---
title: "Caffeine Sharpens FPS Aim and Reaction Time"
url: https://stacklist.com/card/992cc69f-abce-44bd-b7d8-b1e8581fba4c
source_url: "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39055173"
stack: https://stacklist.com/c/wellness/stack/f2eedf5e-26d1-4fb4-9246-f3b127aed0e5
summary: "Caffeine supplementation significantly enhances shooting performance and reaction time in first-person shooter esports players across multiple dose levels. The study of 24 FPS players found that both 1 mg/kg and 3 mg/kg caffeine doses improved static clicking scores, hit rates, reactive tracking accuracy, and vigilance compared to a water control."
tags: "caffeine, esports, fps-games, reaction-time, performance-enhancement, ergogenic-aids"
key_entities: "caffeine supplementation (concept), KovaaK's FPS aim trainer (technology), first-person shooter esports (concept), psychomotor vigilance test (concept), Rogers (person), Trotter (person), Johnson (person), Desbrow (person), King (person)"
classification: "analysis"
content_hash: "sha256:deff8be0f612746514abdb38094fa6f2a687e5d951b846c8c72a202f88dcf4bb"
acp_version: "0.2"
token_counts_approximate: 1275
visibility: public
agent_accessible: true
status: "final"
---

# Caffeine Sharpens FPS Aim and Reaction Time

Full text links Cite Display options Display options Format Abstract PubMed PMID Linked Discoveries Abstract Caffeine is recognized as one of the most effective dietary ergogenic aids in sports, yet its evidence-based effectiveness in esports is unclear. This study investigated the effects of two different doses of caffeine on the shooting performance and reaction time of 24 first-person shooter (FPS) esports players (22 men, 2 women; age = 22.29 ± 2.91 years). Participants completed three experimental trials in which they consumed either a water control (CON), a 1 mg·kg -1 BM (CAF1) or a 3 mg·kg -1 BM (CAF3) dose of caffeine. Performance measures (e.g., score, accuracy (%), hit rate (hits/sec), and shots fired) were assessed in a static clicking and reactive tracking style task on the KovaaK's FPS aim trainer. Reaction time was used to assess vigilance on the psychomotor vigilance test (PVT). Performance was measured at four time points in each trial: pre-treatment (PRE), 60 min (POST1), 80 min (POST2), and 100 min (POST3) post-treatment. Significant differences were identified using repeated-measures analysis of variances. Caffeine, irrespective of dose, significantly improved performance compared to CON for static clicking score and hit rate, reactive tracking accuracy, and reaction time on the PVT. Significant interactions between treatment and time were identified and post hoc analyses showed that compared to CON, CAF1 significantly improved static clicking score at POST1 and POST3, static clicking hit rate at POST1, reactive tracking accuracy at POST1, POST2, and POST3, and reaction time on the PVT at POST1 and POST2. Post hoc analysis also showed that compared to CON, CAF3 significantly improved static clicking score, reactive tracking accuracy, and reaction time on the PVT at all time points, in addition to static clicking hit rate at POST1 and POST3. In summary, caffeine supplementation enhances the shooting performance and reaction time of FPS esports players. Keywords: caffeine; esports; esports performance; first-person shooter (FPS); reaction time; video game. © 2024 Rogers, Trotter, Johnson, Desbrow and King. PubMed Disclaimer Conflict of interest statement The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. Figures Figure 1 Experimental Trial Procedure. Figure 1 Experimental Trial Procedure. Figure 1 Experimental Trial Procedure. Figure 2 Static Clicking (1wall6targets TE) KovaaK's… Figure 2 Static Clicking (1wall6targets TE) KovaaK's Shooting Task. Figure 2 Static Clicking (1wall6targets TE) KovaaK's Shooting Task. Figure 3 Reactive Tracking (1wall5targets pasu track… Figure 3 Reactive Tracking (1wall5targets pasu track invincible) KovaaK's Shooting Task. Figure 3 Reactive Tracking (1wall5targets pasu track invincible) KovaaK's Shooting Task. Figure 4 ( A ) Static clicking… Figure 4 ( A ) Static clicking mean scores across time for each treatment. ( … Figure 4 ( A ) Static clicking mean scores across time for each treatment. ( B ) Static clicking mean hit rate (hits/sec) across time for each treatment. ( C ) Reactive tracking mean accuracy (%) across time for each treatment. ( D ) PVT mean reaction time (ms) across time for each treatment. Score = shots hit ÷ accuracy (%); Hit rate (hits/sec) = shots hit ÷ 60 s; Accuracy (%) = shots hit ÷ shots fired × 100; Error Bars indicate SEM. CON: Control; CAF1: 1 mg per kg BM caffeine dose; CAF3: 3 mg per kg BM caffeine dose; a Significantly different to CON treatment at that time point ( p < .05). b Significantly different to CON treatment at that time point ( p < .01). c Significantly different to CON treatment at that time point ( p < .001). See this image and copyright information in PMC References Formosa J, O'Donnell N, Horton EM, Türkay S, Mandryk RL, Hawks M, et al. Definitions of esports: a systematic review and thematic analysis. Proc ACM Hum-Comput Interact. (2022) 6:1–45. 10.1145/3549490 - DOI Arguedas-Soley A, Townsend I, Hengist A, Betts J. Acute caffeine supplementation and live match-play performance in team-sports: a systematic review (2000–2021). J Sports Sci. (2022) 40(7):717–32. 10.1080/02640414.2021.2003559 - DOI - PubMed Jiménez SL, Díaz-Lara J, Pareja-Galeano H, Del Coso J. Caffeinated drinks and physical performance in sport: a systematic review. Nutrients. (2021) 13(9):2944. 10.3390/nu13092944 - DOI - PMC - PubMed Salinero JJ, Lara B, Del Coso J. Effects of acute ingestion of caffeine on team sports performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Research in Sports Medicine. (2019) 27(2):238–56. 10.1080/15438627.2018.1552146 - DOI - PubMed Southward K, Rutherfurd-Markwick KJ, Ali A. The effect of acute caffeine ingestion on endurance performance: a systematic review and meta–analysis. Sports Med. (2018) 48(8):1913–28. 10.1007/s40279-018-0939-8 - DOI - PubMed Show all 47 references LinkOut - more resources Full Text Sources Frontiers Media SA PubMed Central Miscellaneous NCI CPTAC Assay Portal