Research
Investigations work through the studies. Essays argue a position. Field notes are short reports on a single finding.
Reaction
Reaction time, perception, aim and the neuroscience of a gunfight.
Pharmacology
Caffeine, L-theanine, nicotine, nootropics and peptides, graded on human evidence.
Can You Buy 38 Milliseconds?
Caffeine, L-theanine and the tired brain. What controlled trials in FPS players and sleep-deprived adults actually measured, in milliseconds, and why the biggest numbers come with the biggest caveats.
Pharmacology, 14 min readClutch Round Pharmacology: Pouches and Performance Under Pressure
Capsules are a pre-match decision. Pouches can be used between maps, mid-session or before a decider. A look at nicotine and L-theanine pouches, what the absorption data show, and why arousal follows a curve, not a line.
Pharmacology, 12 min readPeptides and Cognitive Enhancement: Science or Speculation?
Semax, Selank, Dihexa. Nootropic peptides are sold online with claims of neuroplasticity and laser focus. What the human evidence actually contains, and why the gap between mechanism and proof is so wide.
Pharmacology, 9 min readRecovery
Sleep, circadian timing and the true cost of a twelve-hour day.
Is Sleep the Most Underrated Performance Enhancer in Esports?
One night without sleep slowed ranked players by 48.6 ms and multiplied their lapses fivefold. Their match results did not change. What the sleep research actually says about competitive play, and why the damage hides where players are not looking.
Recovery, 13 min readThe Biological Cost of Playing 12 Hours a Day
Becoming elite takes enormous practice volume. Past a certain point, extra hours start borrowing from the sleep, movement and recovery that turn practice into skill. Where the trade-off sits, and what the evidence can and cannot say.
Recovery, 11 min readPhysiology
Hormones, fitness, glucose and the body behind the mouse hand.
Does Testosterone Matter in Competitive Gaming?
Higher testosterone, faster reactions, more dominance in the server. The idea is everywhere in optimisation culture. The best trials, including one in 493 men, tell a far less flattering story.
Physiology, 10 min readCould an Esports Athlete Train Like an Olympian?
Olympic programmes plan load, recovery and peaking down to the week. Esports mostly plans around the queue. An essay on periodisation, exercise timing and what sports science could bring to competitive gaming.
Physiology, 10 min readLongevity
What high-level gaming does for memory, attention and the ageing brain.