Academic Citations & Research Data
A comprehensive archive of peer-reviewed journals, university research, and academic publications utilizing competitive gaming data curated by Vincenzo Milella on Esports Tales.
Used by researchers in over 50+ institutional studies and publications globally.
Multi-Title Esports Research
Physical Activity and Self-Determination towards Exercise among Esports Athletes
Published by: Mitchell Nicholson, Courtney Thompson, Dylan Poulos, Toby Pavey, Rob Robergs, Vincent Kelly, & Craig McNulty (Queensland University of Technology / Southern Cross University / University of the Sunshine Coast) — Sports Medicine - Open (2024).
Data Utilized: The study utilizes a comprehensive baseline of historical rank distribution and player tier percentage datasets from Esports Tales, referencing metrics for Dota 2, League of Legends, Overwatch, Valorant, Apex Legends, Rainbow Six Siege, Rocket League, PUBG, and Teamfight Tactics.
Full Text: Available via PMC Open Access PDF.
Addressing Privacy and Security Concerns in Online Game Account Sharing: Detecting Players Using Mouse Dynamics
Authors: Yimiao Wang and Tasmina Islam
Institution / Publication: King's College London (KCL) — Published in Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Pattern Recognition Applications and Methods (ICPRAM), February 2023.
Data Utilized: The paper investigates unauthorized account sharing and behavior biometrics. It cites Esports Tales for research regarding the legal and penal framework surrounding unauthorized boosting, specifically referencing the article "Boosting is a crime: $18k fine and 2 years of jail in South Korea" (retrieved August 5, 2022).
Full Text: Available via ResearchGate.
Perceived Stressors Experienced by Competitive Esports Athletes
Published by: Dylan R. Poulus, Tristan J. Coulter, Michael G. Trotter, & Remco Polman (Queensland University of Technology / Southern Cross University) — International Journal of Esports (2022)
Data Utilized: Historical skill tier benchmarks and player distribution datasets for Dota 2, League of Legends, Overwatch, and Rainbow Six Siege.
Full Text: Available via QUT ePrints Repository PDF Download.
Health and Psychological Factors Associated with In-Game Rank, and Positive Youth Development in Esports
Author: Michael Trotter
Institution / Publication: Queensland University of Technology — Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Thesis, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Faculty of Health (2022)
Data Utilized: Historical tier percentiles, competitive rank distributions, and skill bracket cutoff data across multiple major multiplayer titles - including CS:GO, Dota 2, League of Legends, Overwatch, Rocket League, and Rainbow Six Siege - to establish baseline skill brackets against player health profiles.
Full Text: Available via the QUT ePrints Repository.
Boosting: Rank and skill deception in esports
Published by: Eoin Conroy, Magdalena Kowal, Adam J. Toth, & Mark J. Campbell (University of Limerick / Lero SFI Research Centre) — Entertainment Computing (2021)
Data Utilized: Historical 2019 rank distribution and tier percentage datasets for League of Legends, Dota 2, CS:GO, and Overwatch.
Full Text: Available via ScienceDirect Journal Portal.
Sexual Harassment in Valorant and Overwatch Voice Chats
Published by: Daniel Görlich, Max Wagner, & Markus Breuer (Offenburg University / Gameforge / SRH University Heidelberg) — International Conference on Computers and Games (CG 2024), published via Springer Nature (2025)
Data Utilized: Historical Valorant (June 2023) and Overwatch (2019) Competitive Rank Distribution and tier percentage datasets.
Full Text: Index and abstract available via SpringerLink official portal (Institutional Access / Publisher Purchase Required).
League of Legends Research
Using Game Analytics to facilitate players’ information processing
Author: André Miguel Fernandes do Sacramento
Institution: Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto (ISEP)
Data Utilized: The dissertation cites Esports Tales for League of Legends rank distribution data from September 2025.
Full Text: Available via the Repositório Científico do Politécnico do Porto (IPP).
Applications of Linear and Ensemble-Based Machine Learning for Predicting Winning Teams in League of Legends
Authors: Supratik Chowdhury, Mominul Ahsan, and Phoebe Barraclough.
Publication: Applied Sciences, Volume 15, Issue 10 (May 2025).
Data Utilized: The research utilizes competitive gaming data curated on Esports Tales, specifically referencing the rank distribution for November 2022.
Full Text: Available via MDPI.
One Step Closer to Greater Understanding! Does a Correlation Exist Between Fluid Intelligence and Player Rank in League of Legends?
Author: Evan Miller
Institution: Illinois School of Professional Psychology at National Louis University, 2025
Data Utilized: The dissertation utilizes competitive gaming data curated on Esports Tales, specifically referencing League of Legends rank distribution data for both August 2024 and February 2025.
Full Text: Available via Digital Commons@NLU.
Studying the Effects of Team Composition in Role-based Competitive Video Games
Author: Amy Cadman (Supervisor: Gaetano Romano).
Institution: Lancaster University, MSci Hons Mathematics with Statistics (May 2024).
Data Utilized: The dissertation cites esportstales.com rank distribution data for League of Legends to support its statistical analysis of team composition.
Full Text: Available via Lancaster University Repository.
Esports as a Cultural Microcosm for Studying Psycholinguistics
Authors: Jeff Coon, Alexander Etz, Gregory Scontas, & Barbara W. Sarnecka (University of California Irvine / University of Texas at Austin) — Games and Culture, Volume 19, Issue 3 (2024).
Data Utilized: The study cites Esports Tales rank distribution data for League of Legends to provide context on the competitive environment.
Full Text: Available via SAGE Journals.
Grinding to a Halt: The Effects of Long Play Sessions on Player Performance in Video Games
Published by: Ioannis Bikas, Johannes Pfau, Thomas Muender, Dmitry Alexandrovsky, & Rainer Malaka (University of Bremen / Utrecht University / Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) — ACM CHI PLAY Companion '23 (2023)
Data Utilized: Historical League of Legends (June 2023) Solo Queue Rank Distribution and player tier datasets.
Full Text: Available via ACM Digital Library Open Access PDF.
Perceptions of Effective Training Practices in League of Legends: A Qualitative Exploration
Published by: Callum Abbott, Matthew Watson, & Phil Birch (German Sport University Cologne / University of Chichester / Abbott Sport Psychology) — Journal of Electronic Gaming and Esports, Human Kinetics (2023).
Data Utilized: Historical League of Legends Solo Queue rank distribution data to calculate and verify the elite tier benchmarks of the participant pool, specifically defining the elite status of players mapping into the top 0.24% of the global gaming ladder.
Full Text: Available via Human Kinetics Journals.
Cozy Games: How COVID-19 Affected Game Playing Among College Students
Author: Zhaoyi Fang
Institution: The George Washington University, 2023
Data Utilized: The thesis utilizes competitive gaming data curated on Esports Tales, specifically citing the "League of Legends Rank Distribution in Solo Queue" article from June 2023.
Full Text: Available via ScholarSpace.
The Politics of a Game Patch: Patch Note Documents and the Patching Processes in League of Legends
Author: Rinaldo Del Gallo.
Institution: The University of Texas at Dallas, Master of Arts in Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication (May 2023).
Data Utilized: The thesis references Esports Tales rank distribution data for League of Legends to support its analysis.
Full Text: Available via UT Dallas Institutional Repository.
Conversation Analysis in the Online Video Game "League of Legends"
Original Title: Konverzacijska analiza u online videoigri „League of Legends“
Published by: Luka Pasanec (University of Zagreb, Faculty of Croatian Studies) — Undergraduate Thesis (2023)
Data Utilized: Esports Tales League of Legends Rank Distribution in Solo Queue (August 2023 dataset).
Full Text: Available via the Repository of the University of Zagreb, Centre for Croatian Studies.
Design of an Intelligent System for Match Prediction in League of Legends
Original Title: Diseño de un Sistema Inteligente para la predicción de partidas en League Of Legends
Author: Pablo Velicias Barquín
Institution / Publication: Universidad de Cádiz — Computer Engineering Bachelor's Thesis (2023).
Data Utilized: Historical League of Legends Solo Queue rank distribution data from February 2023.
Full Text: Available via the RODIN Repository (Universidad de Cádiz).
League of Legends, where are the women?: A study on how sexism relates to different ranks in League of Legends
Author: Hanna Maria Markström
Institution: Uppsala University, Department of Economics
Data Utilized: The thesis cites Esports Tales for League of Legends rank distribution data from November 2022.
Full Text: Available via the DiVA portal
Visuospatial working memory and attention control make the difference between experts, regulars and non-players of the videogame League of Legends
Authors: Carlos Valls-Serrano, Cristina De Francisco, María Vélez-Coto, and Alfonso Caracuel
Institution / Publication: Catholic University of Murcia / University of Seville / University of Granada — Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, Volume 16 (July 2022)
Data Utilized: League of Legends Season 9 rank distribution data from May 2020.
Full Text: Available via Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.
Impacts on Civil Liability of External Mechanisms of "Elo" Progression in E-Sports in Face of the Abuse of Rights: Elojob, Eloduo and Elocoaching in League of Legends
Original Title: Impactos na responsabilidade civil dos mecanismos externos de progressão de “elo” nos e-sports perante o abuso de direito: elojob, eloduo e elocoaching no League of Legends
Published by: Iuri Bolesina & Kaue Simões (Atitus Educação / UNISC) — Revista IBERC (2023)
Data Utilized: Historical League of Legends Solo Queue Rank Distribution & Tier Percentages (August 2022 dataset).
Full Text: Available via Direct PDF Download.
Mental Wear and Tear: An Exploratory Study on Mental Fatigue in Video Games Using the Example of League of Legends
Published by: Ioannis Bikas, Johannes Pfau, Bastian Dänekas, & Rainer Malaka (University of Bremen / University of California, Santa Cruz) — IFIP International Conference on Entertainment Computing (ICEC 2022), published via Springer Nature (2022)
Data Utilized: Historical League of Legends Competitive Rank Distribution and tier percentage datasets.
Full Text: Index and abstract available via SpringerLink official portal (Institutional Access / Publisher Purchase Required).
Communication Sequences Indicate Team Cohesion: A Mixed-Methods Study of Ad Hoc League of Legends Teams
Authors: Evelyn T S Tan, Katja Rogers, Lennart E. Nacke, Anders Drachen, & Alex Wade (Affiliated with universities in the UK, Canada, and Denmark).
Published in: Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, Volume 6, Issue CHI PLAY (2022).
Data Utilized: The article cites rank distribution data from esportstales.com to establish the competitive context for its study of ad hoc teams.
Full Text: Available via ACM Digital Library.
How do women create and manage their identity in a hostile and gendered gaming community: The case of League of Legends
Author: Native Davignon
Institution / Publication: University of Liège (Université de Liège), Belgium — HEC-Ecole de gestion de l'Université de Liège, Master's Thesis (Mémoire) in Strategic International Marketing (September 2022)
Data Utilized: League of Legends rank distribution statistics from June 2022.
Full Text: Available via MatheO (Master Thesis Online) Repository.
Investigating Communication Patterns as Proxy Indicators of Team Cohesion in Ad Hoc Teams
Author: Evelyn Tan
Institution / Publication: University of York — Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Dissertation, Department of Computer Science (2022).
Data Utilized: Historical League of Legends Solo Queue rank distribution data from June 2022.
Full Text: Available via the CORE Open Access Repository.
Online Toxicity as Violence in Esports: A League of Legends case study
Author: Jamie Wearing
Institution / Publication: Macquarie University — Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language and Literature (MCCALL), Faculty of Arts, Master of Research (MRes) Thesis (2021)
Data Utilized: League of Legends Solo Queue rank distribution metrics from November 2021 to contextualize player environments across different competitive skill tiers.
Full Text: Available via the Macquarie University Figshare Repository.
Skateboarding, Video Gaming, and Political Theory
Author: Niko Maajid Christian.
Institution: Wesleyan University, The Honors College (April 2021).
Data Utilized: The thesis cites Esports Tales rank distribution data for League of Legends in its bibliography.
Full Text: Available via Academia.edu.
Exploring Stress in Esports Gaming: Physiological and Data-driven Approach on Tilt
Author: Je Seok Lee
Institution: University of California, Irvine, 2021
Data Utilized: The dissertation references competitive gaming data curated on Esports Tales, specifically citing the "League of Legends Rank distribution in solo queue - June 2021" article.
Full Text: Available via eScholarship.
League of Legends Recommendation System Using Clustering and Neural Networks
Original Title: Sistema de recomendación de League of Legends mediante agrupación y redes de neuronas
Author: Héctor Herreros Orcajo
Institution / Publication: Universidad Carlos III de Madrid — Undergraduate Degree Thesis (September 2020)
Data Utilized: League of Legends rank distribution data from April 2020
Full Text: Available via e-Archivo UC3M.
Valorant Research
The Immortal Mindset: A Conceptual Phenomenological Inquiry into the Transfer of Executive Functions and Decision-Making Precision from Elite Esports to Professional Life
Published by: M. Iqbal Al Batmi (Independent Researcher / State University of Surabaya) (2026)
Data Utilized: Recent Valorant (2026) Competitive Rank Distribution data, specifically utilized to statistically define and validate the player percentage threshold of the elite "Immortal" competitive tier.
Full Text: Available via ResearchGate Open Access PDF.
Gendered Toxicity in Competitive Gaming: Women’s Perceptions and Responses
Authors: Elena Koung, Zinan Zhang, Xinning Gui, and Yubo Kou
Institution / Publication: The Pennsylvania State University — Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, Volume 9, Issue 6 (October 2025)
Data Utilized: Valorant rank distribution data from April 2025 (retrieved April 22, 2025).
Full Text: Available via the ACM Digital Library.
Vertical Computer Mice and Gaming: Effect of Mouse Orientation on Muscle Activation and Performance
Author: Connor Lacelle
Institution / Publication: Nipissing University, The School of Graduate Studies — Master's Thesis (2025)
Data Utilized: The thesis cites Esports Tales for Valorant rank distribution data to help break down competitive player tiers.
Full Text: Available via Scholaris (University of Toronto).
Quantifying the Unseen: Measuring Game Intensity in Valorant
Published by: Nick Bast (Utrecht University) — UU Theses Repository (2024)
Data Utilized: Historical Valorant (2023) Competitive Rank Distribution metrics by episode tier percentages.
Full Text: Available via Utrecht University Student Theses Open Access PDF.
Schadenfreude: I love watching you suffer (In game)
Published by: Mattias Johansson & Isac Rosenberg (Uppsala University) — Department of Game Design (2023)
Data Utilized: Historical League of Legends April 2023 Solo Queue Rank Distribution and tier percentage dataset.
Full Text: Available via DiVA Academic Archive Portal.
Research on analysis method of player's hand movement in esports
Authors: Daiki Tsurusaki, Hideo Kasuga, Yusuke Irino, and Raian Kubota
Institution / Publication: Kanagawa Institute of Technology, Faculty of Information Technology — Digital Games Research Association Japan (DiGRA Japan) Annual Conference Proceedings (February 24–25, 2023)
Data Utilized: Valorant player ranking tiers and competitive population distribution metrics from February 2023.
Full Text: Available via J-STAGE JST.
The Usability of an Esports Player's Cognitive Performance in an Air Force Combat Environment
Original Title: Elektronisen urheilijan kognitiivisen suorituskyvyn käytettävyys Ilmavoimien taisteluympäristössä
Author: Heikki Kankkio
Institution / Publication: National Defence University (Maanpuolustuskorkeakoulu), Finland — Master's Thesis (Diplomityö, Yleisesikuntaupseerikurssi 61, Ilmasotalinja) (August 2023)
Data Utilized: Valorant rank tier metrics and player population distribution data from October 2022.
Full Text: Available via the Doria Repository.
Overwatch Research
The Regulation of Electronic Sports in Brazil: Regulatory Proposal and Analysis of the National Scenario
Original Title: A Regulação dos Esportes Eletrônicos no Brasil: Proposta regulatória e análise do cenário nacional
Author: Lucas Marques Coutinho
Published by: Editora Dialética (2025).
Data Utilized: References esportstales.com reporting regarding the criminalization and legal penalties associated with boosting in South Korea to provide context for regulatory analysis.
Full Text: Available via Google Books.
A4_1 Hammer Down!
Authors: L. Tzabach, H. Birch, and N. Savic
Institution / Publication: University of Leicester, Department of Physics and Astronomy — Journal of Physics Special Topics (October 31, 2023)
Data Utilized: Overwatch 2 character lore data regarding official heights and ages from 2023.
Full Text: Available via University of Leicester Journals.
Towards a Community-Based Ranking System of Overwatch Players
Published by: David Staat, Günter Wallner, & Regina Bernhaupt (Eindhoven University of Technology / Johannes Kepler University Linz) — IFIP International Conference on Entertainment Computing (ICEC 2022), published via Springer Nature (2022).
Data Utilized: Historical Overwatch competitive rank distribution datasets for PC and console.
Full Text: Index and abstract available via SpringerLink official portal (Institutional Access / Publisher Purchase Required)
Why MDA? The pursuit of a Game Design Ontology
Author: Rogerio Candido da Silva Junior
Institution: University of Beira Interior
Data Utilized: The master's thesis references an Esports Tales guide focusing on competitive Overwatch level design, specifically citing the article "The Best Sniping Spots For Widowmaker On Eichenwalde".
Full Text: Available via the uBibliorum | Repositório Institucional da Universidade da Beira Interior.
Bringing Down the Banhammer: Understanding the Impact of Competitive Players on Moderation Tactics in Overwatch
Author: Courtney Blamey
Institution / Publication: Concordia University — Spectrum Research Repository, Department of Communication Studies (August 2019)
Data Utilized: Overwatch competitive rank distribution metrics across PC and console platforms from June 2019.
Full Text: Available via Concordia University Spectrum.
Towards a Better Understanding of Toxicity in Competitive Multiplayer Games
Author: Malthe Roed Jensen
Institution / Publication: Aalborg University — Master's Thesis (June 2019)
Data Utilized: Overwatch competitive rank distribution data from April 2019.
Full Text: Available via Aalborg University Project Library.
Dota 2 Research
Profiling and Identifying Smurfs or Boosters on Dota 2 Using K-Means and IQR
Published by: Ying-Jih Ding, Wun-She Yap, & Kok-Chin Khor (Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman) — IEEE Transactions on Games, Volume: 16, Issue: 3 (2023).
Data Utilized: Dota 2 seasonal rank distribution and medal data (January 2023).
Full Text: Abstract available via IEEE Xplore.
A Comparison of Moderation Systems in DOTA2 and League of Legends from a Player Perspective
Author: Qiaoting Wang
Institution: Uppsala University, Department of Game Design, 2023
Data Utilized: The master's thesis utilizes competitive gaming data curated on Esports Tales to support its analysis of player perspectives.
Full Text: Available via DiVA Portal.
Discovering the effect of hero choice on the outcome of a Dota 2 game
Author: Noyan Eren Toksoy.
Institution: Delft University of Technology, EEMCS Faculty (June 2022).
Data Utilized: The dissertation references competitive gaming data curated on Esports Tales, specifically citing the "Dota seasonal rank distribution and medals - april 2022" article.
Full Text: Available via TU Delft Repository.
Wait, But Why?: Assessing Behavior Explanation Strategies for Real-Time Strategy Games
Published by: Justus Robertson, Athanasios V. Kokkinakis, Jonathan Hook, Ben Kirman, Florian Block, Marian F. Ursu, Sagarika Patra, Simon Demediuk, Anders Drachen, & Oluseyi Olarewaju (University of York / Kennesaw State University) — ACM IUI '21: Proceedings of the 26th International Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces (2021)
Data Utilized: Historical Dota 2 Seasonal Rank Distribution and MMR Medals data baseline.
Full Text: Available via ACM Digital Library Open Access PDF.
Counter-Strike Research
Cheats, Hacks, and Cyberattacks: Threats to the Esports Industry in 2019 and Beyond
Authors: Mayra Rosario Fuentes and Fernando Mercês
Institution / Publication: Trend Micro Research — White Paper (2019)
Data Utilized: CS:GO rank distribution data from March 2019.
Full Text: Available via Trend Micro.
Video Game Music and Legitimacy
Author: Jaycie Sundiam
Institution / Publication: California State University, Monterey Bay — Capstones & Theses, Department of Music & Performing Arts (May 2019)
Data Utilized: Global market data on high-value digital asset valuations and the financial ecosystem of the Steam community market from September 2018.
Full Text: Available via CSUMB Digital Commons.
Rainbow Six Siege Research
Development of Object Fracture Simulation Using Reinforcement Learning
Original Title: 강화학습을 활용한 물체의 파괴 시뮬레이션 개발
Authors: Cheol-Ho Mun and Tack Woo
Institution / Publication: Kyung Hee University, Korea — Journal of Digital Contents Society, Vol. 26, No. 1, pp. 237-245 (January 2025)
Data Utilized: Strategic placement theory for Rainbow Six Siege, referenced as a guide for reinforcement and barricade placements.
Full Text: Available via the Journal of Digital Contents Society.
Call of Duty Research
"The desert of the real": fictional Middle Eastern countries in American media
Author: Alexander C. Christensen
Institution / Publication: University of British Columbia — Master of Arts Thesis, The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (Cinema and Media Studies) (August 2022)
Data Utilized: Analysis of camera perspective mechanics and gameplay immersion configurations, specifically utilizing technical documentation on Field of View (FOV) settings in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone.
Full Text: Available via the UBC Open Collections cIRcle Repository.
Detected Mentions
Brain Structural Covariance Networks in Long-Term First-Person Shooter and Multiplayer Online Battle Arena Players: Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Zhenggen Lin, Fujia Jiao, Yuanbo Ma, Jie Zhuang, and Yu Liu
Publication: JMIR Serious Games (2026)
Data Utilized: The study references Esports Tales in its references section
Full Text: Available via JMIR Publications.
A fundamental study on the use of game play data to determine Boosted Game
Original Title: 대리 게임 판단을 위한 게임 플레이 데이터 활용에 관한 기초 연구
Published by: Jae-Beom Kim (Hoseo University) — Journal of Korea Game Society (2022)
Data Utilized: The study utilizes data from Esports Tales for game play analysis and boosting detection (identified via Google Scholar indexing).
Availability: Abstract and metadata available via DBpia.
Can the Female Gamer Shoot?: A Phenomenological study of FPS Games and Female Body
Author: Jiyoon Kim
Institution / Publication: Yonsei University — Korean Journal of Communication & Information Studies, Vol. 103, pp. 48-82 (2020).
Data Utilized: The specific data or citation referenced from this research cannot be verified without internal text access - (identified via Google Scholar indexing).
Full Text: Available via the Korea Citation Index (KCI) Portal.