DAX: Data-Driven Audience Experiences in Esports

Abstract

Esports (competitive videogames) have grown into a global phenomenon with over 450m viewers and a 1.5bn USD market. Esports broadcasts follow a similar structure to traditional sports. However, due to their virtual nature, a large and detailed amount data is available about in-game actions not currently accessible in traditional sport. This provides an opportunity to incorporate novel insights about complex aspects of gameplay into the audience experience-enabling more in-depth coverage for experienced viewers, and increased accessibility for newcomers. Previous research has only explored a limited range of ways data could be incorporated into esports viewing (e.g. data visualizations post-match) and only a few studies have investigated how the presentation of statistics impacts spectators' experiences and viewing behaviors. We present Weavr, a companion app that allows audiences to consume datadriven insights during and around esports broadcasts. We report on deployments at two major tournaments, that provide ecologically valid findings about how the app's features were experienced by audiences and their impact on viewing behavior. We discuss implications for the design of second-screen apps for live esports events, and for traditional sports as similar data becomes available for them via improved tracking technologies. CCS CONCEPTS • Human-centered computing → Human computer interaction (HCI); User studies.

Wait, But Why?: Assessing Behavior Explanation Strategies for Real-Time Strategy Games

“…For example, the Weavr project produced an interactive second screen companion application for Dota 2 that displays text explanations, real-time statistics, and visualizations for live games on a smart phone device. The application was deployed to 170 people in the context of a real-world professional tournament environment [20].…”

“…The game has a large competitive user base and is actively played by full time professionals in regular events and tournaments with prizes worth millions of dollars [30]. Dota 2 has also been used as a testbed for second screen datadriven storytelling applications [3,20], similar to how our study environment delivers interactive text explanation interventions on a companion map. We chose to use Dota 2 as our test game because of its applicability to high-profile machine learning systems, complexity, strong user base, professional scene, and use in second screen applications.…”

“…When natural language is paired with statistics or graphics, they must not overwhelm the audience. The Weavr application [20], for example, could be used to provide multimodal explanation interventions that are more effective at indirectly conveying why information without overwhelming its audience. Additional types of interventions may be possible in VR environments [32].…”

“…Additionally, there may be other reasons why an audience wants explanations of expert or AI-driven behavior aside from intelligibility. For example, respondents in the Weavr [20] qualitative study indicated they watch in-depth explanation segments because they want to improve as Dota 2 players. Further experiments could test the effect of different explanation types on metrics beyond comprehension, recall, and intelligibility, like learning or task performance outcomes.…”

“…Second screen companions are applications that provide additional commentary, statistics, and analysis alongside a traditional esports broadcast. These companions are an emerging type of application, powered by machine learning models, and have received positive receptions from fans in real-world tournament environments [20]. In our study, we provide a simple companion application in a web browser alongside a Dota 2 broadcast video to provide interactive text explanation interventions to participants as they watch.…”