Abios: Mapping Aggressive Benefits In Esports

Albin Niva Printz, Data Scientist at Abios, explores the information from maps in fashionable esports games to search out out if there are some inherent disadvantages of starting in sure locations in video games. Moreover, he discusses how this data can be helpful for various stakeholders.

All online video video games are hosted on servers. The servers interpret every data point such because the map, outfitted gadgets, and kills. This goes from the encircling environment in the sport right down to the smallest player movement. Realizing all of those granular information factors provides the ability to see totally different patterns - especially if you understand what to search for.

Most esports video games, and video games in general, are performed on maps that set the premise, limits and boundaries of the sport. A few of these are greater than others, comparable to Battle Royale maps like Fortnite, whereas titles like League of Legends or CS:GO have smaller maps. These arenas are purported to make the gameplay enjoyable whereas enabling the use of various strategies and synergies.

When maps are designed for competitive games, many might assume that they're similar to board games like chess, in the way in which that each sides are created equal and should have the same probability of winning. However, just like in chess, they don’t. In chess, there is one thing called the primary mover’s advantage, which sees the white aspect win 52-fifty six per cent of the time versus black.

Although it’s a small distinction, competitively it may have a big influence. This may very well be factored into esports as nicely when calculating the probabilities of various groups winning.

Related: Esports trade showcase ESI London returns on 8-9th November

Blue facet advantage

In League of Legends, the map is rectangle-shaped and sliced into two items diagonally. The sides are referred to as blue and crimson. Every of the groups starts on both facet of the diagonal. Are expected to destroy the Nexus of the opposing team throughout the map.

For the reason that sides are of equal size, one might assume that groups on both sides would have an equal likelihood of profitable. Nevertheless, the statistics tell a completely different tale. Regardless of the numerous attempts to make the websites even, blue aspect is favoured by 6.2 share factors (p.p) in official esports tournaments, in line with our knowledge on the time of writing (03-08-2021).

One interesting finding is that the win rate isn’t constant over the duration of the game. It spikes initially, the place the blue facet has a significant 70 per cent probability of profitable (with some variance because of a small sample dimension). It later disappears to change into negligible at the 30-minute mark.

This is because of totally different factors, nevertheless, a major level is that the map isn’t mirrored. It offers the blue crew an early game benefit on account of objectives such as the dragon. The red buff being situated in favour of the blue workforce.