How Exercise Transforms Esports Athletes | Dr. Mitch Nicholson

In this episode of Mindclickers, we sit down with Dr. Mitchell Nicholson - Accredited Exercise Physiologist, Esports researcher, and former Australian National Hockey Team Athlete to break down the future of Esports performance and research.

Mitch completed his PhD at Queensland University of Technology, exploring the physiological demands of competitive esports, mental health, cognitive fatigue, and how structured exercise can transform long-term player wellbeing. His mission is to build the first evidence-based physical activity guidelines for esports athletes.

Together, we dive into burnout, sleep, behaviour change, tracking heart rate under pressure, esports cultural differences, cognitive 1%ers, the future of the industry, and where research is headed next.


00:00 – Intro
01:00 – Intro to Dr Mitchell Nicholson
03:40 – What led to his interest in esports?
05:15 – Current research with Dr Dylan Poulus
06:30 – Addressing mental health in esports
08:30 – The next 10 years of esports
11:00 – Changing the narrative of behaviour change in esports
16:10 – Managing burnout
19:20 – Regional cultural differences in esports
20:50 – Heart rate & physiological tracking
26:35 – Cognitive performance 1%ers
27:35 – Sleep hygiene
30:30 – Exercise modes for esports players
34:40 – Cognitive development
38:00 – The next generation of esports
41:20 – Future research considerations
44:20 – Gamification in esports
47:00 – Rapid-fire questions
53:40 – Final exercise advice

Mindclickers explores the intersection of esports, performance science, psychology, and high-performance coaching. Hosted by Lachlan Parker, Mindclickers brings together world-class players, coaches, researchers, and performance staff to break down the systems behind elite gaming.

Dr. Mitchell Nicholson
QUT Research Profile: https://research.qut.edu.au/epowr/people/mitchell-nicholson/