The video game industry is booming globally, and the UK market is no exception.
Uswitch estimates that there are nearly 40 million gamers in the country who regularly play across different mediums. This has helped grow the local gaming sector to the point wherein it confidently pursues new avenues of profit, such as esports tournaments, gaming festivals, and more. Recently, the BBC even reported that subscription-based gaming plans have been successfully launched among British gamers. To date, platforms like Netflix Games, Amazon Luna, Apple Arcade, Ubisoft Plus, and Xbox Gamepass have seen impressive growth. Documents from Xbox even reveal that they estimate their subscriber pool will reach 110 million by 2030.
Ultimately, this underscores just how serious Brit gamers have become. With this, many are looking to further enhance their gaming experience through the use of relevant peripherals. Apart from the more usual gaming headsets, chairs, and consoles, which are linked with better playing performance, another tool that’s becoming increasingly relevant of late is blue light glasses. However, while their potential eye-protecting benefits are clear, how much they can impact gaming, in particular, is less so.
What are blue light glasses?
Before anything else, let’s have a refresher on blue light. This is the name for the visible light spectrum emitted by natural and artificial sources, which include the sun and digital devices. Research states that while moderate exposure to this light can help the body regulate critical systems, like body clocks and moods, too much can cause deregulation. With the average screen time exceeding seven hours daily, most people experience blue light overexposure through their eyes. In the long run, this can cause ocular problems like straining, dryness, blurred vision, and more.
This is where blue light glasses come in. Online retailer Glasses Direct showcases how these specs are specifically designed to protect against High Energy Visible (HEV) blue-violet light that gadgets emit. As a result, they create a protective shield that reduces glare and enhances visual comfort. Today, blue light specs can be used with or without prescriptions, meaning even games that don’t need vision correction can still use them. Since they can be worn all day and even come with additional UV filters, they can be used by gamers who are on the go. This is what sets them apart from other protective aids, like blue light screen protectors. For instance, products like Ocushield are useful in that they can be applied directly onto monitors to prevent blue light penetration. However, they’re limited by the fact that they’re stuck directly onto the gadget. Meanwhile, since blue light eyewear is worn by the gamer, they can provide continuous protection no matter what device or console is used.
How can they help gamers?
So, do these glasses actually improve player performance? Yes and no. On one hand, blue light glasses can help address several gamer concerns that impact how their play goes. For example, if a gamer is into fast-paced FPS games like Valorant, they understand that reaction time is key to success. After all, Valorant follows a 5v5 setup similar to CounterStrike, except this one has Agents with a variety of abilities. As such, any delayed reactions can quickly lead to missed opportunities and even player deaths that can affect rankings. Many things can cause this poor reaction time, but one common reason is ocular strain due to too much screen time. As a matter of fact, this problem is so prevalent among gamers that up to 18% of professional esports athletes have even been found to regularly struggle with this. As such, with protective glasses that can help reduce this strain, it’s easy to see how gamers would be able to react to important in-game situations better.
Having said this, it’s important to make the distinction that these glasses don’t necessarily mean a gamer automatically becomes more skilled. Like any hobby or passion, gaming performance depends on how much time and effort a person puts into it. This is why you’ll see that even the best pro gamers, like Denmark’s N0tail, South Korea’s Faker, and even the UK’s own Wolfiez, clock serious training hours both in and out of competition season. So, if you’re a serious or avid gamer who wants to enhance your talent, it helps to invest in the right gear and regular practise.
