Individual Performance in Team-Based Online Games

Royal Society Open Science, 5(6): 180329. 2018

14 Pages Posted: 9 Feb 2020

See all articles by Anna Sapienza

Anna Sapienza

University of Southern California - Information Sciences Institute

Yilei Zeng

University of Southern California

Alessandro Bessi

University of Southern California - Information Sciences Institute

Kristina Lerman

University of Southern California

Emilio Ferrara

University of Southern California - Information Sciences Institute

Date Written: June 1, 2018

Abstract

Complex real-world challenges are often solved through teamwork. Of special interest are ad hoc teams assembled to complete some task. Many popular multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video-games adopt this team formation strategy and thus provide a natural environment to study ad hoc teams. Our work examines data from a popular MOBA game, League of Legends, to understand the evolution of individual performance within ad hoc teams. Our analysis of player performance in successive matches of a gaming session demonstrates that a player’s success deteriorates over the course of the session, but this effect is mitigated by the player’s experience. We also find no significant long-term improvement in the individual performance of most players. Modelling the short-term performance dynamics allows us to accurately predict when players choose to continue to play or end the session. Our findings suggest possible directions for individualized incentives aimed at steering the player’s behaviour and improving team performance.

Suggested Citation

Sapienza, Anna and Zeng, Yilei and Bessi, Alessandro and Lerman, Kristina and Ferrara, Emilio, Individual Performance in Team-Based Online Games (June 1, 2018). Royal Society Open Science, 5(6): 180329. 2018, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3324612

Anna Sapienza

University of Southern California - Information Sciences Institute ( email )

4676 Admiralty Way
Suite 1001
Marina del Rey, CA 90292
United States

Yilei Zeng

University of Southern California ( email )

2250 Alcazar Street
Los Angeles, CA 90089
United States

Alessandro Bessi

University of Southern California - Information Sciences Institute ( email )

United States

Kristina Lerman

University of Southern California ( email )

2250 Alcazar Street
Los Angeles, CA 90089
United States

Emilio Ferrara (Contact Author)

University of Southern California - Information Sciences Institute ( email )

United States

HOME PAGE: http://emilio.ferrara.name

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