Application of e-sports instruments to develop interaction and reaction skills in military training
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31652/3041-2463/2025-3-10Keywords:
e-sports, military personnel, cognitive skills, team interaction, simulation trainers, reaction timeAbstract
Topicality. Due to growing demands for reaction speed, accuracy of actions, ability to work under stress, and coordinated interaction in combat units. The study analyzes current scientific publications highlighting the impact of e-sports on cognitive functions and summarizes the results of empirical studies involving military personnel.
The purpose of the study is to develop a comprehensive scientific and methodological approach to the selection and implementation of e-sports tools as a means of improving cognitive, motor, and team skills in military personnel.
Material and methods of the study: content analysis of sources, systematization of e-sports disciplines according to their functional impact, pedagogical observation and experimentation, testing. Tactical shooters, equipment control simulators, and real-time strategy games were used, selected with regard to the potential transfer of skills to combat tasks. Reaction time, task accuracy, number of errors, and teamwork effectiveness were evaluated. Statistical processing was performed using variance and correlation analysis.
Results of the study. Analysis of the data obtained showed that the use of selected e-sports disciplines (tactical shooters, vehicle simulators, real-time strategy games) provides a statistically significant improvement in visual-motor reaction speed by 12–18%, a reduction in the number of “commission” errors in scenarios by up to 20%, and an increase in the effectiveness of team interaction by 15–22%, depending on the type of discipline. Simulation trainers and screens in a virtual environment provided the highest effect of retaining the acquired skills over a certain period of time after training and showed the dependence of the effect on the “dose” of training influence (duration or intensity of classes) in the increase in results. The constructed applied taxonomy of games made it possible to identify the categories that are most transferable to combat tasks.
Conclusions. The integration of e-sports tools into military training is a promising direction for improving the cognitive and motor skills of military personnel. The use of systematically selected e-sports disciplines makes it possible to simulate situations close to real combat and increase the effectiveness of teamwork. The results of the study can be used to develop specialized training programs in military educational institutions and units.
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