Physiological Analysis of Spectator Engagement in Counter Strike: Global Offensive.

This study aims to explore the use of biosensors to capture the emotional responses spectators while watching competitive Counter Strike: Global Offensive matches. The focus was on the heart rate variability (HRV) indices of the participants (n = 20) and self-report emotions using the PrEmo scale to identify variations in the subject’s states such as relaxation, mental stress, frustration, anger, joy, sadness, and fear, as well as activation of sympathetic and vagal activities. The results showed that it was possible to determine the most engaging rounds of analyzed matches by analyzing the heart rate variability, which can have a significant impact on the way the broadcasts are made. This study emphasizes the importance of using biosensors for future studies in eSports spectators, and a comparative analysis with other related studies is necessary to better identify emotions felt by the spectators. The self-reports showed that pleasant emotions increased during the videos, and there were variations between the videos, indicating that different situations within the same game can arouse different degrees of satisfaction in viewers. The use of these technologies can provide valuable information to game designers and developers, as well as offer potential therapeutic applications in the field of gamification. The results of this study can serve as a guide for future eSports projects, taking into consideration the different needs and preferences of players and spectators.