Associate Professor Mississippi State University, United States
Introduction:: This study explores the cognitive activity of video gamers , examining the correlation between winning versus losing and analyzing the differences in EEG Alpha and Beta power among amateurs and experts. This study aims to shed light on the cognitive benefits of video gaming, providing insights that can be utilized to enhance the training experience for e-gamers.
Materials and Methods:: The electroencephalogram (EEG) measures real-time cognitive activity in the brain.
To explore the impact of cognitive activity on whether the participants win or lose, 12 participants, consisting of six amateur and six expert video gamers, were recruited to play Super Smash Brothers on a Nintendo Switch. The experiment was designed based on the participant's experience level, with the CPU and difficulty level adjusted accordingly. The participants' baseline psychological state was obtained with eyes open and closed for two minutes before completing ten practice trials and recording 60 trials in two hours while their winning versus losing ratios were being recorded.
Matlab was used to analyze the frequency response through power spectral analysis. The aim of this analysis is to observe any trends related to the power of the frequency bands.
Results, Conclusions, and Discussions:: With this new perspective, approaches using brain activity associated with winning can enhance the training experience with positive results.
Overall, this study sheds light on the cognitive differences between amateur and expert video gamers and provides valuable insights into the impact of winning versus losing on cognitive activity. The results of this study can be utilized to improve the training experience for e-gamers and to understand the neural mechanisms that underlie the cognitive benefits of video gaming.
Acknowledgements (Optional): : I want to thank the Neural Engineering Research Division at Mississippi State University for all the hard work.
