This study attempts to identify the error-related negativity (ERN) and correct response negativity (CRN) during e-sport video game match (Dota 2). A game environment requires players to make rapid decisions in a dynamic, evolving, and competitive context with no fixed restrictions on the range of possible actions. Combined with the ability to extract relevant information directly from the digital environment, the implementation of this approach may contribute to solving the problem of the ecological validity of experimental design in cognitive neuroscience.
Game recording files were utilized to obtain objective information regarding the timing and characteristics of game situations To implement this approach, work on the synchronization of EEG time series and the obtained dataset was conducted.
A particular type of game situation was selected for analysis, the objective of which is to strike a character controlled by the game algorithm in a timely manner. The ERN and CRN amplitudes were calculated as the difference between the most negative deflection in the -25–150 ms time window, associated with the moment of action completion by the controlled game avatar, and the preceding positive deflection.
The results of the paired t-test showed a significant difference between the amplitudes of ERN and CRN (t(10) = 2.82, p = 0.018). These empirical findings are consistent with observations, primarily obtained in laboratory conditions, indicating that the ERN amplitude is more pronounced in response to errors than the CRN amplitude is in response to correct actions.