Pro Gamers: Brains the size of a planet and lungs the size of a pea
Young men resemble 60 yr-old chain smokers
Agentless Backup is Not a Myth
Pro gamers have the mental reflexes of a test pilot and the physical abilities of a potato.
Dr Dominic Micklewright (left) from the University of Essex has been testing elite computer gamers to compare how they match up to professional athletes.
The findings are far from surprising, with pro gamers recording extremely low fitness levels.
One top gamer, despite looking healthy, was shown to have the lung function and aerobic fitness of a 60 year-old chain smoker.
Micklewright said: "Someone of this age should be much fitter but perhaps this is the occupational hazard of the professional gamer who can spend around 10 hours per day in front of a computer screen practicing."
His guinea pigs however demonstrated the mental sharpness of a real athlete and reaction skills matching that of a fighter pilot. So a balanced mix of gaming and exercise could have its benefits.
The research forms part of a BBC Radio Four documentary called The eSportsman, broadcast each Friday for two weeks. Episode one, shown last week is available on BBC iPlayer.
COMMENTS
So what's it then
If your choice of game is of the type commonly found on facebook? Surely finding a lonely cow or whacking another mafioso isn't the most reflexively or mentally taxing.
Douglas Adams
Nice Hitchhiker reference there. I think the authors knowledge of literature is largely wasted on this audience though.
What about the reverse?
Does this mean professional sportsmen have lungs the size of planets and brains the size of peas?
Given some of the drug-taking muppetry by the cyclists, the later has got to be true surely.
IT infrastructure monitoring strategies
Agentless Backup is Not a Myth
Top 10 SIEM implementer’s checklist
Steps to Take Before Choosing a Business Continuity Partner
Enabling efficient data center monitoring
