Esports Monday minute

One of the analysis metrics we developed for the CANA R6 Showdown event this past April is being implemented in the esports industry across new game titles. The evaluation of an esports player’s true performance is a new focus of research due to the overwhelming amount of data available in esports, and the emphasis on player improvement. Our Impact Kills (IK) analysis metric was developed during the CANA R6 Showdown to accommodate this focus and to show the true value of a player. An obvious, but often ignored, factor that applies to any shooter game is the context in which the elimination occurred. The data behind a player elimination statistic is just as important as the elimination itself but has not been fully recognized in current game statistics and analytics.

Recently, however, an analysis tool similar to ours was developed for the game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO). An article released on September 29, 2021, detailed Bayes Esports analysis metrics for CS:GO. In the release, Bayes Esports described a similar rationale to ours regarding the reasons to evaluate a player’s performance. They discussed how the context of an elimination should be prioritized. CS:GO is similar to Rainbow Six Siege in the sense that each kill occurs in a different situation. It is also a “bomb objective” style game with weapons and gadgets. Bayes Esports classified their analysis of eliminations as round impact, and they further broke it down to round win impact and round loss impact. This is similar to our analytical focus on the impact these player eliminations have on the game rounds. The full article that breaks down the Bayes Esports analysis is available here.

This is continuing validation of the CANA approach to data analytics, and more specifically, to esports. This is a unique market of unlimited - and largely untapped - potential. You can revisit our “R6 Siege Analysis: In For The Win” blog post for a full overview of the R6 Showdown, while the specifics of our Impact Kills analysis are provided below. CANA continues to contribute to the esports industry as it gains exciting momentum and an even wider scope. Our capabilities and innovations align with the top esports analytics companies that engage with professional gaming organizations.

CANA Impact Kills Analysis - R6 Showdown

Impact kills (IK) are exactly what they sound like: eliminations that had an impact on the round and game. Oftentimes, there are kills that have no impact on how the round plays out. In order to evaluate the significance behind each elimination, we used a variety of metrics to measure each IK. Given the vast amount of strategy and teamwork involved in Rainbow Six Siege, every elimination is unique. There could be different bomb sites, different bomb carriers, different operators, and different weapons within each round that influence the style of play.. Additionally, there are many maps played competitively in tournaments, and each team has a different strategy for each map. Along with in-game adaptation to the clock and team composition (1v2, 3v2, 4v1, etc.), there are many different contexts behind each elimination. Again, we believe the context behind the elimination is crucial to evaluating the true performance and value of a player. Our IK analysis captured that distinction on a small sample size during our Rainbow Six Siege tournament..

The metrics used to classify an elimination as an impact kill were as follows:

• First Kill (FK) - The first kill of the round gives an immediate man advantage.

• Kill Even (KEV) - A player eliminates an opponent to even the number of players on each side. This evens the playing field instead of a team being down by two players.

• Kill Advantage (KADV) - A player eliminates an opponent to give his/her team the man advantage in the round.

• Trade (TRD) - A player eliminates an opponent very shortly after that same opponent eliminates his teammate. This essentially makes the opponents kill a wash.

• Kill on Bomb Carrier (KBC) - A player on defense eliminates the bomb carrier. This is extremely important for the defensive team because once the bomb carrier is eliminated, the attacking team has to retrieve the bomb, but the defense knows exactly where the bomb is located. This means the defense can just continuously watch the bomb and wait for the attacker to try and pick it up. Without the bomb, the attacking team has to rely on eliminating all defensive players in order to win the round.

• Kill while Planting the Bomb (KPB) - A defense player eliminates the opponent in the act of planting the bomb. This is crucial because it stops the attacking team from planting the bomb, thus eliminating the defenders’ need to defuse it. Having to defuse the bomb drastically decreases the defense’s chances of winning the round, so eliminating that requirement is extremely impactful.

• Kill that Led to Victory (KLV) - These are kills that directly resulted in the round ending, and that team winning the round.

• Comeback Kills (COMEBACK) - These are kills that occured in the scenario where there is one player left facing three or more opponents, and he/she eliminates all of them and wins the round (only counted if the solo wins the round).

• Ownkill (OWNKILL) - A player kills their own teammate. This is impactful because it gives a major advantage to the opposing team and it did not do anything. It gives the opponent a free advantage.

• Double - These are not double kills, but refer to kills that met two of the above criteria at once. For example, the first kill (FK) of the round could also be on the bomb carrier (KBC). They do not count as their own impact kills, but are recorded in the final impact kills individual player breakdown.

• Triple - Triple kills refer to kills that met three of the above criteria at once. For example, player one eliminates player two while meeting the criteria of a KEV, TRD, and KBC. These do not count as their own impact kills, but are recorded in the final impact kills individual player breakdown.

CANA R6 Showdown Champions - Psych Ward

This can be analyzed much further than just the surface IK. The time and location of the IK can also be incorporated to detail the most crucial IKs in each round and game. This will not only show the players who had the most IKs, but it will show the players who had the most crucial and pivotal IKs. This can also be broken down by the IKs that players have on certain maps and bomb sites, which will contribute to the creation of team strategies. Visibility of this information will increase the understanding of each player’s value on many different levels, especially when it refers to eliminations.

Until Next Time...

We are only seeing the tip of the iceberg of data analytics for esports. There is a push for more in depth analysis across the entire industry. In this case, the analyses done by CANA and by Bayes Esports focused on the true value of players for the games Rainbow Six Siege and CS:GO, but there are unlimited areas and opportunities that are yet to be explored.

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Jack is an intern with CANA Advisors. To learn more about CANA’s internship program, please contact Ms. Cherish Joosteberns at cjoostberns@canallc.com.