Analysis of Matchmaking Optimization Systems Potential in Mobile eSports

Matchmaking systems are one of the core features of experience in online gaming. They influence player satisfaction, engagement, and churn risk. The paper looks into the current state of the theoretical and practical implementation of such systems in the mobile gaming industry. We propose a basic classification of matchmaking systems into random and quasi-random, skill-based, role-based, technical factor-based, and engagement based. We also offer an analysis of matchmaking systems in 16 leading mobile Esport games. The dominant industry solution is skill and rank based systems with a different level of skill depth measurement. In the further part of the paper, we present a theoretical model of engagement and a time-optimized model

Detecting Metagame Shifts in League of Legends Using Unsupervised Learning

Over the many years since their inception, the complexity of video games has risen considerably. With this increase in complexity comes an increase in the number of possible choices for players and increased difficultly for developers who try to balance the effectiveness of these choices. In this thesis we demonstrate that unsupervised learning can give game developers extra insight into their own games, providing them with a tool that can potentially alert them to problems faster than they would otherwise be able to find. Specifically, we use DBSCAN to look at League of Legends and the metagame players have formed with their choices and attempt to detect when the metagame shifts possibly giving the developer insight into what changes they should affect to achieve a more balanced, fun game

Exploring player experience and social networks in MOBA Games: The case of League of Legends

A pesar de la popularidad de los juegos de arena de combate multijugador en línea (MOBA en inglés) como League of Legends (LoL), tanto la experiencia de jugador (PE) que proporciona este género relativamente reciente como las redes sociales que se generan a su alrededor siguen, en gran medida, inexplorados. Con el incremento del tiempo que los jugadores dedican a este tipo de juegos competitivos en línea, los impactos positivos y negativos de hacerlo cobran relevancia; es, por lo tanto, importante entender cómo se estructura dicha experiencia para abordar de forma sistemática los mecanismos que desencadenan respuestas de los jugadores. El presente trabajo empieza obteniendo y caracterizando una muestra de jugadores de League of Legends y sigue con el uso de las variables resultantes y de la estructura de las relaciones sociales como entradas para explorar su relación con la experiencia de los jugadores. Al fin y al cabo, la PE es básica para involucrar al jugador y, por lo tanto, es clave para el éxito de cualquier juego digital. Los resultados muestran, entre otros, cómo los jugadores de League of Legends perciben el juego como “justo” para su nivel de competencia en cualquier rango, mientras que su afinidad respecto a los compañeros se ve afectada por la estructura social. La empatía y los sentimientos negativos, no obstante, no parecen verse afectados por la composición del equipo. Entender la experiencia del jugador en League of Legends puede no tan sólo ser útil para mejorar el propio LoL o los juegos de tipo MOBA, sino también para desarrollar juegos más inmersivos a la vez que se mejora su calidad. A medida que los juegos competitivos online se convierten rápidamente en una de las mayores actividades colectivas humanas a nivel global, la investigación sobre la experiencia del jugador adquiere también una importancia crucial

Analyzing the effect of tcp and server population on massively multiplayer games

Many Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) use TCP flows for communication between the server and the game clients. The utilization of TCP, which was not initially designed for (soft) real-time services, has many implications for the competing traffic flows. In this paper we present a series of studies which explore the competition between MMORPG and other traffic flows. For that aim, we first extend a source-based traffic model, based on player’s activities during the day, to also incorporate the impact of the number of players sharing a server (server population) on network traffic. Based on real traffic traces, we statistically model the influence of the variation of the server’s player population on the network traffic, depending on the action categories (i.e., types of in-game player behaviour). Using the developed traffic model we prove that while server population only modifies specific action categories, this effect is significant enough to be observed on the overall traffic. We find that TCP Vegas is a good option for competing flows in order not to throttle the MMORPG flows and that TCP SACK is more respectful with game flows than other TCP variants, namely, Tahoe, Reno, and New Reno. Other tests show that MMORPG flows do not significantly reduce their sending window size when competing against UDP flows. Additionally, we study the effect of RTT unfairness between MMORPG flows, showing that it is less important than in the case of network-limited TCP flows

Player retention in league of legends: A study using survival analysis

© 2018 ACM. Multi-player online esports games are designed for extended durations of play, requiring substantial experience to master. Furthermore, esports game revenues are increasingly driven by in-game purchases. For esports companies, the trends in players leaving their games therefore not only provide information about potential problems in the user experience, but also impacts revenue. Being able to predict when players are about to leave the game-churn prediction-is therefore an important solution for companies in the rapidly growing esports sector, as this allows them to take action to remedy churn problems. The objective of the work presented here is to understand the impact of specific behavioral characteristics on the likelihood of a player continuing to play the esports title League of Legends. Here, a solution to the problem is presented based on the application of survival analysis, using Mixed Effects Cox Regression, to predict player churn. Survival Analysis forms a useful approach for the churn prediction problem as it provides rates as well as an assessment of the characteristics of players who are at risk of leaving the game. Hazard rates are also presented for the leading indicators, with results showing that duration between matches played is a strong indicator of potential churn

Antagonism within online brand communities

Perceived benefits of brand community participation, engagement and value co-creation have been underlined in past marketing researches. However, recent research papers have directed focus to outbreak of tensions within these communities. This study illuminates the characteristics of antagonistic consumers who incite communal conflicts and their interactions with the rest of the community. Netnographic methods were employed in conducting the research and the drama that happens within an online game brand community was chosen as the research context. Three groups of antagonistic consumers were identified, including trolls, hostile purists and crusaders. As a response to antagonists’ transgression, the community engages in a continuous learning process, develop new interpretations of brand meanings, habitualise deviant behaviours, as well as devise a resistance mechanism. The study suggests implications on value co-creation process and the role that antagonistic consumption has in the continuation of brand community. It also offers insights to marketers to leverage brand relationship that can help them handle antagonism

Choosing a Side: How do Players Pick a Game when Entering the MOBA Genre?

Despite their immense popularity in the gaming industry, Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) games are notorious for creating a divide among gamers, with their millions of daily players often deciding to play only one game in the genre - a trait which is certainly uncommon in comparison to other genres. Through the use of semi-structured interviews with players from four different MOBAs, this paper explores not only the features present in MOBA games which encourage players to pick them up, but also the often subtle differences in community, mechanics, and psychology between games within the genre, all of which play a significant part in both enticing new players, and forcing them to transition to another game early on in the process

BPCoach: Exploring Hero Drafting in Professional MOBA Tournaments via Visual Analytics

Hero drafting for multiplayer online arena (MOBA) games is crucial because drafting directly affects the outcome of a match. Both sides take turns to "ban"/"pick" a hero from a roster of approximately 100 heroes to assemble their drafting. In professional tournaments, the process becomes more complex as teams are not allowed to pick heroes used in the previous rounds with the "best-of-N" rule. Additionally, human factors including the team's familiarity with drafting and play styles are overlooked by previous studies. Meanwhile, the huge impact of patch iteration on drafting strengths in the professional tournament is of concern. To this end, we propose a visual analytics system, BPCoach, to facilitate hero drafting planning by comparing various drafting through recommendations and predictions and distilling relevant human and in-game factors. Two case studies, expert feedback, and a user study suggest that BPCoach helps determine hero drafting in a rounded and efficient manner.Comment: Accepted by The 2024 ACM SIGCHI Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work & Social Computing (CSCW) (Proc. CSCW 2024

Carrying forward Uses and Grat 2.0: A study of new gratifications for F2P games based on APEX Legends

This study employed a Uses and Gratifications (U&G) theoretical framework (MAIN model) to investigate the effects of virtual items in free-to-play (F2P) games on players\u27 satisfaction. Additionally, this study tried to investigate extra satisfaction that players get in the process of consuming virtual items. A mixed-method survey in China with a sample size of 265 participants was utilized to test the research questions. The findings of the study revealed significant variations in satisfaction related to personalization and sociality level between free players and paying players, and the degree was positively correlated with the in-game spending level. In addition, one satisfaction not included in prior research on video games—superiority—was found through qualitative data analysis. Keywords: Virtual items, free-to-play, purchase, Uses and gratifications (U&G