the absence of science-based training methods in esports,” said study author Inhyeok Jeong (@Jeong_research), an assistant professor at the Kochi University of Technology. “In general sports, science-based training is used to enhance athletes’ performance, and this is a very common approach. Therefore, we determined that in esports as well, it is necessary to pursue the improvement of players’ performance and the extension of their careers through science-based training.”

Free daily newsletter

The researchers reasoned that if players could learn to voluntarily control their brain waves and eye movements, they could enhance the underlying cognitive processes that drive performance. Their study aimed to test the acute effects of two distinct biofeedback methods. One method focused on cortical activity related to attention. The other focused on gaze control and peripheral vision.

The first experiment focused on attention training using electroencephalogram (EEG) technology. The researchers recruited twenty-one male participants. All participants were experienced gamers who ranked in the top 50 percent of their respective games. The researchers divided them into a training group and a sham group.

The training group wore a headset that monitored electrical activity in the central lobe of the brain. The researchers specifically looked at theta and alpha brain waves. High power in these frequency bands is typically associated with a resting state or lower attention. Low power suggests high engagement and sustained attention.

During the training session, participants received auditory feedback based on their brain activity. If they successfully suppressed their theta and alpha waves, indicating high focus, they heard a low-frequency sound. If their focus drifted and wave power increased, they heard a high-frequency sound. The sham group went through a similar procedure but received random audio feedback unrelated to their actual brain activity.

Before and after the training, all participants completed a series of shooting tasks using “AimLab,” a popular training software for first-person shooter games. The primary measure of performance was shot time. This is defined as the milliseconds that elapse between a target appearing and the player clicking the mouse. The researchers also measured accuracy to ensure players were not simply shooting wildly to save time.

The results of the first experiment showed a clear benefit for the neurofeedback group. Participants who received real-time data on their brain activity managed to reduce their median shot time by approximately 30.3 milliseconds. This improvement was statistically significant. In contrast, the sham group showed a negligible change of only 0.3 milliseconds.

The EEG data confirmed that the training group successfully reduced the power of their theta and alpha waves. This physiological change suggests that the biofeedback helped them achieve a deeper state of sustained attention. Accuracy remained stable for both groups, indicating that the increase in speed did not come at the cost of precision.

The second experiment focused on gaze control and peripheral vision. The researchers recruited a separate group of twenty-one experienced male gamers. These participants were also divided into a training group and a sham group. The goal was to train players to keep their eyes fixed on the center of the screen while using their peripheral vision to spot targets. This strategy is efficient because moving the eyes takes time and can delay reaction.

Participants performed the same shooting tasks as in the first experiment. During the training phase, the researchers used an eye-tracker to monitor where the participants were looking. The training group received an auditory warning—a “beep”—whenever their gaze drifted away from the center of the screen. This feedback encouraged them to maintain a centralized gaze. The sham group performed the task without any auditory feedback regarding their eye movements.

The data from the second experiment revealed even stronger improvements than the first. The group that received gaze-control training reduced their median shot time by 47.2 milliseconds. The sham group showed a non-significant reduction of roughly 13.9 milliseconds.

Analysis of the eye-tracking data showed that the training group significantly altered their visual behavior. Their gaze distribution became much narrower horizontally and vertically. This indicates they successfully learned to minimize unnecessary eye movements. As with the first experiment, accuracy did not change significantly for either group.

“In this study, it was quite surprising that a significant reduction in reaction time was achieved despite the relatively short training period,” Jeong told PsyPost. “Moreover, these results were achieved without any reduction in accuracy.”

These findings have practical implications for the esports industry. A reduction in reaction time of 30 to 47 milliseconds is substantial in a competitive context. Most competitive gaming monitors refresh the image 144 times per second, meaning a new frame appears roughly every 7 milliseconds.

The improvements observed in this study translate to an advantage of approximately 4 to 7 frames. In a fast-paced shooter game, seeing and reacting to an opponent several frames earlier can be the deciding factor in a duel.

“Training based on the superior cognitive functions and gaze control abilities of esports experts can positively impact reducing the reaction time,” Jeong said.

But the study, like all research, has some limitations. The study only examined the immediate, acute effects of a single training session. It is not yet known if these performance gains persist over time or if repeated training sessions would lead to permanent changes in cognitive processing.

The study also focused exclusively on first-person shooter mechanics. It is unclear if these training methods would transfer effectively to other genres, such as real-time strategy or multiplayer online battle arena games. The sample size for both experiments was relatively small, which is common in complex physiological studies but limits how broadly the results can be generalized.

Future research will need to explore the long-term effects of biofeedback training. The researchers suggest that combining both attention and gaze training could potentially offer synergistic benefits. They also emphasize the need to test these protocols with professional teams to see how they integrate into high-stakes competitive environments.

“The next goal is to verify the long-term effects of the training method,” Jeong said. “Currently, experiments are underway to verify the long-term effects of the training method mentioned in the paper. I would like to apply these training methods to professional esports teams. I look forward to hearing from many esports teams and staff.”

The study, “Biofeedback training can enhance esports players’ shooting performance in an aiming task: focusing on cortical activity and gaze movement,” was authored by Inhyeok Jeong, Naotsugu Kaneko, Donghyun Kim, Ryogo Takahashi, Seitaro Iwama, Mayu Dohata, Junichi Ushiba, and Kimitaka Nakazawa.