University of Essex - Wheezy money

June 17, 2010

Computer gamers have similar reaction times to fighter pilots, according to a study looking at a new generation of "cyber-sportsmen" whose success can earn them tens of thousands of pounds in prize money and sponsorship. However, the research, carried out by Dominic Micklewright, lecturer in sports and exercise psychology at the University of Essex, found that the fitness levels of gamers were "worryingly" low. One leading gamer in his twenties tested by Dr Micklewright appeared to be slim and healthy, with a physique not dissimilar to that of an endurance athlete, but had the lung function and aerobic fitness of a 60-year-old chain-smoker.

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