Talon E-Sports Team

September 2022

From Emotion to E-Sports: Understanding Player Performance

No. of Participants:	4 competitive LOL professionals
​Nature of Event:	Research
Products Used:	Upmood Band, Upmood Insight
Metrics Collected:	Mood, Stress level, BPM, Valence level, HRV

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Introduction

PSG Talon is a leading professional E-sports organization with a competitive League of Legends team. Recognizing the critical role of emotional state in high-stakes competition, the organization partnered with Upmood for an observational research project. The goal was to explore the possibility of emotion tracking on E-sports players to benchmark their emotional state during practice and competition. This initiative sought to understand how emotion tracking could ultimately help increase the performance of both the team and individual players. Emotion monitoring was essential to objectively capture the real-time emotional and stress levels of the players, providing data-driven insights that go beyond traditional performance metrics.

Capturing Emotions in Competition

In September 2022, four competitive League of Legends professionals from PSG Talon participated in this research. The players wore Upmood wearable devices continuously to track their real-time emotional responses and physiological data during practice and competition. This non-intrusive method allowed researchers to capture a detailed benchmark of their emotional states, providing a clear picture of how emotions fluctuate under pressure. The data collected was then used to explore the relationship between emotional state and in-game performance, providing a foundation for future interventional tools and strategies.

Why Upmood?

Upmood’s technology was crucial for the success of this observational research. The Upmood wearables provided continuous PPG data, allowing for the precise measurement of Heart Rate Variability (HRV), a key indicator of stress and emotional shifts. The data was collected with Upmood Bands and processed with Upmood Insight. The ability to track metrics like mood, stress level, BPM, and valence in real-time was essential for correlating emotional states with specific in-game moments. This objective, quantitative approach provided valuable, actionable insights that traditional observational methods alone would miss.

Key Outcomes and Findings

The observational research yielded several key insights into the emotional state and performance of the professional E-sports players:

• Stress and Performance: A clear "snowballing effect" was observed, where stress built up and negative emotions increased as players began to lose, leading to a decline in performance.

• Sleep Quality's Impact: The study showed a direct correlation between a player’s sleep quality and their stress levels, highlighting the importance of rest for mental resilience.

• Resilience and Calmness: Calmer players demonstrated higher resilience, suggesting that emotional regulation is a key factor in maintaining performance under pressure.

• Interventional Tool Possibilities: The findings pointed toward the potential of emotion tracking as a tool to help players regulate their emotions from game to game, leading to improved outcomes.

Conclusion

This collaborative research with PSG Talon has been instrumental in demonstrating the profound impact of emotion monitoring in the high-pressure world of E-sports. The project not only highlighted Upmood's ability to provide objective, measurable data but also opened new avenues for understanding the emotional landscape of competitive gaming and its direct link to performance. We are incredibly grateful for this partnership, as it serves as a valuable research foundation that can lead to further opportunities in emotion tracking and human performance. This collaboration with the PSG Talon team truly underscores our mission to use data-driven insights for emotional well-being and success.

Thank you!

Our deepest thanks go to the professional players and staff at PSG Talon. Your trust and open collaboration have been invaluable, allowing us to explore this groundbreaking intersection of emotion and E-sports. This partnership has not only provided critical research findings but has also inspired us to pursue new opportunities and possibilities for emotion tracking in the future. We truly value this collaboration and are grateful for the insights you have shared.

If you're interested in conducting your own emotion-driven research or trying out Upmood products, please send us an email at support@upmood.com