Abstract
Aim: study aimed to examine the acute effect of a battle mobile game
playing between 3 games (45-60 min) and 7 games (135-180 min) on heart
rate (HR), stress levels, cognitive function, and visual short-term
memory (VSM) in healthy university students.
Methods and Results:Twenty university students aged 20-22 volunteered.
The Realm of Valor (ROV) mobile game was used. Participants were
separated into 4 teams, and each team was randomly assigned to play
either 3 games or 7 games. All variables were assessed before and after
gaming. Results showed that HR increased in both gaming conditions after
playing (p<0.05). Stress levels were higher after 7 games than
after 3 games (p<0.05). Cognitive function was greater changes
in the 3 games than that in the 7 games (p<0.05). Neither the
3 games nor the 7 games affected visual short-term memory.
Conclusions:Playing the ROV mobile game for 7 games or more than 135
minutes could increase stress levels, whereas 3 games may not affect
stress response and cognitive function. Thus, suitable time spent
playing games, especially a battle game, should be advised to avoid
inducing stress responses in university students.