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The esports science theme focuses on the key performance indicators of health and performance in esports and has been funded for the past 6 years through Science Foundation Ireland and Industry partnerships. The esports theme plans to grow its remit and influence in the wider fields of Sport and Human Performance. Currently, a team of 8 full-time researchers across the domains of psychology, neuroscience, biomechanics, computer science, and software engineering contribute to the esports science theme.

Objectives: 

  • Carry out ground-breaking and influential experimental science in esports and video gaming.  
  • Secure funding and capital investment beyond the 2025 current funding timeline
  • Grow the knowledge base of esports science and train and upskill expertise in SHPRC members
  • Grow the inter and intra-disciplinary team expertise in esports science


Theme Leads


Prof Mark Campbell, PESS Department, University of Limerick.  
Dr Adam Toth, PESS Department, University of Limerick, Ireland. 

SHPRC members and other researchers aligned to esports science

  • Dr Fazilat Hojaji, Research Fellow, University of Limerick.
  • Dr Tim Smithies Scientific Consultant.
  • Antoine Dupuy, PhD candidate for Esport Science Research Lab (ESRL), University of Limerick
  • Sarah Cregan (PhD Student), PESS Department, University of Limerick
  • John Joyce (Research Assistant)
  • Ciara Murphy (Research Assistant) University of Limerick
  • Sally O’Neill (Research Assistant) University of Limerick
  • Natalie Rosoga (Research Assistant) University of Limerick
  • Gianpaolo Pedroni (Software Internship) University of Limerick


Projects

Esports Performance | €1.4 M
Gamer Science | €834 k 
SIM Racing Science | €486 k
Quantified Performance (Gaming Peripherals) | €200 k
Latency & Esports Performance | €25 k
Elite Women in Esports | €60 k
Neurodiversity in Gaming | €60 k


Team to Date

1 Research Fellow (Dr Fazilat Hojaji) 
2 Post Doctoral Researchers (Dr James Patton, Robert McIlroy)
3 PhD Students (Tim Smithies, Sarah Cregan, Antoine Dupuy)
10 Research Assistants (Niall Ramsbottom, Conor Stephens, Yemaya Halbrook, Sophie Cunneen, John Joyce, Magdalena Kowal, Eoin Conroy, Ciara Murphy, Sally O’Neill, Natalie Rosoga)
3 Internships (Anna McCurdy, Gianpaolo Pedroni, Yasmin Adel)

 

Journal Publications

  1. Cregan, S. C., Toth, A. J., & Campbell, M. J. (2025). Comparing the play of sport and action-adventure game genres on heart rate and heart rate variability. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 17, 100567.
  2. Smithies, T. D., Toth, A. J., & Campbell, M. J. (2024). The Effect of Total Sleep Deprivation on the Cognitive and In-Game Performance of Rocket League Esport Players. Nature and Science of Sleep, 2183-2204.
  3. Campbell, M. J., Cregan, S. C., Joyce, J. M., Kowal, M., & Toth, A. J. (2024). Comparing the cognitive performance of action video game players and age‐matched controls following a cognitively fatiguing task: A stage 2 registered report. British Journal of Psychology, 115(3), 363-385.
  4. Dupuy, A., Campbell, M. J., Harrison, A. J., & Toth, A. J. (2024). On the necessity for biomechanics research in esports. Sports Biomechanics, 1-13.
  5. Hojaji, F., Toth, A. J., Joyce, J. M., & Campbell, M. J. (2024). AI-enabled prediction of sim racing performance using telemetry data. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 14, 100414.
  6. Joyce, J. M., Campbell, M. J., Hojaji, F., & Toth, A. J. (2024). Less Is More: Higher-Skilled Sim Racers Allocate Significantly Less Attention to the Track Relative to the Display Features than Lower-Skilled Sim Racers. Vision, 8(2), 27.
  7. Cregan, S. C., Toth, A. J., & Campbell, M. J. (2024). Playing for keeps or just playing with emotion? Studying tilt and emotion regulation in video games. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1385242.
  8. Toth, A. J., Hojaji, F., & Campbell, M. J. (2023). Exploring the mechanisms of target acquisition performance in esports: The role of component kinematic phases on a first person shooter motor skill. Computers in Human Behavior, 139, 107554.
  9. Campbell, M. J., Toth, A. J., Moran, A. P., Kowal, M., & Exton, C. (2018). eSports: A new window on neurocognitive expertise?. Progress in brain research, 240, 161-174.
  10. Conroy, E., Toth, A. J., & Campbell, M. J. (2022). The effect of computer mouse mass on target acquisition performance among action video gamers. Applied Ergonomics, 99, 103637.
  11. Smithies, T. D., Campbell, M. J., Ramsbottom, N., & Toth, A. J. (2021). A Random Forest approach to identify metrics that best predict match outcome and player ranking in the esport Rocket League. Scientific reports, 11(1), 1-12.
  12. Kowal, M., Conroy, E., Ramsbottom, N., Smithies, T., Toth, A., & Campbell, M. (2021). Gaming your mental health: A narrative review on mitigating symptoms of depression and anxiety using commercial video games. JMIR Serious Games, 9(2), e26575.
  13. Toth, A. J., Ramsbottom, N., Constantin, C., Milliet, A., & Campbell, M. J. (2021). The effect of expertise, training and neurostimulation on sensory-motor skill in esports. Computers in Human Behavior, 121, 106782.
  14. Toth, A. J., Ramsbottom, N., Kowal, M., & Campbell, M. J. (2020). Converging evidence supporting the cognitive link between exercise and esport performance: a dual systematic review. Brain sciences, 10(11), 859.
  15. Conroy, E., Kowal, M., Toth, A. J., & Campbell, M. J. (2021). Boosting: Rank and skill deception in esports. Entertainment Computing, 36, 100393.
  16. Kowal, M., Toth, A. J., Exton, C., & Campbell, M. J. (2018). Different cognitive abilities displayed by action video gamers and non-gamers. Computers in Human Behavior, 88, 255-262.
  17. Kowal, M., Toth, A. J. & Campbell, M. J. (2021). Comparing the cognitive performance of action video gamers and non-gamers following a cognitively fatiguing task. British Journal of Psychology
  18. Toth, A. J., Kowal, M., & Campbell, M. J. (2019). The color-word stroop task does not differentiate cognitive inhibition ability among esports gamers of varying expertise. Frontiers in Psychology, 2852.
  19. Toth, A. J., Conroy, E., & Campbell, M. J. (2021). Beyond action video games: Differences in gameplay and ability preferences among gaming genres. Entertainment Computing, 38, 100408.
  20. Toth, A. J., Frank, C., Putrino, D., & Campbell, M. J. (2021). Progress in Computer Gaming and Esports: Neurocognitive and Motor Perspectives. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 1391.
  21. Smithies, T. D., Toth, A. J., Dunican, I. C., Caldwell, J. A., Kowal, M., & Campbell, M. J. (2021). The effect of sleep restriction on cognitive performance in elite cognitive performers: a systematic review. Sleep, 44(7), zsab008.
  22. Smithies, T. D., Toth, A. J., Conroy, E., Ramsbottom, N., Kowal, M., & Campbell, M. J. (2020). Life after esports: a grand field challenge. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 883.