A Slippery Rock University faculty-student research team made waves in the field of esports research. Emma Pruett ’26, who graduated in May with a degree in English writing, worked throughout her college career with Seth Jenny, an associate professor of exercise science and a leading expert in esports, before recently publishing research as co-authors.
For Pruett, the collaboration with Jenny has been transformative for her academic and professional growth. Working alongside an established expert allowed her to bridge the gap between classroom theory and real-world application, challenging her to expand her skillset beyond her primary field of study.
“This research not only helped me with advancing my English career, but it also gave me some credibility with psychology and research,” said Pruett, a native of Irwin (Hempfield HS).
Pruett served as a co-author alongside Jenny for a newly published, peer-reviewed academic study in the Journal of Electronic Gaming and Esports. Titled “Competitive Video Game Players Exhibit More Worry-related Anxiety Before and During Gameplay Compared to Casual Gamers,” the study examined potential differences in competitive trait anxiety between competitive and casual video game players.
As an undergraduate researcher, Pruett immersed herself in the esports industry by working with Jenny, who is a founding and current board member of the Esports Research Network while acting as the Associate Editor of the Journal of Electronic Gaming & Esports.
Pruett’s role in the project was earned through a competitive selection process. Recruited through SRU’s Honors College, she was hired by Jenny as an undergraduate research assistant after demonstrating strong academic writing skills and experience producing APA-style research papers. Jenny later invited her to become a research assistant and later join the project.
With Jenny’s research focusing heavily on esports, Pruett initially found herself in unfamiliar territory.
“I personally hadn’t had much experience with esports until he hired me,” Pruett said. “I had a very passing knowledge of it; I play video games but not on a professional level. This was a totally new experience.”
Despite the steep learning curve, she quickly found her footing and took on the critical task of setting the stage for the entire paper by drafting the manuscript’s introduction. She dedicated herself to searching through existing data, learning the nuances of the competitive gaming world and synthesizing complex behavioral concepts into a cohesive foundation to the study.
“The whole point of an introduction is to establish why you want to look into a specific topic, but also to show what evidence there is to support your findings,” Pruett said. “It’s a very crucial step in a study, especially when you’re talking about the psychology of esports athletes.”
The core findings of their study highlight a universal truth about the nature of competition, whether it takes place on a traditional athletic field or in front of a computer monitor. Ultimately, the research underscores that the physiological and psychological demands placed on esports competitors are fundamentally similar to those faced by traditional athletes.
“No matter what kind of athlete you are, you are going to deal with stress,” Pruett noted. “Part of that competitive nature is going to raise your heart rate and your cortisol levels. It’s going to make you feel amped up. These factors are going to directly impact your gameplay.”
Through this collaborative effort, Pruett not only contributed to a growing body of academic literature but also illustrated the power of undergraduate research at SRU. By stepping outside her comfort zone, she gained invaluable experience that will serve as a strong foundation for her future academic and professional pursuits.
