Could CBD Level-Up Your Game?

The gaming community is growing exponentially, from people playing casually with friends, to professional esport competitors, all of whom are contributing to the phenomenal 1.8 billion (US) dollar industry. Especially with the lockdown conditions of Covid-19, the gaming industry has seen a huge surge in revenue and time spent video gaming- increasing by double digits in all regions. The increased amount of time spent gaming can sometimes lead to health problems; frequent players often report physical aches and pains, altered sleep cycles, stress and anxiety. Many of these health problems can be caused by the prolonged periods of time spent at a console or in front of a screen.

Physical aches and pains from gaming can manifest themselves in a variety of forms including carpal tunnel syndrome, gamer’s thumb, and tennis elbow. Avid gamers can sometimes fall prone to these problems which cause inflamed muscles, nerves, or tendons due to overuse. Whilst cannabidiol (CBD) cannot cure the underlying damage caused by carpal tunnel syndrome, gamer’s thumb or tennis elbow, it may help to reduce overall swelling and it has been shown in studies to relieve inflammation (Petrosino et al., 2018). Research on CBD has also shown that the Cannabis sativa extract may, in some cases, be beneficial as a method of pain-relief (Boychuk, Goddard, Mauro and Orellana, 2015). Using CBD as a form of pain management could help to relieve pain from gaming conditions, enabling players to be more stress-free and relaxed throughout the natural healing process. It is important to note that using CBD as a method of pain management for acute pain will not result in instant healing; users should be aware that any decrease in pain does not equate to a fully healed injury.

There are ongoing scientific debates as to whether video games induce stress or whether they help to manage and reduce it (Porter and Goolkasian, 2019). The answer to this debate perhaps depends on the level of investment that the player has in the game (Geslin, Bouchard and Richir, 2021). Players who spend less time gaming or who only play for recreational and social purposes, for example, are less likely to get stressed during play compared to high stakes players or career gamers. Evidence points towards CBD having a calming effect on the central nervous system (Shannon, Lewis, Lee and Hughes, 2019). Taking CBD before gaming may help pre-emptively mitigate stressful feelings, this is due to the fact that CBD is a neurotransmitter that will bind to receptors in the brain. These bindings displace any anxiety inducing neurotransmitters and stop them from binding to the receptor, which helps to restore equilibrium in the brain. A recent study determined that video games do affect the stress system, in addition to the cognitive system of humans depending on the game style. Fear inciting games, which feature genres such as, survival, action, and psychological horror are more prone to eliciting feelings of stress and tension. The research also demonstrated that the type and level of stress triggered in the players depend on the game style (Aliyari et al., 2021).

Esport competitions have closely monitored regulations regarding doping. Competitions adhere to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) list of prohibited substances; players found breaking these regulations could find themselves (and their teammates) banned from competing. Cannabidiol is the only cannabinoid compound found in cannabis permitted in esport competitions. Although WADA has removed CBD from its list of prohibited substances it is still advised that competitors using the extract choose CBD products carefully as some broad-spectrum products contain low levels of THC which is still a banned substance in esports competitions.

As the number of gamers increases and the industry grows, player gaming injuries will become more prevalent; extracts such as CBD may prove useful in mitigating these issues. Cannabidiol could, in some cases, also aid with the reduction of stress created when playing video games. Especially at high levels of competitive esports, there is an intense amount of pressure on the players to perform; now that WADA has approved CBD for use in competitions it may be able to minimise players’ feelings of stress and anxiety while gaming.

References:

Aliyari, H., Sahraei, H., Daliri, M., Minaei-Bidgoli, B., Kazemi, M., Agaei, H., Sahraei, M., Seyed Hosseini, S., Hadipour, M., Mohammadi, M. and Dehghanimohammadabadi, Z., (2021) The Beneficial or Harmful Effects of Computer Game Stress on Cognitive Functions of Players.

Boychuk, D., Goddard, G., Mauro, G. and Orellana, M., (2015) The Effectiveness of Cannabinoids in the Management of Chronic Nonmalignant Neuropathic Pain: A Systematic Review. Journal of Oral & Facial Pain and Headache, Vol 29(1), pp.7-14.

Geslin, E., Bouchard, S. and Richir, S., (2021) [online] Psychologicalsciences.unimelb.edu.au. Available at: <https://psychologicalsciences.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/3522579/Santamaria-2011.pdf#page=67> [Accessed 19 July 2021].

Petrosino, S., Verde, R., Vaia, M., Allarà, M., Iuvone, T. and Di Marzo, V., (2018) Anti-inflammatory Properties of Cannabidiol, a Nonpsychotropic Cannabinoid, in Experimental Allergic Contact Dermatitis. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 365(3), pp.652-663.

Porter, A. and Goolkasian, P., (2019) Video Games and Stress: How Stress Appraisals and Game Content Affect Cardiovascular and Emotion Outcomes Frontiers in Psychology, p.10.

Shannon, S., Lewis, N., Lee, H. and Hughes, S., (2019) Cannabidiol in Anxiety and Sleep: A Large Case Series. The Permanente Journal, [online] 23. Available at: <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6326553/> [Accessed 28 July 2021].

https://www.statista.com/topics/8016/covid-19-impact-on-the-gaming-industry-worldwide/ 16.07.21

https://www.statista.com/statistics/490522/global-esports-market-revenue/  16.07.21

Author: Sally Dempster