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Understanding Tilt in Esports: A Study on Young League of Legends Players

Published: 07 May 2021 Publication History

Abstract

Tilt as a gaming term is associated with frustration, rage, and deterioration of gameplay ability. In this exploratory study, we surveyed 95 esports players in a high school esports league on their definitions of tilt, triggers for tilting, responses to tilt, and perception of its malleability. We found that players are tilted most commonly by their own teammates rather than opponents, with their most negative tilt responses reserved for themselves. The majority surveyed believe that they can change how easily they are tilted and believing so was found to lead players to choose more positive responses to tilt. In contrast, perceiving tilt as malleable was found to increase the probability that participants respond with positive strategies. Implications for efforts to improve esports culture and community are discussed.

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  • (2024)You Are Tilted!: Leveraging Tabletop Gaming to Manage Tilt and Strengthen Team Dynamics in EsportsProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36771168:CHI PLAY(1-29)Online publication date: 15-Oct-2024
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cover image ACM Conferences
CHI '21: Proceedings of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
May 2021
10862 pages
ISBN:9781450380966
DOI:10.1145/3411764
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial International 4.0 License.

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Publication History

Published: 07 May 2021

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Author Tags

  1. esports
  2. social-emotional learning
  3. stress
  4. tilt

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  • Samueli Foundation

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Overall Acceptance Rate 6,199 of 26,314 submissions, 24%

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Cited By

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  • (2024)Structures that tilt: Understanding “toxic” behaviors in online gamingNew Media & Society10.1177/14614448241270446Online publication date: 19-Aug-2024
  • (2024)You Are Tilted!: Leveraging Tabletop Gaming to Manage Tilt and Strengthen Team Dynamics in EsportsProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36771168:CHI PLAY(1-29)Online publication date: 15-Oct-2024
  • (2024)"Trust the Process": An Exploratory Study of Process Visualizations for Self-Reflection in League of LegendsProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36771118:CHI PLAY(1-28)Online publication date: 15-Oct-2024
  • (2024)Toxicity by Game Design: How Players Perceive the Influence of Game Design on ToxicityProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36771108:CHI PLAY(1-31)Online publication date: 15-Oct-2024
  • (2024)Hexed by Pressure: How Action-State Orientation Explains Propensity to Choke in Super HexagonProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36770778:CHI PLAY(1-31)Online publication date: 15-Oct-2024
  • (2024)Toxicity in Online Games: The Prevalence and Efficacy of Coping StrategiesProceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613904.3642523(1-12)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
  • (2024)``Backseat Gaming" A Study of Co-Regulated Learning within a Collegiate Male Esports CommunityProceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613904.3642249(1-14)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
  • (2024)Affect and Performance Across Double-Elimination Tournaments: A Field Study of Super Smash Bros CompetitorsJournal of Electronic Gaming and Esports10.1123/jege.2024-00232:1Online publication date: 1-Jan-2024
  • (2024)Toxic behavior in multiplayer online games: the role of witnessed verbal aggression, game engagement intensity, and social self-efficacyChinese Journal of Communication10.1080/17544750.2024.2425662(1-19)Online publication date: 15-Nov-2024
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