I'm gonna level with you guys: I've never really been one for football or, as it happens, the FIFA games. I've got nothing against them, of course, they've just never really interested me. With that said, I have noticed a few things about the EA-published franchise, mostly during my time observing friends playing the games over the years.
First and foremost, FIFA has always seemed super stressful to me. Like, I've seen friends punch walls and scream at each other over sweaty goals, with most matches reaching their final moments in a hail of confusion and angry swearing. It's scary stuff, but if that's how people wanna get their kicks? Fair enough.
One thing I never would have suspected, however, is that FIFA could ever reasonably be described as good for your health. But as it turns out? It might just be.
That's according to a new study conducted by researchers at The University Of Leeds, in collaboration with Casino.org. While attempting to uncover what goes in inside the body and mind during a game of FIFA sounds like a dangerous expedition in the darkest recesses of the soul, results actually showed a reduction in stress and anxiety for all participants.
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Moreover, playing the game in certain conditions could actually lead to heart rate levels raising to the equivalent of a "moderate workout". Does this mean FIFA might actually be... good for us?
"When a goal was scored there was a spike in heart rate, this tended to be higher when the opposition scored which is indicative of a surge in emotion," a press release explained of the findings. "All players demonstrated an increase in heart rate whilst playing the game. Heart rate responses were more elevated across the board when playing against an unknown player, reaching levels of a moderate cardio workout when goals were scored on either side."
It also sounds as if blood pressure was elevated after games with unknown players, indicating a "level of anxiety and frustration". 70% of participants had an elevated heart rate for the duration of the game once the opposition had scored. Yet in spite of all this, all participants reported a reduction in state anxiety post-playing. Perhaps FIFA is just a really good way to get the rage out and blow off steam?
"Playing against an unknown player who really exists clearly caused a higher level of arousal, and goals scored against participants in those games had a marked impact on heart rate," the research continues. "The heart rate spikes in this condition approached up to 140 beats per minute, indicating a real surge in emotional activity when a goal is scored. This kind of escalation is comparative to what individuals within our participant's age range would see when engaging in a moderate cardio work-out such as a brisk walk (around 135 BPM)."
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"Despite blood pressure and heart rate results both indicating a surge in emotional activity and rage when playing the game, participants across the board pre and post all indicated a decline in anxiety. This shows that despite the commonality of experiencing "FIFA Rage", playing the game can actually reduce the players' perception of stress and anxiety."
There we go then. Maybe I should actually start playing FIFA? Then again, Bloodborne fills me with white-hot rage, so maybe sticking to that should be my workout routine from now on?
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