Esports expert reveals unexpected ways of improving reaction time 

Analysis carried out by CSGO gambling site CSGOLuck has revealed a series of tips that esports gamers should follow to improve their in-game performance.

Drawing on research from the International Journal of Esports (IJES), National Institute of Health, and several other sources, experts have uncovered some alternative methods which could bring significant improvements in gaming performance.

While reaction time may be considered a relatively obvious fundamental of gaming performance, the IJES have proven beyond doubt it’s absolute importance. In a study comparing the reacting times of professional players, non-professional players, and traditional sportspeople, the results were essentially as expected.

Professional gamers had the fastest reactions to both visual and audio stimuli, the difference between non-professional gamers and traditional sportspeople was negligible, with non-professional gamers on average exhibiting faster response times. In a choice reaction test, professional gamers again trumped all other participants, producing the most accurate responses in the fastest times with the other two participant categories again lagging behind.

The average gamer has a reaction time of 300-500 milliseconds (ms), while most professional gamers react faster than 200ms.

These three surprising methods have all been proven to help reduce reaction times, and can be used to maximise gaming performance.

Meditation

A number of benefits have been claimed by those who practice meditation, but that of improved gaming performance is, not shockingly, an under-recognised one. A study from BioMed Central and the Journal of Behavioral and Brain Functions assessed the reaction time of participants pre and post 40-minute periods of meditation. In this study, 100 per cent of participants’ reaction times were reduced immediately after this meditation period, showing that meditation could just be the perfect pre-game ritual for gaming enthusiasts and esports athletes.

Reading 

Reading is an established way of improving the speed of cognitive processes undertaken in the brain. Rarely considered, however, is its effect on reaction time. Research from the University of Toronto established a significant relationship between reading ability and reaction time, with a direct correlation showing that within their 81 participants, those who read more and thus had a higher reading ability were able to detect visual stimuli faster than those with lower reading engagement and ability. Then, a few pages per day, could convert into a few ms, and maybe the difference in a gaming scenario.

Visualisation

MRI studies show that when we simulate ourselves performing specific tasks, the parts of the brain responsible for those activities behave as though we really are performing them. According to Eathletelabs, research on visualisation shows that after just two weeks of practicing for 15 minutes a day, athletes showed improvements in reaction time more than seven times that of those who did not.

A spokesperson from CSGOLuck commented on the findings: “Athletes in any field are required to take care of their physical and mental well-being, as well as going the extra mile to pursue peak performance. With the increasing professionalism, popularity, and profitability of esports, the best gamers are under increasing demand to find ways of performing exceptionally, in the same way a soccer player, a basketball player, or any professional sports person is. These methods, while alternative, have the potential to push esports athlete’s performance to its absolute pinnacle.”

CSGOLuck is a gambling focussed site on the popular esport game, Counter Strike: Global Offensive.