Just what goes through a gamer’s mind at crunch time when tensions build in the heat of electronic battle?
HyperX, the Fountain Valley-based maker of equipment for gamers, sponsored a study by Arizona State University to find the answers and to help them compete better.
“What we’re taking away from this study is that gamers face significant performance challenges when gaming for long periods of time,” said Dustin Illingworth, the head of culture marketing at HyperX.
The goal is to predict when anger and frustration will harm players’ competitive drive. In other words, when they reach the tipping point known in gamer circles as “tilt” or “rage quitting.”
The study revealed a pattern enabling ASU researchers to predict tilt about 15 to 20 minutes before its occurrence, based on comprehensive measurements.
HyperX, which was purchased by HP Inc. (NYSE: HPQ) from Fountain Valley-based Kingston Technology for $412 million in 2021, makes keyboards, headsets, mice, microphones and console accessories for gamers.
The company’s been integrated into Palo Alto-based HP’s PC gaming division, the $30 billion-valued parent company said in May.
The study focused on gamers playing the ultra-popular “Call of Duty” developed by Blizzard Entertainment of Irvine, as well as “League of Legends” and “Valorant” from Riot Games of Los Angeles.
After extensive biometrics research, the data was fed into a machine learning algorithm that looked at the connections between players’ performance and data.
Preventing ‘Tilt’
“The study was able to predict occasional drops in performance due to tilt using physiological data,” Illingworth told the Business Journal late last month.
“This means we can potentially address tilt before it manifests in a performance drop.
“Being able to pre-flag tilt so that players and coaches can effectively mitigate the physical and psychological effects of frustration means gamers can perform optimally for longer periods of time, avoiding the performance drops associated with the tilt state,” Illingworth said.
HyperX works with various gamer-assistance mental health organizations such as Rise Above the Disorder. It plans to expand its participation in this area, partnering with leading sports science institutions to find ways to identify and address gamers’ physical and psychological pain points.
“Our hope is that we can use the data gathered from these ground-breaking studies to influence product development and create potential tools to help gamers address pain points and perform their best,” according to Illingworth.
Adidas-ASU Center
Adidas-ASU Center for Engagement Science Lab discovered a breakthrough in measuring and understanding when a gamer is reaching their tipping point and how to help prevent it through wellness and performance improvement, activities and awareness.
