Red is best for online shooters, say scientists

Research carried out by scientists from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark has apparently concluded that the colour of the team a player is on may affect chances of winning - relative skill levels aside.

Having studied the results from 1347 online matches, the research found that 55 per cent of the matches were won by the red team - leading the team's neuroscientist Mihai Moldovan to conclude that the colour red "may act as a psychological distractor for men, possibly because men flush and turn red when they are angry," reports USA Today.

But the results, which were published in the Cyberpsychology & Behavior journal, won't prompt any changes in game design, according to Epic's Mark Rein:

"While this is really an interesting analysis, the notion of red team versus blue team has been ingrained in the Unreal Tournament series for years. We don't anticipate any immediate changes to team colours," he said.