The Practice Behaviors of Expert League of Legends Players: An Exploratory Study

Bennett, KJM; Poulus, DR; Novak, AR

The Practice Behaviors of Expert League of Legends Players: An Exploratory Study

Bennett, KJM Poulus, DR Novak, AR

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Publisher:: TAYLOR & FRANCIS INC
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION, ahead-of-print, (ahead-of-print)

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Bennett, KJM
dc.contributor.author	Poulus, DR
dc.contributor.author	Novak, AR
dc.date.accessioned	2025-08-06T04:33:03Z
dc.date.available	2025-08-06T04:33:03Z
dc.identifier.citation	INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION, ahead-of-print, (ahead-of-print)
dc.identifier.issn	1044-7318
dc.identifier.issn	1532-7590
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/189269
dc.description.abstract	This exploratory study addressed a knowledge gap in the practice behaviours of ranked League of Legends players. We sourced data on a random sample of players (n = 913) from four competitive tiers and eight servers. We derived practice behaviour metrics from their last 100 matches. Challenger players had more matches per day, less variability in total hours, went fewer days without a match, and had the most matches in three- and seven-day blocks than other tiers. Servers with larger player pools tended to have more daily practice than comparatively smaller servers. We devised several hypotheses: (1) the volume of solo/duo ranked practice is associated with expertise, (2) more effective stress-coping strategies explain the lower variability in daily practice hours between tiers, (3) there is an interrelationship between player pool size, competitiveness, and practice behaviors, and (4) there are distinct patterns of practice associated with sustained participation or prolonged disengagement.
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	TAYLOR & FRANCIS INC
dc.relation.ispartof	INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1080/10447318.2025.2527842
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	08 Information and Computing Sciences, 16 Studies in Human Society
dc.subject.classification	Human Factors
dc.subject.classification	44 Human society
dc.subject.classification	46 Information and computing sciences
dc.title	The Practice Behaviors of Expert League of Legends Players: An Exploratory Study
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.for	08 Information and Computing Sciences
utslib.for	16 Studies in Human Society
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health/School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups/Human Performance Research Centre (HPRC)
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2025-08-06T04:33:00Z
pubs.publication-status	Published online

Abstract:

This exploratory study addressed a knowledge gap in the practice behaviours of ranked League of Legends players. We sourced data on a random sample of players (n = 913) from four competitive tiers and eight servers. We derived practice behaviour metrics from their last 100 matches. Challenger players had more matches per day, less variability in total hours, went fewer days without a match, and had the most matches in three- and seven-day blocks than other tiers. Servers with larger player pools tended to have more daily practice than comparatively smaller servers. We devised several hypotheses: (1) the volume of solo/duo ranked practice is associated with expertise, (2) more effective stress-coping strategies explain the lower variability in daily practice hours between tiers, (3) there is an interrelationship between player pool size, competitiveness, and practice behaviors, and (4) there are distinct patterns of practice associated with sustained participation or prolonged disengagement.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/189269