Play, watch, analyze, repeat: How do players develop competitive gaming skills?

Players usually have a strong desire to improve their game-specific skills to perform well in a game. A desire which has been further reinforced by the increase of multiplayer games and the rise of competitive gaming. While research on learning through games is extensive, work on how players gain expertise in competitive games is less common. This paper presents an exploratory mixed-methods study examining how players learn to play video games across three competitive game genres and which factors influence their self-efficacy. Our results show that the approaches to learning as well as influential factors on self-efficacy are largely independent across the investigated genres. Moreover, learning to play extends beyond the act of play itself and is strongly reflective and social. Based on the results, we discuss high-level characteristics of learning and self-efficacy which can serve as a starting point for future research and design interventions aimed at supporting learning processes of players. • We present a mixed-method study exploring how players learn to play games and which factors can influence their self-efficiecy beliefs. • Both issues are explored across three genres having high popularity in competitive gaming. • We discuss high-level characteristics of how learning and self-efficacy manifests themselves in these genres. • We provide guideposts for implementing teaching practices, systems, and tools for learning to play in- and outside of competitive games.