The role of football video games in boosting cognitive abilities critical to football performance

• Published in: Retos (Madrid) 2025 (62), p.802-806
• Main Authors: Swamynathan, Sanjaykumar, Salini, Baby, Udaichi, Karthikeyan, Yoga Lakshmi, Ponnusamy, Kalmykova, Yuliya, Setiawan, Edi, Lobo, Joseph
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: capacidades cognitivas; cognitive abilities; design; diseño mixto; entrenamiento; Football; Fútbol; training; video games; videojuegos
• ISSN: 1579-1726; 1988-2041; 1988-2041

Background and Aim:Football requires rapid decision-making and quick reaction times, crucial cognitive abilitiesthat traditionally develop through physical training. This study explores whether football video games, which simulate real game scenarios, can enhance these cognitive abilities among college-level male football players.Materials and Methods:The study involved 51 football players from SRM Group of Institutions, divided into three groups: regular video game players (Group A), occasional players (Group B), and non-players (Group C). A mixed-methods approach was used, combining quantitative cognitive abilitiestests (decision-making, reaction time, situational awareness). The video game used in the study was eFootball 2024 with participants engaging in gameplay over a period of 6 weeks. Tests were conducted before and after a set period of video game engagement. Data were analyzed using mixed-design ANOVA and Pearson’s correlation.Results:Significant improvements were observed in Group A across all cognitive abilitiestested. Decision-making showed notable group and time effects (F (2, 48) = 5.76, p = 0.005, η²= 0.17; F (1, 48) = 12.54, p < 0.001, η²= 0.25), with interaction effects indicating substantial enhancements over time (F (2, 48) = 3.45, p = 0.035, η²= 0.08). Reaction time and situational awareness followed similar patterns, with significant group, time, and interaction effects. Corre-lation analysis revealed strong interrelations between the cognitive abilities, indicating that improvements in one area positively influ-enced others.Conclusion:Regular engagement with football video games significantly enhances cognitive abilitiesessential for football performance. These findings suggest that integrating video games into training programs could complement traditional methods,of-fering a valuable tool for cognitive development in sports. Antecedentes y objetivo: El fútbol requiere una toma de decisiones rápida y tiempos de reacción rápidos, capacidades cognitivas cruciales que tradicionalmente se desarrollan mediante el entrenamiento físico. Este estudio explora si los videojuegos de fútbol, que simulan escenarios de juego reales, pueden mejorar estas capacidades cognitivas entre los jugadores de fútbol masculino de nivel universitario. Materiales y métodos: En el estudio participaron 51 jugadores de fútbol del Grupo de Instituciones SRM, divididos en tres grupos: jugadores habituales de videojuegos (Grupo A), jugadores ocasionales (Grupo B) y