Evaluating Musculoskeletal Discomfort in Esports: A Focus on Competitive and Recreational Players From the Philippines and Japan

Abstract

This study aimed to gain insights into the prevalence and self-perceived severity of musculoskeletal pain when playing esports among competitive and recreational players in the Philippines and Japan. Additionally, it aimed to determine the association between pain/discomfort experienced and the number of playing years, playing frequency, and playing hours. We used online descriptive questionnaires to collect data from 14- to 26-year-old esports players. The participants were 159 Filipino and 120 Japanese esports players, including 77% and 89% male participants, respectively. The Filipino participants had a significantly higher prevalence of pain in the back (p < .001), hands (p < .001), neck (p < .05), and wrists (p < .001) than the Japanese participants. Based on the Japanese participants’ data, the number of playing years correlated positively with the presence of neck pain (rs = .229, p = .012), shoulder pain (rs = .183, p = .045), and wrist pain (rs = .350, p < .001). Moreover, the number of playing hours correlated positively with hand pain (rs = .194, p = .034).