Task context and player expertise modulate arm EMG linked to win-loss outcomes in esports

Bibliographic Data

ID21561961
AuthorsSorato Minami (0000-0002-0611-0994, corresponding author), Ken Watanabe (0000-0002-3035-1333, University of Human Environments), Naoki Saijo (0000-0001-6596-7122), Makio Kashino (0000-0002-4354-6690)
Year2026
Volume175
Pages108850
Publication date2026-02-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueComputers in Human Behavior (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0747-5632 • E-ISSN: 1873-7692
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.chb.2025.108850
OpenAlexW4415569455
LanguageEN
References cited42

Explicit task cues and motivational context shape motor performance, yet the influence in naturalistic competitive settings remains underexplored. Laboratory tasks typically use discrete cues and monetary rewards, while real-world competition is driven by dynamic state feedback and win-loss incentives. Expertise modulates adaptability in these competitive contexts. Nevertheless, whether naturalistic explicit task cues and motivation alter the muscle activity underlying motor performance and whether such effects are expertise-dependent remain unclear. To investigate this, we used a fighting video game (FVG) as a naturalistic visuomotor task. We obscure real-time assessments of advantage or disadvantage by hiding the on-screen hit-point (HP) bar and reduced motivation by removing win-loss declarations. Arm electromyographic (EMG) activity was recorded in advanced and intermediate players across three conditions: normal gameplay, no HP bar, and training mode. We tested whether these manipulations changed performance-linked arm EMG and whether the effects differed between advanced and intermediate players. Under normal conditions, arm EMG was higher for wins than losses in both groups. When the HP bar was hidden, the win-related EMG increase persisted in advanced players but disappeared in intermediates. After competitive outcomes were removed, no EMG differences were observed in either group. These results show that task context shapes performance-linked muscle activity in a naturalistic competitive setting, and expertise buffers explicit cue loss. Our findings may generalize to dynamic, real-world tasks such as sports training, rehabilitation, and tactical simulation. Further, EMG could serve as a tool for assessing how control policies adapt to task demands

Task Analysis · Action Observation and Synchronization · Motor Control and Adaptation · Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies

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