## 6 Limitations  
Despite our comprehensive research design, there are certain limitations in this study that need to be addressed. A significant constraint is the absence of direct supervision of participants' activities throughout the study. Although participants were instructed to maintain their regular routines, the absence of continuous monitoring outside the research setting introduces some uncertainty regarding their adherence to these instructions. The monitoring we conducted was part of the SSQ, which included questions regarding simulator usage, well-being, level of physical health, health conditions, sleep, and alcohol consumption. Another limitation stems from the reliance on self-reported measures, especially the questionnaires used for data collection. Self-report methods are susceptible to various biases, including social desirability and recall biases, which can skew participants' responses and affect the study's overall validity. Moreover, the timing of the \"post\" measurement for the VR group, taken 30 min after their last session, presents a potential confounding factor. This timing could reflect the immediate cognitive and physical stimulation effects, complicating the interpretation of the long-term cognitive benefits of VR training. Another issue is the challenge of measuring the impact of minimal interventions and identifying the minimum intervention necessary to induce cognitive change. Addressing this is crucial for advancing our understanding of the effectiveness and mechanisms of VR-based interventions in cognitive therapy. This investigation is essential for establishing clearer insights into the efficacy of VR-based cognitive training methods. Another limitation is the specific sample population of amateur e-athletes, which may limit generalizability. Professional players may experience diminished cognitive gains due to prior training, while non-gamers or older individuals may benefit more from VR interventions. Future research should examine VR's effectiveness across diverse skill levels and demographics to broaden its applicability. The use of passive control groups is also a limitation, which, while serving as a baseline for comparison, may not fully account for engagement-related factors that could influence cognitive performance. Given the dynamic nature of esports and video games, a more active control condition, such as non-VR cognitive training, could provide additional insight into whether the observed improvements in the VR groups stem from the immersive nature of VR itself or general cognitive engagement. Future research should consider incorporating an active control group to better differentiate the specific benefits of VR-based training from broader training effects. The following supporting information can be downloaded at: [[https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/app1508436/sl](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/app1508436/sl)]([https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/app1508436/sl](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/app1508436/sl)), Table S1: Results of Bonferroni post-hoc comparisons between groups in pre tests presented as \(p\)-values. Conceptualization, M.L., A.S.-P., D.J. and G.Z. ; Methodology, M.L., A.K.-L. and G.Z. ; Software, M.L. and G.Z. ; Validation, M.L., A.K.-L., D.J. and G.Z. ; Formal analysis, M.L., A.S.-P. and G.Z. ; Investigation, M.L., D.J. and G.Z. ; Resources, M.L., A.S.-P., A.K.-L., D.J. and G.Z. ; Data curation, M.L., A.S.-P. and G.Z. ; Writing--original draft, M.L., A.K.-L., D.J. and G.Z. ; Writing--review & editing, M.L. and G.Z. ; Visualization, M.L., A.S.-P. and G.Z. ; Supervision, M.L., A.K.-L., D.J. and G.Z. ; Project administration, M.L., A.S.-P., A.K.-L., D.J. and G.Z. ; Funding acquisition, M.L. and G.Z. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. This research received no external funding. **Institutional Review Board Statement:** The study was carried out in full accordance with the ethical standards of the Helsinki Declaration of 1964 and its subsequent amendments.