Domain-general, perceptual-motor abilities underlying expertise in esports

Esports involves individuals or teams of players who compete in video game competitions through human-computer interactions. Currently, there is limited research that assesses expertise in esports. The present study applied the expert performance approach to understand the domain-general, perceptual-motor abilities that discriminate skill level in esports. Seventy-five participants (age = 24.2 ± 4.2 y) from three skill levels (professional, recreational, and control) completed assessments to determine their manual dexterity, speed-accuracy trade-off, and processing ability. A significant multivariate effect was identified for skill level on players' domain-general, perceptual-motor abilities (F(18,128) = 3.87, p < 0.001, η_p² = 0.35). Univariate effects were evident for movement time (F(2,72) = 26.48, p < 0.001, ηp² = 0.42), two-choice response time (F(2,72) = 3.43, p = 0.038, η_p² = 0.09), congruent response time (F(2,72) = 4.92, p = 0.010, η_p² = 0.12) and incongruent response time (F(2,72) = 3.20, p = 0.047, η_p² = 0.08). Professional esports were less susceptible to a speed-accuracy trade-off than their lesser-skilled counterparts. Furthermore, professional esports players had a faster two-choice response time and were better at ignoring pre-cues when compared with the control group. Overall, these findings demonstrated that some perceptual-motor abilities underpin esports expertise