Tilt in esports: Understanding the phenomenon in new digital contexts

Abstract

Tilt is a state of frustration leading to poor performance in poker players, but despite widespread adoption of the term in the gaming community, nascent esports (electronic sports) research has yet to establish a definition of tilt. The rapid growth of the esports industry has sparked demand for research that expands knowledge on psychological factors in gaming, especially the application of performance-orientated improvements for competitive gamers. Our qualitative approach explored the construct of tilt and how it manifests in esports, including generating the first clear definition of tilt as it applies to this context. Thematic analysis of interviews with six industry experts defined tilt as a state of indignation and frustration resulting in inhibited decision-making, as well as identifying several esports-specific contexts that trigger or mitigate tilt. Themes diverge noticeably from the problem gambling contexts in which tilt definitions originated, answering the recent call for more context-specific athlete-orientated research. Our findings provide the first definition of tilt bespoke to esports and marks an important conceptual foundation for this emerging research area. The definition will also inform evidence-based practice as coaches and psychologists search for new ways to improve athlete performance in the highly competitive world of esports.