Abstract
Super Smash Bros Ultimate (SSBU) is a prominent title in the expanding Esports industry, whereby players are potentially placed under unique neurophysiological demands that have been partially attributed to enhanced blood flow. Moreoever, the influence of player skill and tournament-specific situations on these outcomes are sparsely described. PURPOSE: to examine the within- and between-group differences in heart rate (HR) between elite-level (5 ES; internationally-ranked) and casual (6 CAS; plays > 4 hr/wk) SSBU players throughout their participation in double-elimination tournaments. METHODS: After screening and baseline assessments, participant HRs were fitted with an H10 Polar chest-based monitor and individual HR values were sampled every 30-seconds throughout their individual tournament participation. Independent and dependent T-tests were employed to assess potential between-group (ES vs CAS) and within-group bracket phase (Winners versus Losers) mean HR differences. Furthermore, separate one-way ANOVA with repeated measures were employed to analyse within-group mean HR differences across games (games 1-5; combined best-of-three and -five sets), whereby all statistical tests were performed at p<.05. RESULTS: Analyses demonstrated that overall ES mean HR was significantly higher than CAS (p<.001; Cohen’s D=1.70; 140±19bpm vs 107±18bpm, respectively) across tournament play. HR values were also higher in the Winners versus Losers bracket phases (p<.001; Cohen’s D=.106) amongst ES participants, but equivocal in CAS (p=.257). Finally, analyses detected significant within-group game differences for both CAS and ES (both p<.001; [CAS] ηp2=.644, [ES] ηp2=.679). CAS specifically demonstrated that games 3-5 mean HR were all higher than Games 1 and 2 (p<.05 in all cases). Conversely, ES-specific games 4 and 5 mean HR values were higher than all other games, whereby games 1 and 3 were both higher than game 2 (all p<.05). CONCLUSION: These data showcase higher relative HR in more skilled players throughout SSBU competition, ultimately corroborating previous literature that describes the unique high-stakes tournament context. Nevertheless, bracket phase and game-specific HR effects are less clear and warrant additional investigations that ideally assess subjective player experiences.
Recommended Citation
Costa, Bailee; Jacobo-ceja, Briant; Harris, Dillon; McFadden, Zachary R.; and Machek, Steven B.
(2025)
"Heart Rate Differences Between Elite and Casual Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Players Across Tournament Phases,"
International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 14:
Iss.
5, Article 37.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol14/iss5/37